Before Lanterns, Kyle Chandler Starred In A Sci-Fi Series With A Unique Time Travel Twist

Kyle Chandler, who will join the DC Universe in 2026 as Hal Jordan in HBO's "Lanterns," may be best known for his portrayal of Coach Eric Taylor on the superb (and dearly missed) television series "Friday Night Lights," but prior to becoming one of the all-time great TV dads, he was the lead of two network shows (and the co-star of several others). If you're wondering why you've never heard of these series, it could be because you're obnoxiously young. But most likely, it's due to the fact that they fell completely off the radar once they were canceled.

Chandler's first crack at a lead television role came in 1991 via ABC's period drama "Homefront." Set in 1945 after the end of World War II, Chandler starred as Jeff Metcalf, a pitcher for the Cleveland baseball team now known as the Guardians who finds himself vying for the affections of college student Sarah Brewer (Alexandra Wilson), who's also being courted by his brother Hank (David Newsom). The series received critical praise and developed a small but passionate following during its first season. Thanks to the fans' enthusiasm, "Homefront" got a second season, but despite earning five Primetime Emmy nominations in 1993 (including one for Outstanding Drama Series), ABC axed it.

Chandler's next network TV series, "Early Edition," also acquired a passionate following, but fared much better in the ratings. The good-hearted sci-fi/fantasy series starred Chandler as Gary Hobson, a recently divorced stockbroker who moves into a hotel and quickly discovers his morning issue of the Chicago Sun-Times is being delivered a day early. Why? So that Gary can avert a looming tragedy. Yes, it's a screamingly obvious riff on "Quantum Leap" (and even incorporates time travel later in the series), but it's fun! Unfortunately, it's also completely unavailable to stream.

When "Early Edition" premiered in the fall of 1996, critics weren't exactly enthusiastic, but the notoriously difficult-to-please Tom Shales of The Washington Post found it inoffensive enough (if a touch too preachy) and thought Kyle Chandler gave a winning performance. Enough viewers agreed to land it at a decent spot in that season's Nielsen ratings, which ultimately led to it receiving a renewal from CBS.

The show's writers were initially careful to not tinker with what was clearly working with its fanbase. Every episode, Gary would find an unfortunate event he could stop prior to the Chicago Sun-Times going to press. (Alas, the series never had Gary race against time to stop Roger Ebert from writing his inexplicable three-star review of "Speed 2: Cruise Control.") Because the show would be awfully boring if he didn't have any cohorts, Gary informs his most trusted coworkers Chuck Fishman (Fisher Stevens) and Marissa Clark (Shanesia Davis-Williams) of his mysterious newspaper delivery. He also shares his secret with his father (William Devane) and mother (Tess Harper).

"Early Edition" continued to tick up in the Nielsens during its second season, but it began to decline after that. By the end of season 4, no letter-writing/email campaign could save it. Oddly, CBS announced a reboot of "Early Edition" in 2022 starring Alice Eve, but that never came to fruition. I don't know if it was streaming anywhere then, but the original series is nowhere to be found at the moment. Paramount+ could use all the quality programming it can get, but for now, the "Early Edition" presses are stopped. "Homefront," however," is streaming at Prime Video, and a reboot of "Friday Night Lights" may be on the way, too.