Quantum Leap has been given a revamp for 2022 with Raymond Lee taking on the lead as Dr Ben Song. The show premiered on September 19 on NBC in America with Martin Gero serving as showrunner. Here’s the lowdown on Quantum Leap including the show’s premise and cast.
How many episodes are in Quantum Leap?
Quantum Leap was first granted a pilot by the American network NBC in 2021 with the show proving to be a bit with executives.
NBC then gave Quantum Leap a full series order, which means the show will typically consist of 22 episodes.
Some of NBC’s other shows like Law & Order and Chicago Fire consist of between 20 and 24 episodes in each season.
Therefore, Quantum Leap is likely to consist of a similar number with the show airing weekly on NBC.
While the second outing was titled Atlantis with Ben onboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis in 1995.
Each instalment serves as a standalone story with Dr Ben trying to make a difference across time periods and settings by righting historical wrongs.
The new series is generally similar to the original show which acknowledges the Quantum Leap programme, however, it’s a more modern take on the concept.
Perhaps the biggest different between the 90s show and the 2022 iteration is the difference in technology which now exists.
Actor Lee told NBC about one of the big differences: “Before we would just see Sam and Al navigate through this space together with the help of Ziggy, but we didn’t necessarily know where all of that information was coming from.”
He added: “Now, we get to see the headquarters and the people working at Quantum Leap headquarters and there’s a whole life there with its own drama that supplements the story.”
Along with Lee, Quantum Leap stars Caitlin Bassett as Addison Augustine, Mason Alexander Park as Ian Wright, Nanrisa Lee as Jenn, and Ernie Hudson as Herbert ‘Magic’ Williams.
The show also pays tribute to the original series with Georgina Reilly as Janis Calavicci, the daughter of Al Calavicci (Dean Stockwell). Additionally, Susan Diol made a cameo as Beth Calavicci, the wife of Al.
Viewers will also see lots of guest stars as Ben finds himself propelled into the bodies of various people.
Quantum Leap originally ran from 1989 to 1993 with a total of 97 episodes charting Sam’s time travel experiments as he became a different person each week.
Bakula previously confirmed he wouldn’t be returning to Quantum Leap, posting on Twitter: “I have no connection with the new show, either in front of the camera or behind it,”
However, he did say: “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.”
Nonetheless, showrunner Gero said he still wanted to bring the original star back, telling Den of Geek: “I will respectfully always ask him to do the show.”
He went on to say: “I think it could be really exciting. But I also completely respect his wishes. He knows our enthusiasm for him. He knows our enthusiasm, our love, and our reverence for the old show. It’s a no right now. It would be pretty amazing to have him back, but I don’t know what that timeline looks like, or even if it’s possible.”
Quantum Leap airs on NBC in America on Mondays at 10/9c and on Peacock on Tuesdays
