Quantum Leap's Dr. Ben Song may be nowhere close to making the leap home, but the revival series showcasing his travails just received an extended stay on the air, courtesy of NBC.
As THR reports, the series has received an order for six more episodes for its inaugural season, setting a total of 18 episodes. Quantum Leap, which revives the continuity of NBC's iconic 1989-1993 sci-fi time-jump drama, scored an impressive 3.35 million viewers for its Sept. 19 premiere. Perhaps more importantly, the revival has ranked atop the charts for the coveted ages 18-49 demographic, which has conventionally proven to be a deciding factor for the fates of television shows.
A Romantic Twist on a Classic Buddy Dynamic
As a revival of the classic Quantum Leap, which can now be called a "franchise," the new series replicates the dynamic of the original series, albeit with a modern twist. Indeed, the original show's dynamic -- centered on the lost-in-time Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) and his smart aleck holographic companion broadcasting from his own time, Al Calavicci (Dean Stockwell) -- has manifested with the similarly-lost Ben Song (Raymond Lee), who has a holographic helper in Addison Augustine (Caitlin Bassett), who happens to be his fiancée. However, the problem (well, one of the problems) is that the time displacement has left Ben with amnesia about personal aspects of his life -- most notably his relationship with Addison. Thus, there is a tragic romantic backstory added to the traditional interplay.
Pertinently, showrunner Martin Gero conceded that, despite the twist, he didn't dare try to reinvent the proverbial wheel when it came to the central dynamic. As he explained, "[The pairing of] Sam and Al. It really made a lot of decisions for us, because that is one of the iconically great TV pairings in the history of film and television, right? So it would be suicidally stupid to cast a new Sam, or cast a new Al, and just try to reboot the show."
However, that is not to say that the new Quantum Leap is ignoring the classic series. In fact, the show even provided the grim update that Sam did not make his long-sought leap home. Moreover, the legacy of the duo continues with the presence of the character Janice Calavicci (Georgina Rilley), who is the daughter of Al and will play a profound part of the ensuing episodes -- especially with NBC's extension order.
For Gero, the effort to bring back the show's classic duo has proven unsuccessful, notably because Bakula passed on the prospect. Additionally, the creation of Janice was a bittersweet move since the showrunner had originally planned for Stockwell to reprise his role. Tragically, the venerable actor passed away this past November, necessitating a different kind of classic callback. "The dream was always to potentially have Dean play a small role on the show," he said. "But when he passed, it was important for us to maintain the legacy of that character in the show in a real and profound way."
Nevertheless, the revival series has significantly increased its chances to gain audiences and further expand on the franchise's leap-addled legacy.
Quantum Leap airs Mondays on NBC.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter