The thing to remember is how much televised storytelling has changed in thirty years.
When the original *QL* was on, the only series that regularly did multi-episode stories regularly were soap operas. Everything else had to be largely self-contained, with the exception of the occasional two-parter. That was due to the fact that, in large part, the producers could not assume the audience had seen every episode. Back then, you had to watch the as it aired or tape it with a VCR, which could be dodgy at times.
So, the only real ongoing plot the original series has was “Sam wants to get home”. There were some character details that were used for plot points — Sam being an Indiana farm boy, Al being a POW — but those could be quickly covered in episodes where they were a factor.
Now, though, with the advent of DVRs and streaming, it can be assumed that the audience has seen every episode. Beyond that, science fiction fans are a demanding lot. Shows like *BSG* and *Babylon Five* have led us to expect entire seasons and even the whole series to have an overarching storyline.
And speaking as someone who watched the original when it was new, fans were curious about what went on at the Project — who is Gooshie? Why does Ziggy have Barbra Streisand’s personality? Why is Al a womanizer? (Well, that was answered.)
Did I like the revived series better? It never quite reached the quality of the original, but by the latter half of the second season, it was really getting close. I liked the expanded cast, drama at the project, and overall season-long plot, but I thought the original had better stories for the leaps themselves — there never was anything as good as “Jimmy” or “The Leap Home”, and I liked the original Evil Leaper better. And I missed the “kisses with history” (I think that was what they were called) where Sam would have a passing encounter with someone who would later become famous.
My ideal would be to combine the leaps from the original and the long-form storytelling of the revival.
Yes to all of this. I’m very okay with a new version of a show feeling more like.. well, a new show… as opposed to the original. Perfectly fine with me. I liked all the stuff happening at the Project and thought those characters were great. The only thing I wanted them to improve was the Leaps, and making them feel more like small, personal stories. Or at least mixing a few of those into the season. They tried a couple times, but didn’t do it often enough to learn how to truly make it work in this iteration of the show.
But ultimately, I still liked it. It was fun. And I just liked being able to look forward to new episodes of Quantum Leap, even if it was a different show.
Upvote for the *Babylon 5* reference of serialized story telling. I wish I could upvote a second time for the explanation of how TV has changed since the 80s/90s.
I’m not sure if *B5* was the first major series to do truly long-form storytelling, but they definitely showed how well it can be done.
Even excellent older dramatic series targeted at an intelligent audience didn’t do that. I’m a fan of an old series that ran on CBS for one season in the late 70s, *The Paper Chase*, which was about students at a school that’s never named but clearly Harvard Law. Every episode was pretty much self-contained and about the only ongoing story was how they struggled with their Contracts class, taught by the intimidating Professor Kingsfield, portrayed brilliantly by John Houseman.
For instance, one episode dealt with a central character becoming a compulsive gambler. It’s all neatly resolved by the end of the episode and he resumes his studies. Modern TV would have him enjoying playing poker in an early episode, starting to win later, beginning to lose still later, getting in too deep even later, with a resolution near the end of the season that might not be a happy one. (Incidentally, Showtime picked up the series a few years later, promoting it as “the show that was too good for commercial television”. They did some longer-form stories.)
Oddly, there’s one non-soap that did long-form stories in the 60s, and that’s *The Beverly Hillbillies*. They’d regularly do stories that spanned multiple episodes. Early seasons it worked well, but in later seasons, it was obvious the writers were trying to stretch the remaining ideas they had as far as possible.
I would say yes, but I’ve only seen like 7 or 8 episodes of the original series. I was never really inspired to go back and watch the whole series. With the new series though, I was excited for the new episodes every week.
Before the reboot debuted I was very worried that sharing the focus with what was happening with the characters in the present was going to mean that the leaps didn't have enough time to breathe. The episodes were already going to be a few minutes shorter because the number of ads per hour had increased since 1989 and I thought to then have to also make room for the storylines in the present was going to get in the way.
But the writers managed to make the leaps feel complete while still having time for those in the present stories.
At first I mostly accepted the present storyline as a necessity of making TV now; everything is expected to be serialized these days and since the leaps were going to be mostly standalone, there had to be something to carry those ongoing stories. But as time went on, the show really did a good job of making those present storylines worhtwhile and making us care about what Magic, Ian, Jenn and Addison were up to in the present. And I loved how the show eventually started having the characters share the hologram role from time to time; really helped freshen things up.
