For years, there were rumors that there was going to be a sequel series to Quantum Leap with Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell. Sadly, last year we lost the latter. Therefore, it looked like it was not going to happen.
However, NBC decided to reboot the series, which ran from 1989-1993, with a new person traveling through time to right the wrongs. So, you have to wonder if Bakula will reprise his role as Dr. Samuel Beckett. Today, the actor broke his silence on the matter.
To Quantum Leap fans around the world, in an effort to quiet the rumors and move on…
First of all, thanks for hanging around through the decades!
Here’s the simple version of what’s going on with the Quantum Leap reboot and me:
I have no connection with the new show, either in front of the camera or behind it.
In January, the pilot was sold and a script was sent to me because the character of Sam Beckett was in it, which makes sense, right? As so many of you have been asking me the last several months, “How could you do QL without Sam?”(or Al, for that matter) Well, I guess we’re about to find out.
That’s the story. As the show has always been near and dear to my heart, it was a very difficult decision to pass on the project, a decision that has upset and confused so many fans of the original series. However, the idea of anyone ‘leaping’ around in time and walking a mile in someone else’s shoes, remains a very appealing concept and so worthy of exploration, especially given the current state of mankind. In that spirit, I am crossing my fingers that this new cast and crew are lucky enough to tap into the magic that propelled the original Quantum Leap into the hearts and minds of generations past and present.
I wish them good luck and happy leaping!
SB
Part of me is upset over his decision because he is such a beloved character. However, the other part of me likes the idea that they are keeping the mystery going. And he is letting the reboot stand on its own two feet in their shoes. But I really wanted him back. Oh, well.
Oh, and never realized until now that the actor and his character share the initials, SB.
Before Scott Bakula was traveling endlessly through time in Quantum Leap, he had a run-in with some alien gas that made him invincible in I-Man. He looks the same now as he did when he was 31 on that 1986 failed pilot.
Before Scott Bakula was a renowned scientist on Quantum Leap, he was a car salesman selling Chevrolets. What can you say about the 28-year-old’s performance in that 1983 commercial?
CBS has had a busy day. First, they picked up The Neighborhood and Bob Hearts Abishela. Then they cancelled Mom. Now, Deadline is reporting that NCIS: New Orleans will end its 7-season run on May 16th.
“Sad to end our love affair with this phenomenal city but so grateful for all the friends we made along the way,” Scott Bakula said. “I will miss the music. Big thank you to CBS for seven years.”
That means Bakula is freed up to do a Quantum Leap revival, so I am good with this. Not that there is one in the works, but there can be now.
Back to NoLA, the cancellation probably means that NCIS: Hawaii will be a go. What that means for NCIS: Mothership and Mark Harmon’s future with the drama, we will find out soon enough.
When Quantum Leap ended, Al was reunited his true love thanks to his friend Sam going back in time, as himself, to tell her, her husband was alive. By reuniting the two, it changed all of their timelines leaving Sam lost in time, never to return home again.
That was not the only ending the time-traveling show filmed that season. They taped another one in case it did get picked up for another one. Which evil NBC did not do.
Finally, after 30 years we can see what would have had happened if evil NBC had said yes instead of no. Had it been renewed it would have ended with Beth and Al trying to find a way to bring Sam home. They know he is lost in time as himself because there is no one in the waiting room. Something that would have been a real game changer. Something we did not see.
With all of the reboots and revivals in the works, it gave fans hope that maybe Quantum Leap could live again. While we have new hope, Scott Bakula never lost hope. He told The Blast, “I keep telling people, Sam’s still out there.”
Hey CBS, you owe Don Bellisario. You need to give NCIS: NOLA, which should have been part of Bellisario’s legacy, a shortened season and let Bakula film another season of Quantum Leap with Dean Stockwell. Who else wants more of Dr. Sam Beckett besides me? Imagine what they can do now. Maybe he can make it so Donald Trump goes to Vietnam and does not get a deferment? The possibilities are endless. Let’s see a few of them.
