# Quantum Leap Reboot (spoilers allowed)



## Aeson (Feb 4, 2022)

Because everything has to be remade eventually.








						Meet The Key Characters In The 'Quantum Leap' Reboot
					

NBC's 'Quantum Leap' reboot has begun casting, with production set to begin in March. Here's the new cast of characters working at Quantum Leap HQ.



					thathashtagshow.com
				




Sounds like they're trying to find Sam. Wouldn't the Leaper need to be the same age? You send a 30 year old man looking for a 70 year old man, that's 40 years of history he won't be able to access.


----------



## payn (Feb 4, 2022)

I'm waiting for Airwolf reboot.


----------



## doctorbadwolf (Feb 4, 2022)

Aeson said:


> Because everything has to be remade eventually.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That’s why they’ll need an advisor.


----------



## Ryujin (Feb 4, 2022)

I suspect that this will be one of those "gritty" reboots, rather than in the character of the original show.


----------



## payn (Feb 4, 2022)

Ryujin said:


> I suspect that this will be one of those "gritty" reboots, rather than in the character of the original show.



Maybe? Sounds like they are looking for a lab partner with hidden agenda, but that character will be recurring and not main cast.


----------



## Deset Gled (Feb 4, 2022)

It'll be interesting to see if (and how) they deal with some of the more controversial leaps: alternate genders, races, mentally handicapped, etc. The original show took some risks.


----------



## payn (Feb 4, 2022)

Deset Gled said:


> It'll be interesting to see if (and how) they deal with some of the more controversial leaps: alternate genders, races, mentally handicapped, etc. The original show took some risks.



Its true. There is so much you can do in that space. A lot of pitfalls too.


----------



## R_J_K75 (Feb 4, 2022)

payn said:


> I'm waiting for Airwolf reboot.



I'll see your Airwolf and raise you one Street Hawk.


----------



## Umbran (Feb 4, 2022)

payn said:


> Its true. There is so much you can do in that space. A lot of pitfalls too.




For this show, especially.  The original was largely about coming to _understand_ some about the person Sam had jumped into, and their situation.  There's a whole lot of opportunity for that now... if they have good writers.


----------



## Umbran (Feb 4, 2022)

R_J_K75 said:


> I'll see your Airwolf and raise you one Street Hawk.




Bah!  Manimal, or nothing!


----------



## payn (Feb 4, 2022)

R_J_K75 said:


> I'll see your Airwolf and raise you one Street Hawk.



Double or nothing on Thunder in Paradise.


----------



## R_J_K75 (Feb 4, 2022)

Umbran said:


> Bah!  Manimal, or nothing!



I admit I had to look it up, IDR it,but seeing it consisted of only 8 episodes, you win.


----------



## R_J_K75 (Feb 4, 2022)

payn said:


> Double or nothing on Thunder in Paradise.



Uncle, Uncle, you win.  That was horrible, Im scarred and surprised I didnt rip my ears off.  I vaguely remember commercials for this, but never watched it.  That looked and sounded like it was straight out of the 80s but it was actually 1994 and by that time I was concerning myself with other things.


----------



## Ryujin (Feb 4, 2022)

Umbran said:


> Bah!  Manimal, or nothing!



Did I hear Sledge Hammer?


----------



## R_J_K75 (Feb 4, 2022)

Ryujin said:


> Did I hear Sledge Hammer?



The list goes on. Max Headroom, Spitting Image...etc.  But Sledge Hammer was good for a few laughs.


----------



## Ryujin (Feb 4, 2022)

R_J_K75 said:


> The list goes on. Max Headroom, Spitting Image...etc.  But Sledge Hammer was good for a few laughs.



"Trust me, I know what I'm doing."


----------



## R_J_K75 (Feb 4, 2022)

Really surprised they havent re-made the Greatest American Hero yet only as a drama tackling current social issues...Like the V Lizards living under LA.


----------



## Ryujin (Feb 4, 2022)

R_J_K75 said:


> Really surprised they havent re-made the Greatest American Hero yet only as a drama tackling current social issues...Like the V Lizards living under LA.



They tried not long after with "The Greatest American Heroine." I think that you can still catch it on Tubi, if you want to see why it failed.


----------



## R_J_K75 (Feb 4, 2022)

Ryujin said:


> They tried not long after with "The Greatest American Heroine." I think that you can still catch it on Tubi, if you want to see why it failed.



I remember hearing about it coming out and it bombing but didnt waste my time with it.


----------



## Ryujin (Feb 4, 2022)

R_J_K75 said:


> I remember hearing about it coming out and it bombing but didnt waste my time with it.



Seems that there was a 2018 movie reboot. I had heard that it was going to be made, but not that it was.









						The Greatest American Hero (TV Movie 2018) - IMDb
					

The Greatest American Hero: Directed by Christine Gernon. With Hannah Simone, Gia Sandhu, Humphrey Ker, George Wendt. An updated version of the classic 1980s TV show, this time with a female protagonist.




					www.imdb.com


----------



## payn (Feb 4, 2022)

Ryujin said:


> Seems that there was a 2018 movie reboot. I had heard that it was going to be made, but not that it was.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



George Wendt? Didnt know he was still acting.


----------



## R_J_K75 (Feb 4, 2022)

Ryujin said:


> Seems that there was a 2018 movie reboot. I had heard that it was going to be made, but not that it was.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Sure that went over like a Led Zeppelin.


----------



## R_J_K75 (Feb 4, 2022)

payn said:


> George Wendt? Didnt know he was still acting.



Didnt know he was still alive let alone acting


----------



## Willie the Duck (Feb 4, 2022)

R_J_K75 said:


> The list goes on. Max Headroom, Spitting Image...etc.  But Sledge Hammer was good for a few laughs.



Please tell me you've seen the Spitting Image reboot.


----------



## R_J_K75 (Feb 4, 2022)

Willie the Duck said:


> Please tell me you've seen the Spitting Image reboot.



I have not seen this, do I want to? Looks like its on Britbox, I dont get that channel.


----------



## Willie the Duck (Feb 4, 2022)

R_J_K75 said:


> I have not seen this, do I want to? Looks like its on Britbox, I dont get that channel.



You can catch a lot of it on Youtube as well. 

It's... ostensibly the same show. Same visual style, same focus, same flair for making everyone look ridiculous. There's Trump and all the current British political establishment instead of Reagan and the 80s British politicians. I feel like Thatcher era Britain is unique (and thus the old shows had a special charm), but that's probably a reflection on my age.


----------



## R_J_K75 (Feb 4, 2022)

Willie the Duck said:


> You can catch a lot of it on Youtube as well.
> 
> It's... ostensibly the same show. Same visual style, same focus, same flair for making everyone look ridiculous. There's Trump and all the current British political establishment instead of Reagan and the 80s British politicians. I feel like Thatcher era Britain is unique (and thus the old shows had a special charm), but that's probably a reflection on my age.



Maybe I'll watch an episode or two over the weekend.


----------



## Aeson (Feb 5, 2022)

Willie the Duck said:


> Please tell me you've seen the Spitting Image reboot.



I wanted to but...


Spoiler



When Trump's butthole came out of his body to send a tweet, I just couldn't.


----------



## Thunderfoot (Feb 28, 2022)

R_J_K75 said:


> I'll see your Airwolf and raise you one Street Hawk.



Nah, Blue Thunder...


----------



## Mad_Jack (Feb 28, 2022)

The sad part about things like Air Wolf, Blue Thunder, or anything else with a vehicle in it is that they were based on things that were supposed to be bleeding-edge-yet-still-believable technology - which is now pretty much standard equipment on those kinds of vehicles.
And generations of following programs have kept one-upping each other to the point where you basically need to have warp drive in your helicopter in order to be special because every high-tech car on television can turn invisible at this point.


----------



## Ryujin (Feb 28, 2022)

Mad_Jack said:


> The sad part about things like Air Wolf, Blue Thunder, or anything else with a vehicle in it is that they were based on things that were supposed to be bleeding-edge-yet-still-believable technology - which is now pretty much standard equipment on those kinds of vehicles.
> And generations of following programs have kept one-upping each other to the point where you basically need to have warp drive in your helicopter in order to be special because every high-tech car on television can turn invisible at this point.



Every time someone mentions "Airwolf" i remember how the actual stunt pilot said that it handled better, after they stuck the prop pods on it.


----------



## South by Southwest (Feb 28, 2022)

This is nothing against _Quantum Leap_, which I reasonably enjoyed at the time, and certainly no one will ever hear or see from me a word of criticism against my all-time favorite cylon, Dean Stockwell (RIP, man), but I have gotten so, _so_ sick of all the reboots. Reboots as a category do not offend me: _Battlestar Galactica_ was, in its day, the best sci fi show on TV. But what I do find so disappointing is the extent to which reboots, spin-offs, and reality TV are the _only_ categories that seem to enjoy much traction. The _Sopranos_ changed the world; _Saints of New Jersey_ couldn't even alter my pulse.

I am so sick of this.


----------



## Umbran (Feb 28, 2022)

South by Southwest said:


> But what I do find so disappointing is the extent to which reboots, spin-offs, and reality TV are the _only_ categories that seem to enjoy much traction.




Unfortunately, human behavior is running against you there - folks apparently tune in to the reboots and spin-offs more reliably than to new material, and these categories have less of an uphill climb from a marketing perspective.

But, here's some stuff that isn't...

The Good Place
Resident Alien
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
The Orville


----------



## Ryujin (Feb 28, 2022)

Umbran said:


> Unfortunately, human behavior is running against you there - folks apparently tune in to the reboots and spin-offs more reliably than to new material, and these categories have less of an uphill climb from a marketing perspective.
> 
> But, here's some stuff that isn't...
> 
> ...



I heartily endorse three of those and have been meaning to get into the fourth.


----------



## Thunderfoot (Mar 1, 2022)

Ryujin said:


> I heartily endorse three of those and have been meaning to get into the fourth.



_Ghosts_ is awesome and should really have more of an audience.  Honestly, it's better than it's ratings give it credit for.

As for the reboots, it has less to do with nostalgia (most reboots have nothing in common with the originals other than title and in some cases character names.) and more with network laziness.  Occassionally, a show can get past it, BSG is one of those rare shows that drew on it's old show but was completely different and worked. 
But for the most part you get Magnum PI, a show set in Hawaii with a PI that shags his English boss, cause she's a chick now, yeah, sexual tension and stuff.  Or MacGyver where a genius makes stuff out of other things and shags his boss, cause she a chick now, yeah, sexual tension and stuff.


----------



## Mistwell (Sep 20, 2022)

First episode dropped. What did everyone think?

It is a direct continuation of the old show, not full reboot/reset.


----------



## Umbran (Sep 20, 2022)

I am re-watching some of the original before picking this one up.

Most specifically, Ernie Hudson plays a character that Sam leaped into in the original.  It is in Season 3 "The Leap Home (Part 2) - Vietnam."  I wanted to refresh on that one.  There are a couple of others I may review, in case they are relevant.

The original series is available on the Roku streaming service.


----------



## Rabulias (Sep 20, 2022)

I felt the first episode was a little uneven, but I think a lot of that was due to introducing characters and required exposition. Typical first episode issues, compounded by recapping the original show.


Spoiler: First episode spoilers



The actors do a good job, but I wonder if spending half the show with the characters in the present is a good idea. In the original _Quantum Leap,_ Sam's interaction/connection with the leapee's friends, families, enemies, etc., formed the foundation for the story. Here, Ben's time with Ryan and his family, and even other members of the crew, feels very brief. As a result, Ryan's turn at the end feels very sudden. His gushing "Thank you!" at the end feels unearned, as Katie's treatment and his restaurant are still in danger in his mind.



Lastly I am uncertain about the whole forced mystery of "I can't tell you why I am doing this." Most of those stories turn out to be resolved in much simpler and easier ways if characters just revealed the truth from the beginning, and the reasons for the deception usually turn out to be very flimsy.

Still, for now, I will continue to watch and see if it finds its sea legs.


----------



## Blackrat (Sep 20, 2022)

Is there any news about release platform outside of US? I couldn’t find any info on quick google/imdb look-through…


----------



## Maxperson (Sep 20, 2022)

R_J_K75 said:


> I'll see your Airwolf and raise you one Street Hawk.



I will see your Street Hawk and go all in with an entire A-Team.


----------



## Maxperson (Sep 20, 2022)

Ryujin said:


> They tried not long after with "The Greatest American Heroine." I think that you can still catch it on Tubi, if you want to see why it failed.



I thought the war on drugs killed that one.


----------



## R_J_K75 (Sep 20, 2022)

Maxperson said:


> I will see your Street Hawk and go all in with an entire A-Team.



I call with Remington Steel


----------



## R_J_K75 (Sep 20, 2022)

Did the QL reboot air last night with the Monday Night Football game on? Pretty sure the game ended 10:15-10:30.


----------



## Maxperson (Sep 20, 2022)

R_J_K75 said:


> I call with Remington Steel



When this game is over, we need to have a Hart to Hart.


----------



## R_J_K75 (Sep 20, 2022)

Maxperson said:


> When this game is over, we need to have a Hart to Hart.



Holy $hit I was just about to say Hart to Hart, but Cagney and Lacey may mistake it for a domestic


----------



## Maxperson (Sep 20, 2022)

R_J_K75 said:


> Holy $hit I was just about to say Hart to Hart, but Cagney and Lacey may mistake it for a domestic



The Scarecrow and Mrs. King was another favorite.


----------



## Umbran (Sep 20, 2022)

R_J_K75 said:


> Did the QL reboot air last night with the Monday Night Football game on? Pretty sure the game ended 10:15-10:30.




Maybe.  But the thing shows up for streaming today, I think, so folks who were watching the game can get it easily.


----------



## R_J_K75 (Sep 20, 2022)

Maxperson said:


> The Scarecrow and Mrs. King was another favorite.



I almost spit my drink out that was so funny.  You win, I have no comeback on that one.


----------



## R_J_K75 (Sep 20, 2022)

Umbran said:


> Maybe.  But the thing shows up for streaming today, I think, so folks who were watching the game can get it easily.



Thats what I was thinking too. Personally, I'd be surprised if it sees a season 2 let alone make it through the first. I think this is clearly a case of not every show needs a reboot. I could be wrong; hope I am so I'll give it a shot.


----------



## Umbran (Sep 20, 2022)

R_J_K75 said:


> I think this is clearly a case of not every show needs a reboot.




On the contrary, I think that updating to current times and issues is a good thing.  The original series did a good job, for its time, in opening up perspectives.  That's a worthy pursuit.

My skepticism is that NBC has had a really crummy record with scifi shows for quite a while now.  La Brea.  Debris.  Powerless.  Heroes Reborn.  Emerald City.  Constantine.  Believe.  Awake.  Do No Harm.  Dracula.  All cancelled after one season.

They've had _Manifest_ run for three seasons, though I didn't like it much.  They had _The Good Place_, but that's more because Michael Shur is awesome than any merit of NBC's.  

One totally awesome show they had, _Timeless_, they went and cancelled, it got revived for a second season by, of all things, Sony pushing for it, and then cancelled again (but at least gave it a wrap-up TV movie, for which I was grateful).


----------



## R_J_K75 (Sep 20, 2022)

Umbran said:


> On the contrary, I think that updating to current times and issues is a good thing.  The original series did a good job, for its time, in opening up perspectives.  That's a worthy pursuit.
> 
> My skepticism is that NBC has had a really crummy record with scifi shows for quite a while now.  La Brea.  Debris.  Powerless.  Heroes Reborn.  Emerald City.  Constantine.  Believe.  Awake.  Do No Harm.  Dracula.  All cancelled after one season.
> 
> ...



That was my point, the new "Equalizer" is a good example of a reboot/reimagining that was cancelled iirc after 2 seasons. I agree that QL could update new episodes to the 80s, 90s and 2000s as the original focused on the 50s, 60s and 70s mostly. IDR the last episode of the first series but remember where I was watching it. I vaguely recall it being wonky and disjointed.


----------



## Morrus (Sep 20, 2022)

Watched it. It’s fine. It’s the same show. If you liked the original, this is basically the same thing.


----------



## R_J_K75 (Sep 20, 2022)

Maxperson said:


> The Scarecrow and Mrs. King was another favorite.



Im running a Midnight campaign now, Im totally writing a Scarecrow and Mrs. King adventure. I'll use the Pumpkin King from Tome of Beasts as the villain in Swiftwater


----------



## Ryujin (Sep 20, 2022)

R_J_K75 said:


> That was my point, the new "Equalizer" is a good example of a reboot/reimagining that was cancelled iirc after 2 seasons. I agree that QL could update new episodes to the 80s, 90s and 2000s as the original focused on the 50s, 60s and 70s mostly. IDR the last episode of the first series but remember where I was watching it. I vaguely recall it being wonky and disjointed.