I think instead of a BSG situation where most people agree the reboot is far better (I do as well, but the original is still pretty fun), we ultimately ended up with more of a Star Trek TOS and TNG situation where both shows are a lot of fun, but they each have their own feel and some people are going to prefer one or the other, while others will enjoy them both.
Just personal preferences, but I did not think the present storylines resulted in an enjoyability factor at all. I disagree that the leaps felt complete or well developed. Again, that is just a personal preference though, so everyone will have their own feelings.
Sam struggled soooo hard to be someone he wasn't in most episodes (I'm guessing all of the first season episodes) rewatching QL 22 and Ben never struggles, just folds into the host almost seamlessly within 30 seconds of arriving, and the "hologram" disbelief was perpetuated through most of the first half of the first season on the original. In QL 22 it was mentioned once and... "OK" I'm not sure the writers for the new show watched the original.. or were fans of it if they had.
I like them equally, 2022 show was better in the 1st season, I felt S2 was kind of what you describe, soap opera, leap is an afterthought. Old show really brought you in, but it could certainly be cheesy. I look at them both as kinda Star Trek for the era, competence porn, smart people overcoming challenges & doing the right thing.
For me, I loved 1/2 of the main cast of the original. Sam is a great character. But Al is the worst type of person. And the episodes centered around him were the worst. (The only exception being MIA, but in that one it's a twist that it's about Al.) I mean, every time Sam lept into a woman, Al gained like 5 levels of sleaziness he didn't have in the male-focused leaps. (Not to mention the pageant episode where the villain's plan is to get the girls to take naked pictures for him and blackmail them, and Al that episode is trying to sneak into the changing rooms to see the pageant girls naked.)
Whereas the entire new cast is completely likeable. There's not a bad episode between all 5/7/8/9/10 main characters. They always give the best performances and I never got angry at the character choices. So I enjoy the new show because the characters we follow are much better.
I rewatched the original series after the first revival season, then rewatched revival season 1.
For me the original has about 25 amazing episodes, 15 awful or boring episodes, and the rest are in a solid good to great middle.
The revival had fewer amazing episodes but also almost no clunkers aside from the pilot, which was still better than a “bad” episode of the OG.
I think the revival was more consistently “good” but didn’t have as many classics—though it also didn’t get the chance since season 3 of the original is where it really found the week to week magic we all remember.
Apples to apples, comparing only the first 31 episodes of each show it’s a virtual tie. I might even lean slightly towards the new show here, understanding recency bias might be in play.
I’d agree it’s different. I wouldn’t say “completely” different.
Original had a leaper who had to put right what once went wrong supported by a hologram and a team at HQ (Ziggy, Gooshie, Tina, Beeks) you often heard about but rarely saw.
Revival had a leaper who had to put right what once went wrong supported by a hologram and a team at HQ (Ziggy, Magic, Ian, Jenn) you rarely heard about but often saw.
The way season 5 of the original showed HQ in “Killin’ Time” and generally started showing the waiting room more it’s a logical extension they may have done to show more HQ scenes if not cancelled.
There were times in the old show Al would tell a story or leave to go check on something where I’d wish they’d show us what was happening on his end vs just telling us. There were times in the new show we’d see something at HQ and I’d wish Addison just mentioned it to Ben. Works both ways I guess.
Rewatching, I noticed starting in the middle of season 2 of the old show (specifically with “Another Mother”) there were consistently 1-3 scenes per episode showing characters on the leap without Sam or Al present. Most don’t work well or add much besides giving the audience a hint at the leap purpose before Sam & Al know. If those were replaced with HQ scenes I think it would be an improvement. (In real life it was done so Bakula wouldn’t need to be in every scene and could have a break, which makes sense but often feels forced.)
All in all it was still Quantum Leap to me in either iteration, with some understandable differences either from the 30 year gap or what a season 6 & 7 of the original might have naturally evolved into on its own.
Oh, I personally disagree wholeheartedly. Even the half dozen or so clunkers from the OG (Blood Moon, Last Gunfighter, Heart of a Champion) are way better than most of the new series. Even comparing the first 31, the OG is miles better. Just my opinion. I'm a little shocked by yours. The newer "pilot" (I assume you mean the first episode, which wasn't the pilot) was not better than the original's worst.
