Quantum Leap star Scott Bakula says active conversations are taking place in regards to a reboot of the fan-favorite NBC series.
"There are very significant conversations about it right now going on," Bakula said on Bob Saget's Here for You. "I don’t know what it would be. I don’t know who would have it. The rights were a mess for years. I don’t know if they’re even sorted out now. That’s always been the biggest complication."
Created by Donald P. Bellisario, Quantum Leap aired on NBC from 1989-1993 for five seasons and 97 episodes. The show starred Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a physicist whose experiments in time travel send him across the spacetime continuum wherein he fixes historical inaccuracies.
In early 2020, it was reported that NBCUniversal's Peacock was looking to reboot Quantum Leap as a streaming series. "That’s one that I know everyone is discussing," NBC Head of Program Planning and Strategy Jeff Bader said.
Later that year, Bakula himself discussed a possible reboot and what it would look like three decades after the original series ended. "I don't know... I know the fans would love to have a reboot," he said. "But I know the fans would love to have a reboot. There are so many things going on right now that need to be put right, that are currently going wrong, that (Beckett) would be very, very busy. Lots to do."
Bakula admitted he sometimes speaks with Bellisario, explaining how "he would always say, ‘I can’t write it without thinking of you and Dean [Stockwell]." "Just think about me and Dean and write your show," Bakula continued. "Get it out there. If you have an idea, just write it. I am sure it will be great. I don’t know what that idea would be if we did."
Of course, Peacock is no stranger to reviving beloved series. Although Punky Brewster was canceled after just one season, the Saved by the Bell sequel series has proven to be a hit with fans and critics.