Many seem to miss what was great, or even just the point of the original, when trying to reboot/reimagine an old series. Look what happened when they tried to reboot "Kolchak: The Night Stalker." They went for a dark & gritty remake where Kolchak was a tortured soul, who was directly impacted by the paranormal things that he covered. In the original series Kolchak was essentially an in-frame comedic narrator, shepherding the viewer through the story. The reboot didn't last a season.

If it's as Morrus says, essentially the original made today, then it should do pretty well just based on nostalgia.


----------



## Morrus (Sep 20, 2022)

R_J_K75 said:


> Thats what I was thinking too. Personally, I'd be surprised if it sees a season 2 let alone make it through the first. I think this is clearly a case of not every show needs a reboot. I could be wrong; hope I am so I'll give it a shot.



Have you seen it?


----------



## R_J_K75 (Sep 20, 2022)

Morrus said:


> Have you seen it?



I have not. I watched the Bills v. Titans game last night on NBC. It ended 10:15 or so. The new Quantum Leap was on NBC too at 10PM EST, so by the time the post-game show was over They didnt show it as the news comes on at 11. Sure I can catch it on Peacock. And the 10PM Monday night time slot is going up against Fear Thy Neighbor


----------



## Morrus (Sep 20, 2022)

R_J_K75 said:


> I have not. I watched the Bills v. Titans game last night on NBC. It ended 10:15 or so. The new Quantum Leap was on NBC too at 10PM EST, so by the time the post-game show was over They didnt show it as the news comes on at 11. Sure I can catch it on Peacock. And the 10PM Monday night time slot is going up against Fear Thy Neighbor



I don't know what most of those words mean.

But for somebody who hasn't watched it, "...personally, I'd be surprised if it sees a season 2 let alone make it through the first. I think this is clearly a case of not every show needs a reboot" seems a bizarrely strong opinion. Maybe try watching it before proclaiming judgement? It's fine.


----------



## FitzTheRuke (Sep 20, 2022)

Morrus said:


> I don't know what most of those words mean.



Haw! Me neither.


----------



## Tonguez (Sep 20, 2022)

R_J_K75 said:


> I'll see your Airwolf and raise you one Street Hawk.



Auto man


----------



## Morrus (Sep 20, 2022)

Tonguez said:


> Auto man



Look, the 80s action Glen A Larson-"style" hierarchy clearly goes:

A-Team
Knight Rider
....
Airwolf
Magnum
The Fall Guy
McGyver
Streethawk
....
Automan
Blue Thunder


----------



## Ryujin (Sep 20, 2022)

FitzTheRuke said:


> Haw! Me neither.




Something... something... sportsballz?



Tonguez said:


> Auto man




If it isn't "Super Force", the only TV show to use an incredibly lightly modified BMW motorcycle (A BMW K1) as its SciFi vehicle, then it ain't worth my time.


----------



## Umbran (Sep 20, 2022)

Morrus said:


> Look, the 80s action Glen A Larson-"style" hierarchy clearly goes:
> 
> A-Team
> Knight Rider
> ...




Manimal.  Can't forget Manimal.


----------



## R_J_K75 (Sep 20, 2022)

Morrus said:


> But for somebody who hasn't watched it, "...personally, I'd be surprised if it sees a season 2 let alone make it through the first. I think this is clearly a case of not every show needs a reboot



I'd appreciate if you don't demean my opinion. It's my opinion, you don't have to agree but don't tell my opinion is bizarre.


----------



## Morrus (Sep 20, 2022)

R_J_K75 said:


> I'd appreciate if you don't demean my opinion. It's my opinion, you don't have to agree but don't tell my opinion is bizarre.



You're confusing the word "demean" with "disagree". Why not try watching it before judging it?


----------



## R_J_K75 (Sep 20, 2022)

Morrus said:


> You're confusing the word "demean" with "disagree". Why not try watching it before judging it?



Fair enough. And I never said it was a bad show just that these reboots dont seem to last long these days


----------



## Stalker0 (Sep 20, 2022)

Is it a remake or a sequel? The way people were talking it sounds like this is a follow-up from Sam Beckett's journey, not a complete redo.


----------



## Tonguez (Sep 20, 2022)

Stalker0 said:


> Is it a remake or a sequel? The way people were talking it sounds like this is a follow-up from Sam Beckett's journey, not a complete redo.



set in the same universe as the original series but 30 years later with new characters - so both?


----------



## Rabulias (Sep 20, 2022)

I also found it interesting that the leapee does not seem to be in the future, as it was in the original. Or maybe they will cover this later.


----------



## Aeson (Sep 20, 2022)

Stalker0 said:


> Is it a remake or a sequel? The way people were talking it sounds like this is a follow-up from Sam Beckett's journey, not a complete redo.



They're planning to find Sam. He's mentioned more than once, so is Al. The computer is called Ziggy. I call it a sequel.


----------



## Morrus (Sep 21, 2022)

Stalker0 said:


> Is it a remake or a sequel? The way people were talking it sounds like this is a follow-up from Sam Beckett's journey, not a complete redo.



Sequel.


----------



## bloodtide (Sep 21, 2022)

Well.....it was OK for a plot.  You need to introduce the characters.  If they keep the same format, it looks like it will be half present day and half in the past.  

They....well....might have '80's it up to 11, but...as an '80's fan I can let it slide.  At least Ben did not watch Alf on TV.

Ernie Hudson plays Herbert 'Magic' Williams, after hearing someone call him "Magic" twice....hardcore fan that I am...I figured out who he was....

This episode at least was written and produced by someone(s) that watched and likely liked the original.  There are enough Easter eggs to fill a basket.


----------



## Mad_Jack (Sep 21, 2022)

With the current popularity of superheroes, they need to bring back _Man from Atlantis_...


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 21, 2022)

If we’re going to talk rebooting classic shows, I’d love to see quality updates on:

_Parker Lewis Can’t Lose
The Rockford Files
Kolchak, the Night Stalker*
Barney Miller
Space:1999
Logan’s Run_

There are others.  But the ones I’m thinking of (but not posting) are bittersweet “comedies” that might not sit well in our current cultural climate.






* yes, there WAS one already, but it didn’t really do justice to the original


----------



## Zardnaar (Sep 21, 2022)

payn said:


> Double or nothing on Thunder in Paradise.




 Did I run over your grandmother or something?

  I don't see this reboot lasting tbh.


----------



## R_J_K75 (Sep 21, 2022)

Maxperson said:


> The Scarecrow and Mrs. King was another favorite.



Recognize the name, I dont remember it though. Ernie Borgnine in Superfuzz I remember.


----------



## R_J_K75 (Sep 21, 2022)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> If we’re going to talk rebooting classic shows, I’d love to see quality updates on:
> 
> _Parker Lewis Can’t Lose
> The Rockford Files
> ...



I think my upthread example of the Equalizer (TV Show 2021ish) is pretty apt. The movies were good with Denzel Washington, but the TV show seems too re-imagined and it falls short from the original.  I like Dana Elaine Owens as a singer and an actor but this wasnt the right vehicle.


----------



## Ryujin (Sep 21, 2022)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> If we’re going to talk rebooting classic shows, I’d love to see quality updates on:
> 
> _Parker Lewis Can’t Lose
> The Rockford Files
> ...



Yes, as I mentioned up-thread, the "Kolchak" remake completely missed what made the original great. 

The "Logan's Run" reboot has been in development hell for the last 2 decades.

I doubt that anyone could ever do "Barney Miller" justice. That was lightning in a bottle.


----------



## Paul Farquhar (Sep 21, 2022)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> If we’re going to talk rebooting classic shows, I’d love to see quality updates on:
> 
> _Parker Lewis Can’t Lose
> The Rockford Files
> ...



What you mean is:

Blake's Seven


----------



## Ryujin (Sep 21, 2022)

Paul Farquhar said:


> What you mean is:
> 
> Blake's Seven



"Something about that wall doesn't look right."
"Throw more paper mache at it!"


----------



## jolt (Sep 21, 2022)

The Powers of Matthew Starr or nothing!

Oh, and The Phoenix.


----------



## GreyLord (Sep 21, 2022)

Morrus said:


> Look, the 80s action Glen A Larson-"style" hierarchy clearly goes:
> 
> A-Team
> Knight Rider
> ...




If I was to put it...I'd say series hierarchy of Glen Larson series...

Battle Star Galactica (1 seasons, 1 sequel, reboot 4 seasons)
Buck Rogers (just because)

-----------------------

Magnum P.I.  (8 Seasons, reboot 4 seasons with a 5th one coming)
MacGyver (7 seasons, reboot 5 seasons)
Quincy M.E. (8 seasons)

------------------------------

A-Team (5 Seasons)
The Fall Guy ( 5 Seasons)
Knight Rider ( 4 Seasons)
Airwolf (4 Seasons)

------------------------------

Everything else he was behind...

P.S.  - Have not seen Quantum Leap reboot as of this moment, may tune it in online if I can get it and see it there as long as they make it available to non-paying watchers via whatever stream it is on.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 21, 2022)

R_J_K75 said:


> I think my upthread example of the Equalizer (TV Show 2021ish) is pretty apt. The movies were good with Denzel Washington, but the TV show seems too re-imagined and it falls short from the original.  I like Dana Elaine Owens as a singer and an actor but this wasnt the right vehicle.



I agree.  It’s not bad, but it isn’t quite scratching the same itch.


----------



## Zaukrie (Sep 21, 2022)

I have a bad feeling they are going to drag out the big reveal for no logical reason.... Frankly, if they could plan for one season, maybe two, it might work.


----------



## Aeson (Sep 21, 2022)

The Fall Guy is getting a movie with Ryan Gosling.
The A Team had a movie. The Losers came out at the same time. In my opinion was better. I mentioned it because they're basically the same.


----------



## Aeson (Sep 21, 2022)

Emily Blunt Joins Ryan Gosling In Universal’s ‘The Fall Guy’ Movie; Studio Sets Release Date
					

EXCLUSIVE: Universal’s adaptation of the classic TV series The Fall Guy already had star power with Ryan Gosling and David Leitch and looks to be adding more with its latest A-lister. Sources…




					deadline.com


----------



## Ryujin (Sep 21, 2022)

Aeson said:


> The Fall Guy is getting a movie with Ryan Gosling.
> The A Team had a movie. The Losers came out at the same time. In my opinion was better. I mentioned it because they're basically the same.



Yup, I agree on "The Losers." Finger guns for the win.


----------



## Paul Farquhar (Sep 22, 2022)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I agree.  It’s not bad, but it isn’t quite scratching the same itch.



I think the original show relied on the chemistry and comic timing of it's two stars. Without them, it aint much.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 22, 2022)

For me, I think it’s more about how the current version, the main character has a small, somewhat disfunc family, that nonetheless has warmth and certain recognizable positive family dynamics.

The original’s personal life was largely sacrificed at the altar of the job.  His “equalizing” was as much about rehumanizing himself as saving people in trouble.


----------



## GreyLord (Sep 22, 2022)

So, just saw  the first episode of Quantum Leap.

It's okay.  I was not a big Quantum Leap fan when it was on, so I may not be the key audience for it either.

I just...wasn't drawn to it.  It was...okay.  It wasn't bad.  It had the entire...fancied up teen show angst that I see on so many other shows these days.  It's not teenagers in it, but that entire feel that I get when seeing the Arrowverse type shows, or other teen type shows just...seemed to be the feel I was getting here.  

It has an interesting premise.  My favorite character is the one Called Magic.  He seems the most sensible one to me.  At least he makes sense and doesn't seem to give up, do things sporadically, or do things with no explanation.  Perhaps they have the other characters as they are so they can have character development of them through the season.

It seems to have the same type of premise as the original, but with a twist of romance and overcoming obstacles in that way.  The type of thing you'd have in the Arrowverse or CW shows to mix things up with the protagonists.  I think the show captures the idea of the original though, the main character "leaps" into another time and individual who has a problem and is supposed to clean it up and make things happy.

Could be worth giving the second episode a shot...but it hasn't really caught my imagination yet.


----------



## Aeson (Sep 22, 2022)

As long as he doesn't leap into a dog, or a chimp, or any animal for that matter.


----------



## AnotherGuy (Sep 22, 2022)

Hey if we are going to be wishing on some old shows then besides some of those already mentioned here is another two
Riptide
Six Million Dollar Man


----------



## Umbran (Sep 22, 2022)

bloodtide said:


> They....well....might have '80's it up to 11, but...as an '80's fan I can let it slide.




So, I think setting the first episode when they did was a bit of genius.

The original show ran 1989 to 1993.  Which means the big chunk of the fans of the original are children of the 80s.  And that meant all the music they had playing in the background through the episode were effectively musical bribes for those fans.

The show was pretty standard Quantum Leap stuff, with a little bit better action choreo and stunt driving.  Since I like standard Quantum Leap, this was good for me.

The original show was explicitly coy about what happened to the person Sam leapt into - they generally referred to them being in "the waiting room", and they were generally conscious and able to communicate.  It was never made clear about whether Sam physically replaced them, or if he was swapping minds.  We will probably see how this works out with Magic, as he was a leapee, so his perspective is probably going to get mentioned eventually.


----------



## Umbran (Sep 22, 2022)

Aeson said:


> As long as he doesn't leap into a dog, or a chimp, or any animal for that matter.




I was actually okay with the chimp.  If we are going to accept this weird time travel, a chimp being close enough to human is okay by me.


----------



## Paul Farquhar (Sep 22, 2022)

I recall at least one episode where we saw the displaced person in the Waiting Room. They were shown as looking like themselves, rather than looking like Sam.


----------



## Umbran (Sep 22, 2022)

Paul Farquhar said:


> I recall at least one episode where we saw the displaced person in the Waiting Room. They were shown as looking like themselves, rather than looking like Sam.




Yeah, but when Sam leaped into a pregnant woman, who went into labor, there were... questions.


----------



## Paul Farquhar (Sep 22, 2022)

Umbran said:


> Yeah, but when Sam leaped into a pregnant woman, who went into labor, there were... questions.



Didn't he leap out just before the birth?


----------



## Shades of Eternity (Sep 22, 2022)

I want the people that did venture Bros to do 80's vehicle hero's that has legally distinct versions of knight rider, Air wolf and street hawk.

This might just be Paw Patrol thought.


----------



## Umbran (Sep 22, 2022)

Paul Farquhar said:


> Didn't he leap out just before the birth?




Yes, but the characters were wondering what would happen to Sam if he didn't.


----------



## Nutation (Sep 22, 2022)

Umbran said:


> The original show was explicitly coy about what happened to the person Sam leapt into - they generally referred to them being in "the waiting room", and they were generally conscious and able to communicate.  It was never made clear about whether Sam physically replaced them, or if he was swapping minds.  We will probably see how this works out with Magic, as he was a leapee, so his perspective is probably going to get mentioned eventually.



They were inconsistent as to whose body it is. I doubt the writers ever decided themselves. On one side of the argument is the pregnancy episode. On the other side is Sam as a disabled man who stands and walks despite having no legs.

Eventually, they all but stated that the hand of God is involved. I don't expect this show to embrace a spiritual element that way.


----------



## Umbran (Sep 22, 2022)

Nutation said:


> They were inconsistent as to whose body it is. I doubt the writers ever decided themselves. On one side of the argument is the pregnancy episode. On the other side is Sam as a disabled man who stands and walks despite having no legs.




It was the late 80s and early 90s.  Genre TV hadn't really come to understand story arc and canon consistency - and the _technical_ bits weren't really the point.  So I actually forgive them the vague and inconsistent bits of the original.  I will be unsurprised if they just don't ever mention a waiting room now.  



Nutation said:


> Eventually, they all but stated that the hand of God is involved. I don't expect this show to embrace a spiritual element that way.




Well, Sam's belief that a higher power was involved is established within the first three episodes of the original (I just watched them).  And NBC has not been too shy to have sci fi characters believe such things - it is a major theme in _Manifest_, for example.


----------



## Bedrockgames (Sep 22, 2022)

The original show is classic. I watched every episode when it aired. But I am not really looking for reboots of shows or movies I liked when I was young (I just find I tend not to enjoy the new ones, it is hard to catch lightning in a bottle)


----------



## Bedrockgames (Sep 22, 2022)

Umbran said:


> Well, Sam's belief that a higher power was involved is established within the first three episodes of the original (I just watched them).  And NBC has not been too shy to have sci fi characters believe such things - it is a major theme in _Manifest_, for example.




Plenty of science fiction gets into spiritual themes. I thought it worked for quantum. Also Quantum Leap had a pretty broad audience if I recall. I know I watched it with my mom and she wasn't a science fiction fan at all (I think it was more the history, the religious elements and the tone of the show that made her a fan).


----------



## Mort (Sep 22, 2022)

Bedrockgames said:


> The original show is classic. I watched every episode when it aired. But I am not really looking for reboots of shows or movies I liked when I was young (I just find I tend not to enjoy the new ones, it is hard to catch lightning in a bottle)




Yeah, it's a tough sell for me too. Though this one is 100% a sequel vs. a reboot - so not quite the same.

That said. Bakula put out a statement that, despite the show asking, he will not be involved with the new show in any way (of course, that could be a money negotiating tactic, who knows). That makes me kind of sad, as it could finally be a way to resolve something that was so abruptly dropped.


----------



## Ryujin (Sep 22, 2022)

AnotherGuy said:


> Hey if we are going to be wishing on some old shows then besides some of those already mentioned here is another two
> Riptide
> Six Million Dollar Man



These days you don't get a Steve Austin for less than $14B. Six Million is the budget of a half decent indie film, these days.


----------



## Umbran (Sep 22, 2022)

Mort said:


> That said. Bakula put out a statement that, despite the show asking, he will not be involved with the new show in any way (of course, that could be a money negotiating tactic, who knows). That makes me kind of sad, as it could finally be a way to resolve something that was so abruptly dropped.




But... it was resolved.  He was given an opportunity, and _chose_ to never go home.

To bring him home would violate one of the better series-end moments in television.  I'd be okay with Ben _crossing paths_ with Sam, but given the original, bringing Sam home should not be an option.


----------



## Bedrockgames (Sep 22, 2022)

Mort said:


> Yeah, it's a tough sell for me too. Though this one is 100% a sequel vs. a reboot - so not quite the same.
> 
> That said. Bakula put out a statement that, despite the show asking, he will not be involved with the new show in any way (of course, that could be a money negotiating tactic, who knows). That makes me kind of sad, as it could finally be a way to resolve something that was so abruptly dropped.







Umbran said:


> But... it was resolved.  He was given an opportunity, and _chose_ to never go home.
> 
> To bring him home would violate one of the better series-end moments in television.  I'd be okay with Ben _crossing paths_ with Sam, but given the original, bringing Sam home should not be an option.




One of the things that made the original show work was the chemistry between Bakula and Stockwell. Umbran makes a good point about the closure for the show. Plenty of shows didn't get that. One of my favorites from around that time was Alien Nation and that was ended very early in its run even though it was popular, because of changes at the network. Again, I think the original Quantum Leap was very satisfying on its own. I don't really feel the need to see something new with Quantum Leap in the title.


----------



## Umbran (Sep 22, 2022)

Bedrockgames said:


> Again, I think the original Quantum Leap was very satisfying on its own. I don't really feel the need to see something new with Quantum Leap in the title.




That's fair.  I, personally, am happy to see them try.

Media is loaded with pretty grim fantasy and sci-fi.  I find something more optimistic to be a really good thing, and if they follow in the footsteps of the original, this will fit that bill.


----------



## Rabulias (Sep 22, 2022)

Ryujin said:


> These days you don't get a Steve Austin for less than $14B. Six Million is the budget of a half decent indie film, these days.



With only $6 million to work with, they get a guy with a bionic thumb. Every episode ends with a thumb wrestling match.


----------



## GreyLord (Sep 23, 2022)

Umbran said:


> But... it was resolved.  He was given an opportunity, and _chose_ to never go home.
> 
> To bring him home would violate one of the better series-end moments in television.  I'd be okay with Ben _crossing paths_ with Sam, but given the original, bringing Sam home should not be an option.



As I a non-fan of Quantum Leap, how did this work?

What was the decision and how was it made?  or resolved?


----------



## Bedrockgames (Sep 23, 2022)

Umbran said:


> That's fair.  I, personally, am happy to see them try.
> 
> Media is loaded with pretty grim fantasy and sci-fi.  I find something more optimistic to be a really good thing, and if they follow in the footsteps of the original, this will fit that bill.




I would certainly love some optimistic science fiction, especially something as open to religious themes as Quantum leap (just haven’t been a big fan of reboots, sequels, etc of stuff I grew up on: again I make an exception if it is particularly inspired)


----------



## Aeson (Sep 23, 2022)

Rabulias said:


> With only $6 million to work with, they get a guy with a bionic thumb. Every episode ends with a thumb wrestling match.



But the thumb will have Bluetooth and sync with an app on your phone. Maybe it'll be detachable and you can use it to cheat at chess.


----------



## Ryujin (Sep 23, 2022)

Aeson said:


> But the thumb will have Bluetooth and sync with an app on your phone. Maybe it'll be detachable and you can use it to cheat at chess.



Which immediately brings to mind a song by King Missile, that cannot be mentioned here.


----------



## Umbran (Sep 23, 2022)

Bedrockgames said:


> I would certainly love some optimistic science fiction, especially something as open to religious themes as Quantum leap.




In today's context, though, I would not be surprised if they stepped back from the religious element, because they become problematic if you look at them too closely.


----------



## Umbran (Sep 23, 2022)

GreyLord said:


> As I a non-fan of Quantum Leap, how did this work?




So, in essence...


Spoiler: a broad description of 'Mirror Image', the original series finale



Sam jumps into a Pennsylvania barroom in 1953 - on his own birthday.  In the mirror, he sees not the reflection of whoever he has jumped into, but _himself_ - it appears to be the first jump he makes as himself, instead of into someone else.

The bartender, and the people in the bar all look like people from his past adventures.  The bartender, for example, is played by an actor from the pilot episode. They imply uncanny knowledge of what Sam has been doing.  Sam gets the idea that the Bartender is really the one who has been directing his leaps - that the Bartender is actually God. Overall, the Bartender tells Sam that he's really been leaping by the force of his own will all these years.  He can go home at any time.

Sam doesn't fully believe that , but it gives him the resolve to fix a wrong he himself had committed.  Al is well known for his philandering and womanizing through the series - this is in large part because of how his first marriage ended.  Al was a POW in Vietnam.  And, not knowing that he was still alive, his wife moved on, with tragic emotional consequences for Al when he did finally get home.  Sam had already had one opportunity to tell her Al wasn't dead in the series, but chose not to, to protect the timeline - if Al's marriage was saved, he might not have been there to help Sam help all these people....

But now Sam takes another leap, has the opportunity to tell her, and does so.  We get the usual leaping effect...

The episode ends not with talk, but with a black title card with white writing, informing us that Al and his wife stay together, and have four daughters.  And we are then told that Sam never returned home.



Many people find this ending underwhelming.  I find it darned near perfect.  like it or not, though, canonically, it was established that Sam never returned home.

There exists a rough-cut alternate ending they were going to use, if the show was given a sixth season, in which instead of that message, we are given Al and his wife Beth, discussing Al going into the Quantum Leap Accelerator himself to bring Sam home.


----------



## Ryujin (Sep 23, 2022)

Umbran said:


> So, in essence...
> 
> 
> Spoiler: a broad description of 'Mirror Image', the original series finale
> ...



I agree with you; the finale was as close to perfect as you could get. The lives of the characters don't necessarily end when a series does and there's nothing wrong in acknowledging that.


----------



## payn (Sep 23, 2022)

Ryujin said:


> I agree with you; the finale was as close to perfect as you could get. The lives of the characters don't necessarily end when a series does and there's nothing wrong in acknowledging that.



A lot of folks hate open endings.


----------



## Bedrockgames (Sep 23, 2022)

Umbran said:


> In today's context, though, I would not be surprised if they stepped back from the religious element, because they become problematic if you look at them too closely.




It is possible they might. I don't watch too many current shows so I am not terribly aware of how these things are getting handled presently. Personally I've always been a fan of shows that can do religious themes well (Babylon Five would be another show that really impressed me with how it handled religion). I think it depends on how it's done, how well it serves the show, etc. Whether it is done from a theistic or non-theistic standpoint, I just find it makes for compelling programing for me.


----------



## Ryujin (Sep 23, 2022)

payn said:


> A lot of folks hate open endings.



And yet, "And they all lived happily ever after" is an open ending


----------



## payn (Sep 23, 2022)

Ryujin said:


> And yet, "And they all lived happily ever after" is an open ending



Its closed because you are literally told its over lol.


----------



## Ryujin (Sep 23, 2022)

payn said:


> Its closed because you are literally told its over lol.



That story is over. Their lives aren't


----------



## payn (Sep 23, 2022)

Ryujin said:


> That story is over. Their lives aren't



Happily ever after, might as well be.   You have to ask them why it works though because I love open endings.


----------



## Umbran (Sep 23, 2022)

Bedrockgames said:


> It is possible they might.




They might.  I just said I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't.



Bedrockgames said:


> Personally I've always been a fan of shows that can do religious themes well (Babylon Five would be another show that really impressed me with how it handled religion).




Indeed.  Remarkable in that the vast majority of it was written by JMS himself, who is an atheist.



Bedrockgames said:


> I think it depends on how it's done, how well it serves the show, etc. Whether it is done from a theistic or non-theistic standpoint, I just find it makes for compelling programing for me.




Fair enough.

But.. it raises questions.  Like, in the first series... if we say that Sam is guided by God, then apparently God only feels a need to fix things in the USA - the overwhelming majority of his leaps are in the US.  He does leap outside the US at least once - to Vietnam, into "Magic", and American soldier, the guy who now runs the project in the reboot.  Maybe there were other leaps into other countries, but for me to have missed or forgotten all of them says to me there could only be a handful.


----------



## payn (Sep 23, 2022)

Umbran said:


> They might.  I just said I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I think that might have more to do with it being an American television show. They wanted folks to relate to American issues. Also, budget at the time probably wouldn't have allowed them to go globe trotting. Now, if I'm mistaken and they literally point out that the jumps are all American by Gods direction, then yeah that's pretty bad.


----------



## Umbran (Sep 23, 2022)

payn said:


> I think that might have more to do with it being an American television show. They wanted folks to relate to American issues.




Oh, of course.  In the late 80s and early 90s, few noticed that.

But the world has changed.  Scifi has changed.  We are more critical of media choices.  We are apt to be very critical of media choices that involve religion.  The _personal_ faith of a character is actually usually fine.  But if the show's mythology has heavy religious implications, we are apt to be critical.

Not saying it cannot be done.  It can be, and has been, done.  I'm saying it is a risk they may not be interested in taking.


----------



## Bedrockgames (Sep 23, 2022)

Umbran said:


> They might.  I just said I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I agree with the above poster: it was more about it being an American show trying to focus on history the audience would be more familiar with at that time.


----------



## Ryujin (Sep 23, 2022)

Bedrockgames said:


> I agree with the above poster: it was more about it being an American show trying to focus on history the audience would be more familiar with at that time.



And like many shows it was aimed largely at the American Midwest, so that colours how things are presented.


----------



## payn (Sep 23, 2022)

Im even more curious now about the time QL ran. Was television as global then as it is now?


----------



## Umbran (Sep 23, 2022)

payn said:


> Im even more curious now about the time QL ran. Was television as global then as it is now?




American produced TV in the 80s and early 90s was not known for its presentation of foreign lands or cultures, if that's what you mean.


----------



## Zaukrie (Sep 23, 2022)

I'm hoping it isn't a hand of god thing this time, though it is a sequel..... I've never understood how changing the past doesn't change the present, so I wonder if they'll get into that?


----------



## payn (Sep 23, 2022)

Umbran said:


> American produced TV in the 80s and early 90s was not known for its presentation of foreign lands or cultures, if that's what you mean.



No, I meant was the outside of North American audience even considered as a market when writing and producing.


----------



## Ryujin (Sep 23, 2022)

payn said:


> No, I meant was the outside of North American audience even considered as a market when writing and producing.



Not much at all, really. That sort of thing has more recently been driven by things like streaming, which didn't exist then.


----------



## Umbran (Sep 23, 2022)

Zaukrie said:


> I'm hoping it isn't a hand of god thing this time, though it is a sequel..... I've never understood how changing the past doesn't change the present, so I wonder if they'll get into that?




So, by and large, changing the past _DOES_ change the present.  At one point Sam chooses to _not_ save Al's first marriage, because that change would have unpredictable impact on the Quantum Leap Project, and thus everything Sam had done so far in the series.

Often, the changes in history are largely personal - much of the original Quantum Leap is personal stories about the well-being of individuals.  Like, does a particular nun get to build a chapel that has become her life's dream, or not?

When the results would be visible to the public, they are generally changes into the world the audience already knows (and often the one Sam knows). 

For example, in an episode I watched just last night, Sam thinks he's there to get the guy he's jumped into to marry a woman.  Then, it looks like he's there to make sure she marries this other guy.  This is a typical QL story.  But then, he leaps after he gives a young man named Buddy that's helping him out that maybe the song he's noodling with should be about a girl named "Peggy Sue".  The implication being that Sam put Buddy Holly on the right track.

Never mind how a-historical that is.  The episode is explicitly set in 1956.  By 1956, Buddy Holly wasn't noodling on a guitar and running odd jobs for a veterinarian.  He was opening for Elvis and Bill Halley and the Comets.  And never mind that this means Sam is setting Buddy up for death a mere three years later in 1959...

 The tagline is there:  Putting right what once went wrong.  What they don't tell us is how it went wrong.  At least, until the Evil Leapers show up...


----------



## Rabulias (Sep 23, 2022)

Umbran said:


> So, by and large, changing the past _DOES_ change the present.  At one point Sam chooses to _not_ save Al's first marriage, because that change would have unpredictable impact on the Quantum Leap Project, and thus everything Sam had done so far in the series.



I recall the episode where Sam was a newlywed to a woman with a jealous ex and he thought he was there to not get killed. But he was really there to help his wife pass a law exam. In the present, Al was facing an oversight panel shutting down funding for the Quantum Leap project. Just as the funding is to be cut, the lead of the panel is instantaneously replaced by the present version of the wife, who approves the funding. By helping her pass the law exam, Sam got her legal career started, which led to her entry into politics.


Umbran said:


> At least, until the Evil Leapers show up...



Oh yeah I forgot about her. Wonder if they will follow up with that in the new series?


----------



## Tonguez (Sep 23, 2022)

Umbran said:


> American produced TV in the 80s and early 90s was not known for its presentation of foreign lands or cultures, if that's what you mean.




yeah as a non-American I never found that a problem - we accepted it was an American show. I was always more amused about things like the World Series being exclusively US based teams in a sport only played by Americans. Touched by an Angel was another with a overt religious theme and America apparently has lots of problems

 but then Dr Who has the same focus on the UK, so its not just American shows


----------



## Ryujin (Sep 23, 2022)

Tonguez said:


> yeah as a non-American I never found that a problem - we accepted it was an American show. I was always more amused about things like the World Series being exclusively US based teams in a sport only played by Americans. Touch by an Angel was another with a overt religious theme and America apparently has lots of problems
> 
> but then Dr Who has the same focus on the UK, so its not just American shows



Doctor Who is generally tongue-in-cheek about it. I remember rolling my eyes so hard that I almost gave myself whiplash when I first say, "Independence Day" in the theatre and they essentially showed the whole world waiting, until the US figured things out with the aliens.

"Touched By an Angel" also came to my mind, during this discussion.


----------



## Bedrockgames (Sep 23, 2022)

Tonguez said:


> yeah as a non-American I never found that a problem - we accepted it was an American show. I was always more amused about things like the World Series being exclusively US based teams in a sport only played by Americans. Touched by an Angel was another with a overt religious theme and America apparently has lots of problems
> 
> but then Dr Who has the same focus on the UK, so its not just American shows




Highway to Heaven was another one


----------



## amethal (Sep 23, 2022)

Tonguez said:


> yeah as a non-American I never found that a problem - we accepted it was an American show. I was always more amused about things like the World Series being exclusively US based teams in a sport only played by Americans. Touched by an Angel was another with a overt religious theme and America apparently has lots of problems
> 
> but then Dr Who has the same focus on the UK, so its not just American shows



Yeah, we took it for granted that an American show would focus on American stuff, and make little or no concessions to foreign viewers. Which is perfectly fine - Quantum Leap may have been the first time I'd even heard of Buddy Holly; I learnt a lot from watching it.

It does make me a little bit sad when American TV shows "Americanise" their British characters. (I assume they do the same for all foreigners, but I don't have enough cultural knowledge to notice.) By which I mean when British characters use American words for things, and display attitudes which are unusual for the people they supposedly are. Seems like a missed opportunity for American viewers to learn something.


----------



## Umbran (Sep 23, 2022)

Tonguez said:


> yeah as a non-American I never found that a problem - we accepted it was an American show.




Yeah, in the 90s, that'd be expected.  Like, I thought nothing at the time.

But now, a show with the position that God is taking action to make things better, but only in the US, would be... a source of significant criticism.

And I'm not saying that those of you who live in other countries would complain.  I'm saying that the scifi culture in the US is not so much on the American Exceptionalism train these days.  If you do stuff that has implications, folks here are going to point them out.


----------



## GreyLord (Sep 23, 2022)

Umbran said:


> Yeah, in the 90s, that'd be expected.  Like, I thought nothing at the time.
> 
> But now, a show with the position that God is taking action to make things better, but only in the US, would be... a source of significant criticism.
> 
> And I'm not saying that those of you who live in other countries would complain.  I'm saying that the scifi culture in the US is not so much on the American Exceptionalism train these days.  If you do stuff that has implications, folks here are going to point them out.




I haven't watched a lot of QL so, this is just based off what I'm reading in this thread.

It sounds like the main character was American.  As such, he may not have spoken other languages.  That severely limits where he can actually travel and help out.

Also, perhaps in the future there are other leapers (as the sequel show already has another one), and each of them can go help out whatever nation they are from??

Perhaps, the main character being an American is sent to help out American problems, but if they were from another location they would help out with that locations problems?


----------



## Tonguez (Sep 23, 2022)

GreyLord said:


> I haven't watched a lot of QL so, this is just based off what I'm reading in this thread.
> 
> It sounds like the main character was American.  As such, he may not have spoken other languages.  That severely limits where he can actually travel and help out.



Sam speaks "seven modern languages and four dead ones.” He can read Egyptian hieroglyphics

the new go is identified as speaking a few languages too, including Romanian


----------



## Umbran (Sep 23, 2022)

GreyLord said:


> It sounds like the main character was American.  As such, he may not have spoken other languages.




Sorry, but that doesn't hold up. Sam Beckett holds _six doctorates_, one of them is in linguistics.  In one of the first episodes, he reads hieroglyphics, even.



GreyLord said:


> (as the sequel show already has another one)




?!? I saw no other leaper in that one episode.



GreyLord said:


> Perhaps, the main character being an American is sent to help out American problems, but if they were from another location they would help out with that locations problems?




I am not a fan of addressing major issues in a show with stuff that isn't even hinted at in the text.  We can make up non-canon excuses for virtually anything.  

The point is that linking _religion_ to _American only_ would be a source of criticism from a goodly chunk of the audience these days.  They'd have to explicitly address it on screen to not have folks complaining to them.


----------



## GreyLord (Sep 23, 2022)

Tonguez said:


> Sam speaks "seven modern languages and four dead ones.” He can read Egyptian hieroglyphics
> 
> the new go is identified as speaking a few languages too, including Romanian




Well, guess the kills that idea.  As you can tell, didn't watch the show much.


----------



## GreyLord (Sep 23, 2022)

Umbran said:


> ?!? I saw no other leaper in that one episode.




What I meant is in the new show, we have a new leaper.  Or at least the new main character is leaping into various people now.


----------



## payn (Sep 24, 2022)

I watched the pilot last night. It's ok, but I have reservations. It has some glaring weaknesses that a lot of modern television has these days. I liked the characters but felt the pace was a bit too break neck. I liked in the original they slowed things down and let Sam cook in his new reality. We got to live vicariously through him as he figured out what has happened to him. 



Spoiler: spoiler



So, the air of mystery is clear here. Why did Ben blow off his engagement party and jump himself? We get just a few nibbles, but its going to stay that way because now he has amnesia. Each episode we will get a little piece of the puzzle. This is a very intriguing beginning to a series. It is also rife with pitfalls. You reveal the mystery too soon, and the show becomes boring and viewers have little reason to stay tuned. You drag the mystery on and people lose interest as good guys become bad guys and bad guys become good guys and you even get to the reverse etc...

Will they avoid the traps? Maybe, but most network television runs face first into these buzzsaws lasting 1-2 seasons. I guess we will see.


----------



## Morrus (Sep 24, 2022)

Why is his grilfriend not telling him she's his girlfriend? Is there some law of Temporal Secrecy they haven't mentioned which will cause the world to blow up if he knows?


----------



## payn (Sep 24, 2022)

Morrus said:


> Why is his grilfriend not telling him she's his girlfriend? Is there some law of Temporal Secrecy they haven't mentioned which will cause the world to blow up if he knows?



I figured it was just dramatic tension. She is hurt that he went and did this, and likely frustrated that he isnt of right mind to discuss it. Unlike, the original QL, they jump right into mortal danger and focus kinda needs to be on Ben's survival at the moment.


----------



## Morrus (Sep 24, 2022)

payn said:


> I figured it was just dramatic tension. She is hurt that he went and did this, and likely frustrated that he isnt of right mind to discuss it. Unlike, the original QL, they jump right into mortal danger and focus kinda needs to be on Ben's survival at the moment.



Feels like secrets for secrets' sake.


----------



## payn (Sep 24, 2022)

Morrus said:


> Feels like secrets for secrets' sake.



Kind of tricks of the trade for network TV these days. It can make folks latch onto mediocre TV. Problem is, as soon as the secrets are revealed, its often a disappointing payoff and folks lose interest.


----------



## fba827 (Sep 24, 2022)

Morrus said:


> Why is his grilfriend not telling him she's his girlfriend? Is there some law of Temporal Secrecy they haven't mentioned which will cause the world to blow up if he knows?




Well, story drama reasons. Unnecessary in the context of this episode.


That said, in the original, Sam was actually married but they chose not to tell him so that he could embody the person he kept in to, romances and all, without guilt of remembering he’s married. ( of course, they did not even make that as part of the story until later seasons).  Don’t know if they are using the same reasoning - if they are expecting him to be pulled out after this then in story they’d have no reason for that same reason in the moment. So, a totally valid thing to question…..


----------



## fba827 (Sep 24, 2022)

Just finished watching it.    Some random thoughts as a fan of the original.

Not yet sure how I feel about switching back and forth between time lines.   I hope not done too much if it detracts from immersion of focus on the personal story being leapt in to.  Ex: if this were the original series they’d show more of the restaurant guy and his wife interact so you could see the humanized struggle whereas instead we are just told through one brief scene of them and then exposition to feel bad for their situation. Though the fact that the team are main characters not recurring suggests there will be the regular pacing

A little over the ‘ I must do this but can’t tell you why’ thing in many shows but this is doing it too - Ben just had to do it and not tell anyone… ok… but you are going to try really really hard to convince me through the writing that it was a smart and justified thing to do.

I hope the guide character gets a little more personality written in other than just being the pissed off all business girlfriend.

All that said, I am looking forward to a couple episodes at least to see how it finds its groove!


----------



## Umbran (Sep 24, 2022)

GreyLord said:


> What I meant is in the new show, we have a new leaper.  Or at least the new main character is leaping into various people now.




Oh, I get what you mean.  

Unfortunately, as far as we know, there's only one Quantum Leap Accelerator - the one both Sam and Ben use.  That would seem to be a limit on how many people are jumping around helping the world.


----------



## Hades#2 (Sep 24, 2022)

I watched this last night and it was okay. I hope, like some shows, it gets better as the writers figure out the characters. In the original they rarely showed the future where Al, Ziggy, Gushi, etc were. If I remember correctly, in the 1st episode of the original, Al couldn't tell Sam anything to avoid Sam messing up past events he wasn't supposed to change.


----------



## Aeson (Sep 24, 2022)

Morrus said:


> Why is his grilfriend not telling him she's his girlfriend? Is there some law of Temporal Secrecy they haven't mentioned which will cause the world to blow up if he knows?



Not mission critical? She said she was meant to be the Leaper. Did they say what her background is yet? She's probably former military. She's compartmentalizing her emotions, and is helping him the way she knows how, keeping it secret. 

What streamer is it on in the UK? Do you have Peacock?


----------



## Bedrockgames (Sep 24, 2022)

payn said:


> I watched the pilot last night. It's ok, but I have reservations. It has some glaring weaknesses that a lot of modern television has these days. I liked the characters but felt the pace was a bit too break neck. I liked in the original they slowed things down and let Sam cook in his new reality. We got to live vicariously through him as he figured out what has happened to him.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Do you know where it is streaming? I didn't realize it aired. I might check out the first couple of episodes just to see how it is.