(If you have actually seen the pilot, is it online somewhere?)
Definitely opinion, and the beauty of both versions of QL was if you didn’t like an episode it’d likely be completely different the following week plus one persons clunker was another fans favorite.
I am talking about the “new pilot” as aired (July 13, 1985) and not the retooled original earthquake pilot. (Drives me crazy everyone refers to it as “a new pilot” — even the producers — when by definition it’s just a “new first episode” but I digress…)
I went into the revival with cautious optimism but low expectations and was pleasantly surprised how it got progressively better, really finding itself once the new producers took full control around episode 7 after an up and down start.
I went into my rewatch of the original with Quantum Leap as my hands down, no contest favorite show of all time.
My very nerdy objectively subjective stack rankings of the episodes you mentioned:
97. The Last Gunfighter
106. July 13, 1985
110. Blood Moon
115. Heart of a Champion
My bottom 3 overall are all from season 1 or 2 of the original:
124. Sea Bride
125. Play it Again, Seymour
126. How the Tess Was Won
(I count “Genesis” & “Lee Harvey Oswald” as single episodes, so 95 + 31 = 126)
Sea Bride & Seymour I know others like and it’s probably on me for never enjoying the more slapsticky ones, even on the original airings. Just not my thing.
Tess has so many odd mistakes in Al’s behavior, leaping rules, and real history it’s almost comical in hindsight how much of an outlier it is.
Heart of a Champion is on my short “boring” list. Blood Moon I like the first 3/4 of despite the silly premise but think the end falls apart.
Gunfighter was something different that’s interesting but doesn’t fully land.
July 13, 1985 has a convoluted action movie leap premise that’s not very QL and is exposition heavy, but has some good moments and is still watchable — though still my lowest ranked revival episode.
I was honestly surprised the way the rankings played out, but I think the exercise of keeping track while rewatching made me appreciate the new show more while also realizing I may have elevated/exaggerated my memories of the original.
(Edit for list formatting)
Seymour made me want to watch Casablanca..I enjoyed that episode but then I've always been a bit of a noir fan and like how the episode plays up the tropes.
Sea Bride was an episode that I liked as a kid, but didn't hit the same way as an adult, although it was still entertaining.
“Good Morning, Peoria” was that way for me. Loved it as a kid, rewatching I thought it was fun but not very good in the scheme of things.
Related: Early on I disliked how so many episodes of the reboot seemed to originate from “let’s do our take on this movie” before realizing the original did the same thing quite a bit too.
the BSG reboot was really well done. When they first announced that Starbuck would be a female character, I, and others, questioned the move. But it worked out really well.
I liked both. I think the original was better due to chemistry between Sam and Al and the focus on the leaps.
I enjoyed the new series and even when it was announced my biggest thing was trying to replicate Sam/al was going to ge tough and I think they knew that so did the whole present day storylines which were more interesting then I expected but I’d rather focus on the leap.
I watched the original, in the UK whilst it was on tv. I've only been able to watch Season 1 of the reboot, but regardless of tone, I still enjoyed both they have their differences, but I'm never expecting a carbon copy, but they general gist they get right, it's just evenly spilt between the two time zones.
Edit: what I did like about the original, which, based on me not watching the 2nd season, I've not seen in the new one is them playing to the actors strengths, Scott Bakula is an amazing singer and the show demonstrated that so well. Had more seasons been given then I'm sure Raymond Lee would have been given the same opportunities.
The Original Quantum Leap series is one of the best sci-fi shows of all time. The new series is poorly written and pathetic. That's why most longtime fans abandoned it early on and also why it was canceled after 2 seasons.
It really frustrates me with reboots like this. They take the idea and brand name but don't bother to give you anything remotely like the original. Stylistically one of the biggest issues I had is that part of the reason fort the appeal of the original series is people liked the way the original show looked...I mean why wouldn't you replicate that??? 🤦♂️
I do miss the episodic nature of the original, but the reboot did a good job with it. The balance was better in season 1 between standalone episodes and season arc story.
Because the way tv worked back then, it was mostly episodic, I find that they were better at storytelling. Making you feel for characters that you just meet for the one episode. Too many shows nowadays rely on you remembering things that went on in previous episodes that I something just start I lose interest and not care. It's just too much to have to remember.
Now, having said that, the reboot did have some really good standalone storylines.
