We’ve had first glimpses, but the Quantum Leap trailer sets up the show in breakneck fashion.
Picking up the story some thirty years after Sam Beckett, Quantum Leap returns to television screens this month. As fans of the original show, CultBox has been watching the development of the revival with interest.
With the show due to land in the US on September 19th, we’ve enjoyed brief clips on social media. Now a full trailer, debuting on IGN, sets up the show in earnest, giving us new leaper Dr Ben Seong and his holographic observer Addison Augustine (Caitlin Bassett). However, the leaping process famously causes a “Swiss cheese” memory, so their interaction is rather fraught!
During the all-action trailer, we see Ben’s first leap into the getaway driver for a bank robbery in 1985. It also appears he’ll pilot the space shuttle, front a rock band and do a parachute jump. Additionally, he’s injured in some sort of disaster scenario – perhaps an earthquake?
It also shows the wider story, with Ernie Hudson’s Herbert “Magic” Williams working to uncover what prompted an unexpected leap. His team includes Mason Alexander Park’s Ian Wright, who runs the AI Ziggy, and Nanrisa Lee’s Jenn Chou – head of the project’s digital security.
Amusingly, it also seems Sam Beckett’s famous “Oh boy!”, uttered upon realising his new surroundings, has been replaced with a more realistic “Oh S***!”
A new playground of history
Despite the leaper travelling within their own lifetime, the original primarily stuck to the recent past (with respect to its production). Now we’re in 2022, the 21st century naturally opens up for stories; writers Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt addressed this, speaking about a “new playground of history”.
While originally the showrunners, the pair were recently replaced by Martin Gero (Blindspot) although they remain with the show as Executive Producers.
While the show airs on NBC in the US, we’re hoping to see it on the Peacock streaming service (via Sky) in the UK.