The NBC/Peacock Original Series is available now on Blu-ray.
It was not just a “reboot,” not even a “redux,” QUANTUM LEAP: The Complete Series revisited the original phenomenon and served up a proper sequel! Canceled before its time, the series leaps into home video!
There are few fancies in Hollywood these days! The studios and streaming services have become so married to the almighty dollar that it's often been a safer bet to hedge it all on something time-tested and true. Franchises, reboots, rebrands, and requels [even] have been happily nostalgic landing areas for creative indulgence with hardly any new or vibrant ideas [few and far between] that rise above the static. Sometimes, too often, taking too many trips to the well, let’s look at Star Trek, for example, can venture a hit or miss, and sometimes, it just takes a quantum leap of faith to move to the next level.
That can’t be more true than in the case of QUANTUM LEAP: The Complete Series; the original series debuted in 2022 and is now available on Blu-ray for home video after getting canceled by NBC in 2024. The series follows Dr. Ben Song, played by the irrevocably charming Raymond Lee, leading a cast that includes all-star genre veteran Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), Caitlin Bassett, Mason Alexander Park (Netflix’s The Sandman), and Nanrisa Lee. Three decades since Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) made his historic leap through time using the quantum leap accelerator, the project has been reinstated!
During the engagement party to his long-time beau, Addison Augustine (Bassett), Dr. Song (Lee) receives a series of mysterious texts; clandestinely removing himself from the festivities, he determines that he has no choice but to use the newly resurrected Quantum Accelerator. The unauthorized jump travels him back in time, and lands in the body of a police investigator determined to prevent the theft of the infamous Hope Diamond. Most unfortunately, a side effect of leaping is that Ben is now suffering from amnesia. His memory is fractured; he must rely on the team running Project Quantum Leap (PQL) as Addison guides him, making every effort to bring him back to the present.
Addison is there in much the same way that [in the original series] Dean Stockwell’s Al offered insight into each leap through time. Still, only as a hologram that only Ben can see, but he’s also lost all memory of their relationship, especially their impending nuptials. During Quantum Leap Seasons 1 and 2, the group aiding Ben across his out-of-body experiences must also fend off corporate interests in the PQL, which may or may not have militarist interests in the technology, but also are faced with the conundrum of why Ben made the mysterious leap in the first place!
Why did he leap, and when or where is he so determined to land?
Quantum Leapt!
The Blu-ray includes all 31 episodes of the exciting series, but that’s all the package features. Each is presented in high-definition on Blu-ray, but there are no “bonus features” in sight, which is striking considering the amount of attention placed on the show when it aired on NBC. Ben’s quantum leaps were also cut short, as the network suddenly canceled the series, and the conclusion of Season 2, the final episode, “Against Time,” doesn’t wrap up all the loose ends. As far as fans were left wanting, Ben is still lost to the quantum stream, and the mystery that got him lost in time is still pending.
With such exciting and innovative writing, each episode can be a one-off adventure. Still, Quantum Leap was serialized and wove mythology that could have quickly paved the way for Scott Bakula or other aspects of the classic series to come into play. The stories were also very sensitive to inclusivity and uniquely highlighted emotional storytelling that posed significantly relevant perspectives battling racism and intolerance and even putting a lens on LGBTQ+ issues. The realm of science fiction allowed for several of these opportunities, which the producers and writers were only too happy to tackle.
Quantum Leap: The Complete Series could have likely lived up to the “classic,” especially if it had been given one more season to make a breakthrough. Its writing was diligently working to provide something that appealed to all types of viewers, and the rigors of having to keep up with some complex production might have been one of the factors that brought its end. The cast made pace to keep every episode engaging, and this version of the series captures the spirit of its predecessor and deserves a second look now that it’s leaped onto Blu-ray.
Get your #FanzEyeView of QUANTUM LEAP The Complete Series, available now on Blu-ray, DVD.:
QUANTUM LEAP: The Complete Series | is available on Blu-ray and DVD. The package costs $59.98 on Amazon.
Check out Out Loud & Live! with JC Alvarez on YouTube for these interviews with the cast and crew of Quantum Leap.
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