Fire up the accelerator chamber and get the imaging chamber online! The 90s sci-fi classis Quantum Leap is coming back soon. The series, which ran from 1989-1993, followed the adventures of Dr. Sam Beckett, leaping from life to life in his lifetime to correct wrongs. Along with him was Al, his friend and a Navy admiral, that appeared as a hologram and assisted Sam in his missions. The show encompassed 97 total episodes and was a big hit for NBC at the time. Over the years, it has been in syndication on various networks. Now, after almost 30 years, it will be revived on NBC and starting on September 19th. Here’s what we know so far:
It’s been nearly 30 years since Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. Now, a new team, led by physicist Ben Song (Raymond Lee), has been assembled to restart the project in hope of understanding the mysteries behind the machine and the man who created it.
Everything changes, however, when Ben makes an unauthorized leap into the past, leaving the team behind to solve the mystery of why he did it. At Ben’s side throughout his leaps is Addison (Caitlin Bassett), who appears in the form of a hologram only Ben can see and hear. She’s a decorated Army veteran who brings level-headed precision to her job.
At the helm of the highly confidential operation is Herbert “Magic” Williams (Ernie Hudson), a no-nonsense career military man who has to answer to his bosses who won’t be happy once they learn about the breach of protocol. The rest of the team at headquarters includes Ian Wright (Mason Alexander Park), who runs the Artificial Intelligence unit “Ziggy,” and Jenn Chou (Nanrisa Lee), who heads up digital security for the project.
As Ben leaps from life to life, putting right what once went wrong, it becomes clear that he and the team are on a thrilling journey. However, Addison, Magic, Ian and Jenn know that if they are going to solve the mystery of Ben’s leap and bring him home, they must act fast or lose him forever.
NBC Synopsis
Time Period
So, with that, it sounds like the season will take off in a similar way to the original pilot. Project Quantum Leap (PQL) was set in 1999 and located in New Mexico. Most likely we’ll be seeing a similar location and possibly set in 2029. Sam originally leapt into pilot Tom Stratton so it’ll be of interest to see who Ben leaps into first. What we know currently is the episode will take place July 13, 1985. Commercials also show him as a female singer in 1986 and paratrooper in 1991. My first conjecture is about the time frames we’ll see in the revival. Sam Beckett was born August 8, 1953. A great majority of the episodes took place in the ’50s and ’60s. Figuring a 30 year jump in time, we’ll more than likely see the ’80s and ’90s prominently.
Characters And Content
In the original Quantum Leap the PQL team only appeared briefly, with Gushie showing up in four episodes. The synopsis gives the feeling this new series will not only focus on why Ben leapt but will give some focus to the team. This should lead to more plots involving Addison, taking the role of Al, and Ian in Gushie’s place. We also get the boss (who happens to be the same character that Sam leapt into in the episode “The Leap Home – Part 2”) and a digital security officer.
We know in the original Sam leapt to “prove his theories or lose funding.” Assembling Ben and this team to uncover the project’s past feels like a solid overarching story. Content with Quantum Leap has pushed the social envelope so this revival will likely keep a similar feel. This new timeline will bring us the AIDS epidemic, 80’s music revolution, the infancy of the internet and the different military actions of the years (i.e. Desert Storm) just to name a few.
Final Thoughts
From the looks of the trailer above and some shots from the first episode, I think we might be looking at a really good start to the Quantum Leap revival. A solid start can be the best thing for the series if you get the fans of the classic series and more. The hope would be the return of Scott Bakula in some way, shape or form as Sam Beckett. The subject matter could be really moving if they have great stories to back the actors. We will be keeping an eye on this season before talking about what we would go back and change. And don’t forget to check back with us here for updates and more!