“Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the quantum leap accelerator and vanished. He awoke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own, and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better…” This is the opening narration that many, many viewers tuned in to hear every week on NBC. Quantum Leap, a sci-fi show starring Scott Bakula, aired from 1989 to 1993, earned a cult following, and is referenced to this day. Now, it could very well be making the leap back to the 21st century, according to Bakula himself.
In an interview with Bob Saget last Monday, Bakula, who guested on Saget’s podcast Bob Saget’s Here For You, said that bringing back the fan-favorite show is definitely a topic of discussion.
Even though Bakula didn’t just up and confirm the beloved sci-fi series is returning, he says there have been “significant conversations” about the Quantum Leap reboot. That begs a series of questions on its own, however. When would it come? Who would star? It's too early to tell.
A new run for a beloved series of this genre could be a great card up NBC's or its streamer Peacock’s sleeve. With Apple TV+ betting high on Foundation, the new series based on a sci-fi classic novel, and HBO Max both gearing up to give Dune a sequel and releasing The Matrix Resurrections later this year, this could be a chance for Peacock to have a horse in the revival race over the next few years.
However, as Bakula commented, he’s not sure who could have the rights to produce it, which might be a separate mess to untangle:
“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.”
Bakula also revealed that he’s been talking with Quantum Leap’s creator Donald P. Belisario about a return for years, and he also added he gets asked about it all the time. You can watch the full interview between Bakula and Saget below: