Why NBC Traveled Back in Time to Reboot Quantum Leap

NBC is taking a calculated leap of faith with its latest reboot. In May, the network announced it was bringing back Quantum Leap, which originally ran for five seasons from 1989-1993. The '90s series focused on the time-traveling adventures of Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula), who would leap into people from the past, taking a walk in someone else's shoes and attempting to correct something that went wrong. The new version of the series picks up 30 years after Beckett vanished in the Quantum Leap accelerator, with a new team, including Dr. Ben Seong (Raymond Lee), trying to restart the project and understand all the mysteries that go with it. And NBC is all in. NBC Backs Quantum Leap Reboot With Video Ad Sequencing Campaign on YouTube Frances Berwick, chairman, entertainment networks, NBCUniversal television and streaming, told Adweek that Quantum Leap is the network's biggest swing for the fall. "We kept hearing from people, [about] the nostalgia, and even people who would be too young to have known the original, they had still heard about it," Berwick said. The show's premise allows Lee's character to jump through various time periods, and Berwick added that it makes for interesting storytelling. "I think there's a fascination with time travel. There's a fascination with looking back at prior eras, which this allows us to do and have a lot of fun with it," Berwick said. "But more than anything, it was a beloved franchise. And the creative auspices all came together and it became the right thing to do right now. And it is a great show. We're very happy with it." To give the show its best chance, NBC is leveraging The Voice to help launch the series in the 10 p.m. slot on Monday, Sept. 19. It's the same strategy used for Manifest's 2018 premiere, which earned more than 10 million viewers. Additionally, Lopez vs. Lopez, the only other series the network is launching in the fall, doesn't premiere until November. "We have spread them apart strategically, so that we can really lean in and maximize the promotion for both of them," Berwick said. That promotion is already well underway. In addition to an activation at San Diego Comic-Con in July, the network recently held a Quantum Leap Day event in Los Angeles on Sept. 15. The activation allowed potential fans to turn back the clock to 1985 in honor of the series pilot taking place in that year. In addition to a drive-through experience, people could also fill up their cars for .91 cents per gallon, which was the average fuel price in LA in '85. Time for a change Of course, reboots have had a varying degree of success in recent years, which NBC knows all about, cancelling potential Coach and Cruel Intention reboots before they ever went to air. Quantum Leap has already had its own apparent issues behind the scenes, with reboot executive producer Martin Gero stepping in to take over as showrunner for Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt in July. The show's original star, Bakula, has also been very public with his decision not to participate in the series, writing on Instagram that he passed on the project. However, Bakula also wished the show's creators good luck. And, because of the series' new take, a lack of former actor participation may not be an issue. After all, Quantum Leap is more of a revival than a reboot. Gero explained at a Television Critic's Association virtual panel in September that the show is more about the new characters, including Lee's Dr. Ben Seong, Caitlin Bassett's Addison and Mason Alexander Park's Ian. The showrunner noted that doing more of a reboot, or bringing in a new actor to play Sam Beckett, would've set up the show to fail. "So this, you can start fresh. And then slowly, over the course of the season, there's an enormous amount of backstory and mythology from the original show that we're really excited to share with fans," Gero said. "But it's done in a way that will feel like a different view on past events for our old fans, so it's new information for them. And for our new fans, it just feels like we're still in the middle of the story and it's coming out organically."

Programming & Performance

Why NBC Traveled Back in Time to Reboot Quantum Leap

The series premiere on Sept. 19 is a continuation of the story with brand new characters

Bill Bradley

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Bill Bradley