----------



## payn (Sep 24, 2022)

Bedrockgames said:


> Do you know where it is streaming? I didn't realize it aired. I might check out the first couple of episodes just to see how it is.



Peacock or on network NBC in U.S.


----------



## Ryujin (Sep 24, 2022)

payn said:


> Peacock or on network NBC in U.S.



Appears to be on CITY-TV in Canada, so their streaming service here. I think that I get that as part of my cable bundle, but not sure.


----------



## Aeson (Sep 25, 2022)

Ryujin said:


> Appears to be on CITY-TV in Canada, so their streaming service here. I think that I get that as part of my cable bundle, but not sure.



Sounds like Peacock and Comcast cable. Comcast owns Peacock and NBC so they made it available for free to those with the cable service.


----------



## R_J_K75 (Sep 27, 2022)

Here's my take. Watched the first episode on Peacock and shut it off after 10-15 minutes. I thought the plot was just awkward, two thumbs down.


----------



## Mort (Sep 27, 2022)

payn said:


> I watched the pilot last night. It's ok, but I have reservations. It has some glaring weaknesses that a lot of modern television has these days. I liked the characters but felt the pace was a bit too break neck. I liked in the original they slowed things down and let Sam cook in his new reality. We got to live vicariously through him as he figured out what has happened to him.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Having watched 2 episodes -

With 2 plots (The Ben leaping plot and the lab/mystery plot) they have to cut the time they show Ben in his new reality.

Personally, not a fan of the "Why did he do it..." workplace plotline. It will take away (probably a third+) from every historical A plot and it just doesn't (IMO) add much. Do the writers REALLY think they'll be able to maintain tension than Ben (and others) have a "nefarious" agenda that's been hidden? I don't think so (and wouldn't like it if there was one). Of course, that's because I heavily dislike jigsaw plots/mystery boxes (most of the time) which is what the B plotline is shaping up to be.


----------



## Umbran (Sep 29, 2022)

So, interesting tidbit.

In the second episode, the new astronaut, Samantha Stratton...

In the pilot of the original series, Sam leaped into Tom Stratton, an X-2 test pilot.  Sam saved Tom Stratton from dying in a test flight, and saves Stratton's daughter from being stillborn.

That daughter was named Samantha.


----------



## Rabulias (Sep 29, 2022)

I also noticed that they got Susan Diol back to play Beth.


----------



## Aeson (Sep 30, 2022)

I thought Beth was Al's wife's name, but I was thinking this actress is way too young to be Al's wife. Should they have aged her up or found an older actress? Dean Stockwell would be 86. Susan Diol is only 60. Were Al and Beth that far apart in age? I'm just being nitpicky.


----------



## Umbran (Sep 30, 2022)

Aeson said:


> I thought Beth was Al's wife's name, but I was thinking this actress is way too young to be Al's wife.




Hollywood has a long tradition of casting actresses inappropriately young for their male romantic interests.  But, it is more complicated than that. 

The real problem being that, in the real-world 1990, they needed a woman who looked like a woman in her late 20s, to play Beth in an episode set in 1969.  Susan Diol was born in 1962, so she looked the part at the time.  



Aeson said:


> Should they have aged her up or found an older actress? Dean Stockwell would be 86. Susan Diol is only 60. Were Al and Beth that far apart in age? I'm just being nitpicky.




If you play out the chronology, Beth is 8 to 10 years younger than Al.  While Susan Diol is a bit young for the role, there's something to be said for the loyalty.


----------



## Umbran (Oct 19, 2022)

Ooh.  This week's episode has juicy developments indeed!

Who objects to my editing into the thread title that spoiler discussion is allowed?

Interesting tidbit: Original Quantum Leap, Season 1, Episode 5, was "How the Tess was Won - August 5th, 1956."  While not in the old west, it did take place in rural Texas, among cowboys.


----------



## Rabulias (Oct 19, 2022)

Umbran said:


> Ooh.  This week's episode has juicy developments indeed!



Indeed! I noticed that guy look at Ben funny earlier in the episode, but then promptly forgot about it.


Spoiler



So, evil leaper, misguided time traveler, or someone previously erased by Sam's actions? Or Sam's son maybe? Any connection to Janice or a separate plot thread?


----------



## Umbran (Oct 19, 2022)

Rabulias said:


> Indeed! I noticed that guy look at Ben funny earlier in the episode, but then promptly forgot about it.
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...




So, with so little information it could be almost anything.  But, for speculation...



Spoiler



I don't think it is going to be a direct version of the "evil leaper" largely because everyone _hated_ that in the original show.  

So, who is that, and why?  My wife and I discussed, and here's a pair of possibilities that hang together: 

Possibility 1 - it is Addison.
Imagine, for a moment, that the second Quantum Leap project proceeded as planned.  Ben didn't leap - they did a whole lot of research and development, and, say, around 2030, as planned, Addison leaps.  On her first leap, Addison changes the timeline, such that Al's daughter Janice gets some of her father's documentation she didn't have the first time.  She finds out what the project is _really_ for, and it is Not Good.  

Janice cannot go to the project itself, so she turns to Ben, who is a Boy Scout like Sam before him, and convinces him that he has to stop Addison, and he leaps.  Janice, meanwhile, realizes that eventually someone's going to realize what's up, and the people behind the project will shut down Magic and his team to let the original project succeed.  Janice has been building an imaging chamber and connections to Ziggy to use when that happens, so Ben can continue to have support to stop Addison.

Possibility 2 - it is future Ben.
Much as above - in the original timeline, Addison leaps... and dies.
Ben, distraught, hatches a plan to save Addison, and leaps...
Somehow, in the changing of timelines, Janice becomes aware of this (how, I dunno - this is time travel, we can concoct something), and convinces 2022 Ben to try to stop bereaved 2030+ Ben before something breaks.

The positives of these two are that these are melodramatic things that might play well to an audience.
The negatives of these is that Quantum Leap _isn't actually a time travel show_.  It has always been about personal stories, not twisted time travel plots.  I am not convinced the writers want to fundamentally change that.

Possibility 3 - the Oligarch Leaper
The original Evil Leaper plot was trash.  We revamp it.
Janice is rejected from the second Quantum Leap project.  Some other group (billionaires, another government, or what have you) has stolen Quantum Leap information, started their own project, and tries to recruit Janice.  She learns enough of their project to know that it is Not Good.  She cannot go to the Quantum Leap Project, as she has every reason to expect leaks in that organization.  So, she goes to Ben...

This option has the benefit of being the simplest.  No extra time travel logic or shenanigans involved.


----------



## bloodtide (Oct 20, 2022)

Well.......


Spoiler: stuff



Yea, it's a Evil Leaper.  They will do it as "they" think the idea is so cool and they know real fans don't like it much.  If fans don't like it = best idea ever.  

But guess this goes back to the Why did Ben leap?

Maybe some lame "save someone".  Like the Bad Writers have hidden a dumb bit of history to be "what a twist".  Ben or Addasons parents, sister, brother, or their kids....and he leapped to save them.  

I doubt they will do a "Ben tries to stop 9/11.  Or Ben helps Japan win WW2." 

That is not cool enough for modern writers.

But...maybe he will go back and get the Equal Admentment passed because he loves Addason SO MUCH that he wants her to be his equal in every way. 


Maybe Ben is a member of Rittenhouse


----------



## Umbran (Oct 26, 2022)

I have updated the thread title to allow spoilers.  I expect the only folks who are now coming to this thread are folks actively watching.

Ratings for the show aren't great, so despite the extended first season, I am not sure about how long the show has to go.  Which is a shame, because I like the thing.

Anyway, not the "Evil Leaper" as we understood it, which was good.


----------



## Rabulias (Oct 26, 2022)

I found it hard to believe that a group _staffing a time-travel project_ would have a problem getting their head around someone from the future also traveling into the past.  

I am still watching though. I liked how the events in the mission echoed and resonated with Ben's past, triggering his memories.


----------



## fba827 (Oct 27, 2022)

While still not thrilled by dual time line focus ( I would rather more focus on Ben in other lives to get more POV and empathy in to that side of the story; but that’s just personal taste), I am still enjoying the show enough to keep watching


----------



## Aeson (Nov 27, 2022)

The show will return on January 2nd with new episodes. Yippy! 









						Here's When Quantum Leap Is Coming Back
					

"Quantum Leap" returns Monday, January 2, 2023 at 10/9c on NBC and next day on Peacock.




					www.nbc.com


----------

