Posted in: NBC, Netflix, Peacock, TV | Tagged: Caitlin Bassett, nbc, netflix, opinion, peacock, quantum leap, Raymond Lee, scott bakula

Quantum Leap: Our Leapers Deserve Their Proper Final Leap Home

It just feels wrong that NBC's Quantum Leap would pretty much end the same way as the original. Our leapers deserve their final leap home.

It's strange how TV works in the streaming era these days. Sometimes, a strong enough fan base can rescue a TV series where the presiding network or streamer will offer a chance to land elsewhere and provide some continuance or proper closure with a final season or feature. Manifest was canceled by NBC and revived by Netflix for its final season. Star Trek: Prodigy was canceled by Paramount+ and season two was picked up by Netflix. Brooklyn Nine-Nine was canceled by FOX and picked up on NBC for its final three seasons. Sense8 was afforded a closing movie from Netflix after its initial cancelation. Lucifer was canceled by Fox and wrapped on Netflix for its final three seasons. Why not NBC's Quantum Leap, which was canceled in April?

It's why it's infuriating that with so many options over broadcast, cable, and streamers, so many shows still don't have a chance elsewhere, like Willow, canceled after one season, removed from Disney+, and no physical media available to add insult to injury. The Orville is still in limbo after a critically acclaimed third season from critics and audiences alike. This brings me to one project where the legacy sequel series ended the same way as the original did in Quantum Leap, where NBC Universal executive Jeff Bader told TV Line the series performed softer than other shows made the transition to Peacock. So why couldn't they do a wrap-up feature on NBC or Peacock or be sold to Netflix to continue or wrap?

Quantum Leap Deserved Better

It's nonsense why NBC, Paramount+, and Fox can give shows like Manifest, Star Trek: Prodigy, and Lucifer new homes on Netflix, yet Quantum Leap, which has a more established history as a series, doesn't get that courtesy. To catch up on what happened in both Donald P. Bellisario series, the original had Scott Bakula's Dr. Sam Beckett's ending reduced to a final title card saying, "Sam never returned home." In season one of the 2022 series, searching for Sam was a priority before easing up when Bakula was confirmed not to return. Season two's focus shifted more on the new team, internalized drama between Dr. Ben Song (Raymond Lee) and Addison Augustine (Caitlin Bassett), and threats to Project Quantum Leap with potential takeovers by the government or overzealous financiers on top of the dangerous missions Ben was already doing.

The 2022 Quantum Leap ended with Addison jumping into the accelerator device making her a leaper and catching up to Ben as they share new adventures into what would have been season three. I suggest a limited series or feature event that allows the generational crossover to finally happen to where the series can conclude for the three leaper characters with Janis Calavicci (Georgina Reilly), Herbert "Magic" Williams (Ernie Hudson), and Ian Wright (Mason Alexander Park) figuring a way to bring them home. That would also be the perfect opportunity for Janis to do what the late Dean Stockwell Al did for Sam in the original series as a guide. I understand it's wishful thinking at this point, but if the interest was there to bring back the series once before, then we, as fans, should push for a more definitive conclusion.

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