Many have been asked, “If you could travel to any point in history, when would it be?”

Some would choose to go back to see the Renaissance era to see some of their favorite works created, others to the era of the Civil Rights Movement to listen as the most powerful speeches come to life.

No one would choose to come back to watch the pilot for FOX’s latest sitcom “Making History.”

“Making History” follows Dan (Adam Pally, “The Mindy Project”), a custodial worker for Massachusetts College, who gets a time machine and uses it to travel back to Colonial America. After he begins to date Deborah (Leighton Meester, “By the Gun”), he inadvertently changes history and prevents the American Revolution from beginning. Dan brings Chris (Yassir Lester, “The Bet”) with him back to the past in order to discover the reason for the change and to revitalize America’s hope of revolting.

The series has many strong elements that feel under-utilized in the pilot. Pally, for one, does not seem not to live up to his comedic strength he has demonstrated in other series he has worked with, such as “Happy Endings.” Many of his lines feel cliché or just fail to hit their mark.

Speaking of clichés, the series depends on the writing of various other shows and movies to push along its story. It ends up feeling like watching 21 minutes of movie quotes from the ‘90s, whereas viewers would get more entertainment and laughs by watching the films themselves. This lazy script writing takes away from many of the jokes that do hit on their own and make the comedic players look as if they are trying too hard.

Meester is the only one who is able to overcome the writing and shine in the series. Her jokes always seem to land at the right time and her character is more interesting to viewers than the other two. She gives viewers the perfect blend of the classic “person out of time” and unique characterization that can grab viewers after they are lost to other aspects of the story.

Another element that proves strong in the series is the story’s originality. Where the writing for the dialogue fails, the story is a new telling.

Often, time travel stories are about getting power or altering the course of history. This is the story of a man who wantsto feel cool.

Dan discovers time travel and uses it to try to find a place he can fit in and feel better about himself. It is a story that has some merit, but lacks in terms of presentation.

The largest problem overall with the series is even though it is new, it does not feel like it is. The series feels like every other pilot for every other series that has come in recent years. It bores viewers who are hoping the originality of the story will make it better. If the series hopes to make it past season one, which many FOX pilots have failed to do in recent years, they need to find a way to get more genuine laughs from people. This can come from strengthening the writing or using the full talents of the cast. It is clear that change is needed.

“Making History” feels like the past. Hopefully with time, this series can live to see a future.