Twenty years ago, “Quantum Leap” first leaped onto our television screens. Over the course of five seasons, fans followed the journey of Dr. Sam Beckett through time, “putting right what once went wrong and hoping each time, the next leap would be the leap home.”
Now, 20 years later, the series is still winning new fans and entertaining the long-time fans of the series. At the heart of the series is actor Scott Bakula, who brought Sam to life each week.
Bakula said it’s a tribute to the fans that the show never went away–either during its initial run or in the time since it’s gone off the airwaves.
“They were part of a huge letter-writing campaign when our show was on the cusp of being canceled,” Bakula told SciFi Wire. “They did a commercial on NBC. Warren Littlefield was the president at the time. The commercial was them dumping letters, … the letters were falling all over him, and he said, “All right, all right, enough. Quantum Leap’s coming back. Stop writing!” So they were instrumental. I’ve always felt very close to them, because their activity and their insistence, … when they fell for the show, they really fell for it, and they were vocal about it.”
Bakula said he’s flattered by the devotion of the fans–and not just to the show but to he and co-star Dean Stockwell.
“A lot of these folks are not only at the sci-fi conventions, but the theater when I’m in Washington, D.C.,” Bakula said. “They support charities that I support. They do Leap Cons different places where the benefits go to charities. They’ve been just really great, not just fans of the show, but they’ve been active in terms of supporting some of the causes that I support, some of the causes that [Leap co-star] Dean [Stockwell] supports. They’re just a good bunch.”
Bakula said the show is so fondly remembered and has such devoted fans due to its storytelling that focused on the people we meet every day.
“The very simple nature of the show being about someone literally walking in someone else’s shoes and seeing the world through their eyes,” said Bakula. “We’re so involved in our own lives, but when you think about being that woman over there, pushing that stroller with the two little babies, and what is her life like … and all of a sudden we’re in her life. We knew what was going on. … The nature of his character was, because of his big-hearted kindness and his willingness to be involved in other people’s lives, … humanity is always looking to help each other and look out. Sometimes it takes big tragedies. Look what the people in New Orleans did or the people in New York did. Or the people on the plane that went down in the Hudson. Look how they handled it. They reached out and helped each other. This was just one man in a TV show. It was very simple and kind of magical.”
As for the future, Bakula admits that the window is closing for a potential reunion project featuring he and Stockwell in their roles.
“Quantum Leap” still airs in syndication on cable’s Ion network and all five seasons are available on DVD. Fans can also catch episodes at NBC’s rewind web site.
Wes says
Quantum Leap has held up tremendously well over the years. I remember anticipating each new episode. Thanks for the update, let’s hope for a reunion show- that could be very interesting!
Holli says
I have not had the fortune to be a longtime fan of Quantum Leap when it first aired, as I was born months after it ended. But one day maybe 7 or 8 years ago, my mom bought season two of Q.L. on DVD, and so my love affair with the show began. I didn’t think to watch season 1 till I’d already torn through season 2 but I was hooked anyway. A reunion episode (or even a reboot of the series like with a certain British show about a lovable time lord) would be amazing. I feel like it would do so well these days, what with all these popular fantasy shows already being aired. Plus it’s just all around great. I love the show.