The original Quantum Leap debuted in 1989 following scientist Samuel Beckett (played by Scott Bakula) who was experimenting with time travel and who found himself uncontrollably leaping into the bodies of people in the past trying to correct moments in history. He was assisted by Al Calavicci, a hollographic projection from Sam’s time who had information on what their goal was in each time period. The series wrapped up after five seasons and (Spoiler Alert?) ended with the words “Sam Beckett never returned home”. (You can read more about the show at this link.) Creator Donald P. Bellisario and Bajula had indicated many times that they would like to revisit the show and NBC did greenlight a revival, though it brings onboard a whole new cast.
The new Quantum Leap takes place in the present and follows a team that has been studying the work of Samuel Beckett and trying to figure out if they can bring him home. However, lead scientist Dr. Ben Song (played by Raymond Lee) makes an unauthorized jump ahead of schedule and finds himself in the same predicament that Beckett was in. Ben’s fiance Addison Augustine acts as his liaison to the present, though he does not remember their relationship because the jump has affected his memory. The team also discovers that Ben had been carrying on research they were unaware of and that his jumps are following a pattern. They try to solve the mystery of what he was doing while also trying to help him return home. Bellisario is back with the show in an executive producer role, but Bakula has not been involved so far.
To level set before proceeding any further with this review, I was never a huge fan of the original series. I acknowledge that it was an important sci fi entry and that it had some excellent episodes and pushed the boundaries of television, but it also had a lot of filler eps that just did not interest me. I also disliked the fact that Sam knew nothing about the person he leaped into and that the writers would use that to put him in cringe-worthy situations that dragged out too long through the episodes. Still, I loved Bakula as Beckett and Dean Stockwell as Al and the show could be quite entertaining at times.
The revival picks up thirty years later and works off the same formula as the original. But television has matured since the ’80s and ’90s and the new version manages to smooth out the rough edges from the show’s initial run. It focuses on more than just the leap with the team back home trying to solve the mystery of Ben’s intentions which gives the expected ongoing story arc. Because of that, there is less time to focus on the cringey moments of Ben not knowing who he leaped into, leading to tighter episodes and less padding. And the leap stories each week have been solid so far even if they have not delivered any of the heavy-hitting moments that the original was known for (though I am expecting we will get some of those in future eps).
The cast is solid with Raymond Lee and Caitlin Bassett adding their own interpretation to the roles that correspond to Sam and Al from the original and making this very much their show. Genre veteran Ernie Hudson is a welcome presence as well along with new faces Mason Alexander Park and Nanrisa Lee. The team comes together and there is a definite chemistry among the actors that gives the show the right spark. The new series is also very respectful of the original with one of the characters having an interesting connection to Sam (no spoilers). Whether Bakula will appear in the show remains to be seen (sadly, Dean Stockwell passed away in 2021). They are definitely setting it up as a possibility, but the actor has indicated that he will not be part of the revival. Perhaps they will convince him to change his mind at some point.
Through its first five episodes I have enjoyed it and I plan on sticking with it through its first season. The ratings for the show have not been spectacular, but it has been doing well in delayed viewing and it may be performing well enough for the 10 PM hour to carry it into a second season. It did receive a pickup of six more episodes which will give it eighteen total for its first year (the once typical 22-ep order is not as common for sci fi entries on the broadcast networks for cost reasons). The new Quantum Leap has delivered a solid genre series thus far in its run and it is about as good as you can expect from a reboot/revival these days, especially on the broadcast nets. If you have not checked it out yet, it is certainly worth a look and you can catch up with the show on the Peacock streaming service.
SciFiTVSite.com: Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and you can see the premieres for all the upcoming genre entries at this link.
CancelledSciFi.com: Keep up with the status updates of all the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch posts. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates.
