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Scott Bakula Has Said No Thank You to the 'Quantum Leap' Reboot

By Dustin Rowles | TV | September 16, 2022 |

By Dustin Rowles | TV | September 16, 2022 |


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The Quantum Leap reboot will premiere this Monday and, for nostalgia reasons and because the premise is so compelling, I’m weirdly excited about it, even though I suspect it will break my heart. The first episode hasn’t even aired yet, and it’s already undergone a showrunner change. That’s never a good sign.

However, it does have a very handsome new leading man, Raymond Lee, and it’s put together the kind of cast that pisses off conservatives who think it’s “too woke.” That, and Ernie Hudson, is reason enough for me to watch, plus the faint hope that the reboot will answer all the questions that remain from the original.

Here’s the thing, though: Sam Beckett will be a presence on the show (Raymond Lee’s character jumps back into the quantum accelerator in an effort to find him), but Scott Bakula will not be making an appearance, at least not anytime soon. It’s not because he wasn’t asked. It’s because Scott Bakula declined, as he said in an Instagram post:

“I have no connection with the new show, either in front of the camera or behind it. 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!”

The key sentence here is that Bakula “read the script” and passed. I don’t think it was because of scheduling conflicts or because he was too busy. He passed, based on the script. That’s not a great sign. But, I would remind everyone that the first season of the original Quantum Leap was not very good. It took some time to find its way. I am happy to give Raymond Lee’s version some time to find its way, too, because I do love the premise.

If the series works out whatever wrinkles it may have and finds some success with audiences, I suspect that Scott Bakula will find some time to make an appearance.

I expect we’ll have a review up on Tuesday. In the meantime, I hope Count Bakula can find his way back for another episode of What We Do in the Shadows.