One of the best sci-fi tv shows of all time was Quantum Leap starring Scott Bakula as the time-traveling Dr. Sam Beckett and Dean Stockwell as his holographic pal, Al. Unlike most time-traveling stories, what made Quantum Leap special was that Sam would actually leap into the bodies of people who were in danger and he then had to help save them to maintain the timeline and fix the future. At the end of 5 seasons, Sam met God, who gave him the opportunity to finally go home, or to keep leaping from body to body and helping make a difference. The show ended with Sam choosing to continue on his journey forever.
Now, nearly 30 years later, Scott Bakula has just finished up a long run as the star of NCIS: New Orleans and he took some time to visit Bob Sagat’s podcast, and the inevitable question of a reboot or revival for the series came up. Here’s what he had to say:
“There’s very significant conversations about it right now going on. I don’t know what it would be. I don’t know who would have it. The rights were a mess for years. I don’t know if they’re even sorted out now. That’s always been the biggest complication.”
One of the great things about Quantum Leap was that it gave audiences a chance to look at major historical moments and heavy issues in a way that let people in through Sam’s eyes. Even thinking about the history of the last thirty years since the show ended, there’s a tremendous amount of material for the show to mine without ever having to rehash old story lines.
This is also the kind of thing that would work as either a reboot or a revival. While I’d love to see Bakula and Stockwell back for a new show, you could easily update the show with a new Sam and a new Al. The names are even set up so that gender-swapping is simple, and we’re guessing that a reboot would be at least partially gender-swapped. Either way, Quantum Leap is still a great premise and we’d love to see the show find new life.