Even before its return to screens early in 2023, NBC‘s revival of Quantum Leap has seen a formal renewal for a second season. The first eight episodes of the sequel/revival aired between September and November this year with mixed reviews but solid-enough ratings and it secured a full-season pick-up, bringing its count to eighteen episodes in the current run. (The series resumes its remaining ten entries on 2nd January).
“We’re leaping into a second season thanks to the incredible work by our cast, producers, writers and everyone who has played a role in giving this iconic NBC series a new life. As we continue to bring audiences to our must-watch dramas, it’s gratifying to know ‘Quantum Leap’ will have a prominent place next season both on our NBC schedule and next day on Peacock…” announced Lisa Katz, president of scripted content for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming.
The sequel show features a new Leaper Ben Song (Raymond Lee) who has headed up a project to investigate what happened to the original Leaper, Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula – though Bakula doesn’t appear). However, for unknown reasons, Ben enters the Quantum Leap accelerator without telling any of his colleagues and makes a premature Leap which sees him – like Sam – jumping from life to life and trying to put right what once went wrong. The show also added several new concepts including the daughter of Sam’s colleague and holographic partner Al (the late Dean Stockwell) secretly working with Ben for some unknown reason (a reason even he can’t remember) and subverting the rest of the team’s procedures and also the possibility of a rival Leaper. We also learn in the most recent episode that Ben started Leaping because of something to do with the future fate of his fiancee / holographic observer Addison (Caitlin Bassett), though exactly what… well, only time will tell.