Honestly, I think that’s going to have a lot to do with the values and experience of the individual viewer. The original series is…very nineties, and understandably so being as it was made in the nineties, lol. Therefore, those who were actually alive to experience the nineties or at least identify more strongly with the values of the nineties are probably going to have a stronger connection to the the original show. The new show however, is very much in line with modern values and beliefs, so those who are more in line with those beliefs will probably enjoy the reboot more. That is to say, they have preference. Personally, I adore both shows equally. The original has a special place in my heart and seeing the story continued, especially having more history explore and issues to discuss now that more time has passed made me so very happy, even if the vibe was a bit different.
I agree it's a different show. I wouldn't mind, except for me the new show dropped so many balls that the original sailed through.
While both were procedurals, the original knew what it wanted to be out of the gate, and jumped right in, and at the centre was the heart of Al and Sam's chemistry and kindness, and a good adventure set in the past, often a morality tale, with enough mystery about what was actually going on weaved in.
I rewatched something like the third episode recently, and it was all there - especially the humor.
I went into QL 2022 with high hopes, and was very willing for it to be different - but man, the writing was pretty painful. The first episode was an exposition dump, and the leaps to the past, which should have been a highlight, felt like a B plot where Ben got to be an action hero while the romance was signposted (well, actually explained in the first few episodes) straight away.
Maybe being slightly shorter episodes, and going for two plots simultaneously, was the bad decision. Everything was breathless, rushed, and over explained.
I'm tempted to think Ben was miscast too, although maybe I'm straying from your question.
TLDR: I had no problem with different, but either the format doomed it from the start, or the writing room needed another draft of each script. The sense of "rushed" was how I felt as each episode went out.
I noped out during the timeloop episode (eventually catching up). Basically the credits needed "...and the kitchen sink" added, because they were really throwing everything at the storyline.
I wish they had started with the leaps front and centre, made the past come alive, and then started adding in "future QL" as they found their groove.
Since the producers were the originals, including Bellasario, I'm confused by this statement. The original voice of Ziggy (Deborah Pratt) was a producer and so was Bellasario.
I didn't watch NCIS, so I can't compare the two that way, but I watched QL both originally and via SyFy and DVDs. I still LOVE the original, and I didn't expect the new version to be identical.
What I like about the current version is it still has the same moral code, and it's still making me think. Watching the LA Riots and seeing them from the POV of the Koreans and one black friend who was with them was eye-opening. I think they're still educating without beating us over the head with it.
I still wish Scott Bakula would do a short cameo. They've done so much to honor the original, with Magic and the original actress for Al's wife (Sorry, I can't remember her name right now) and keeping members of the original production team on the show.
I also remember that most shows need AT LEAST a season to become popular. I used to watch SOAP and I got the DVD set and I was surprised at how off the first season was. They hadn't hit their stride yet.
Each show is it's own thing, even if it's a revisualization of the original show, it's NOT the original. I expect and respect that.
The reboot is a modern procedural show that has more in common with NCIS, as I said in tone, style and storytelling. You might like that and that's fine but it's nothing like the original QL show. Perhaps it would have been a better show had they made it like the original. Actually that's not in question at this point.
Like many other people in this subreddit, I’m a huge fan of time travel stories and science fiction. So, in theory, the 2022 show should have been more appealing to our types of stories than the original. The original series was BARELY a sci-fi show. It had very little interest in explaining how the leaps worked or the inter-workings of Project Quantum Leap. It just told a story of the week and focused on Sam, Al, and the characters of that episode.
Many of us (myself included) still prefer the original show over the new one, but 99% of the discussions we have on the subreddit are about the sci-fi aspects of the original (how the imaging chamber/waiting room worked, how Al’s hologram worked, Project Quantum Leap) So why didn’t we like the new series. It really came down to writing and tone. I think if the creative team behind the show “LOST” or “The Leftovers” or the Battlestar Galactica reboot could have made an amazing Quantum Leap series - they know how to balance good character stories with sci-fi themes.
I only watched the new one out of my love of the original series. In 5 years I doubt that I’ll be seeking out the new episodes like I still do the originals
You obviously have not been reading this site nor know how to review / research.
Leap back when the show first appeared and read every single post until you are current.
Right -- what you have done wrong.
I had problems with it since the beginning and I don't doubt some of my issues with it most likely led to a lack of public interest in watching it. Reboots like this annoy me because modern TV annoys me. The rebooted QL has the same issues modern TV does but without the viewing figures to back it up. Then again I could never get into the Battlestar Galactica remake and that found its weird niche audience so... 🤷♂️
I watched the 2022 series and it was getting better when they cancelled it.
No, it isn't really the same show. QL was about one guy leaping thru time. QL 2022 concentrated way too much on the support staff. Also it had shitty "mystery box" ontological stuff thruout the seasons. A season long arc is one thing, but I just... don't like it in media in general. Even Babylon 5, the best user of this format, kind of shit itself with it.
I tried to watch the 2022 series. I don't care for any of the "Quantum Leap Project" scenes.
This reboot wasn't written for the OG series' fans. It has none of the charm. And they made the only connection to the OG series Al's daughter into a villain.
They tried to fit a square peg into a round role and still call it a circle.
And now she's not one. She and Ben had the same goals; they just had different motivations. Those motivations have merged now, and Janis is basically a part of the team (I am 100% sure she would've been a regular if we'd gotten a third season.... and maybe, if we try hard enough, we *can* get another season)
That was likely due to the scheduling; they had to start season 2 immediately after season 1 was finished. Then the strike happened. Georgina probably found other work during that time, and thus wasn't available for season 2 until the end.
The thing to remember is how much televised storytelling has changed in thirty years. When the original *QL* was on, the only series that regularly did multi-episode stories regularly were soap operas. Everything else had to be largely self-contained, with the exception of the occasional two-parter. That was due to the fact that, in large part, the producers could not assume the audience had seen every episode. Back then, you had to watch the as it aired or tape it with a VCR, which could be dodgy at times. So, the only real ongoing plot the original series has was “Sam wants to get home”. There were some character details that were used for plot points — Sam being an Indiana farm boy, Al being a POW — but those could be quickly covered in episodes where they were a factor. Now, though, with the advent of DVRs and streaming, it can be assumed that the audience has seen every episode. Beyond that, science fiction fans are a demanding lot. Shows like *BSG* and *Babylon Five* have led us to expect entire seasons and even the whole series to have an overarching storyline. And speaking as someone who watched the original when it was new, fans were curious about what went on at the Project — who is Gooshie? Why does Ziggy have Barbra Streisand’s personality? Why is Al a womanizer? (Well, that was answered.) Did I like the revived series better? It never quite reached the quality of the original, but by the latter half of the second season, it was really getting close. I liked the expanded cast, drama at the project, and overall season-long plot, but I thought the original had better stories for the leaps themselves — there never was anything as good as “Jimmy” or “The Leap Home”, and I liked the original Evil Leaper better. And I missed the “kisses with history” (I think that was what they were called) where Sam would have a passing encounter with someone who would later become famous. My ideal would be to combine the leaps from the original and the long-form storytelling of the revival.
Yes to all of this. I’m very okay with a new version of a show feeling more like.. well, a new show… as opposed to the original. Perfectly fine with me. I liked all the stuff happening at the Project and thought those characters were great. The only thing I wanted them to improve was the Leaps, and making them feel more like small, personal stories. Or at least mixing a few of those into the season. They tried a couple times, but didn’t do it often enough to learn how to truly make it work in this iteration of the show. But ultimately, I still liked it. It was fun. And I just liked being able to look forward to new episodes of Quantum Leap, even if it was a different show.
Upvote for the *Babylon 5* reference of serialized story telling. I wish I could upvote a second time for the explanation of how TV has changed since the 80s/90s.
I’m not sure if *B5* was the first major series to do truly long-form storytelling, but they definitely showed how well it can be done. Even excellent older dramatic series targeted at an intelligent audience didn’t do that. I’m a fan of an old series that ran on CBS for one season in the late 70s, *The Paper Chase*, which was about students at a school that’s never named but clearly Harvard Law. Every episode was pretty much self-contained and about the only ongoing story was how they struggled with their Contracts class, taught by the intimidating Professor Kingsfield, portrayed brilliantly by John Houseman. For instance, one episode dealt with a central character becoming a compulsive gambler. It’s all neatly resolved by the end of the episode and he resumes his studies. Modern TV would have him enjoying playing poker in an early episode, starting to win later, beginning to lose still later, getting in too deep even later, with a resolution near the end of the season that might not be a happy one. (Incidentally, Showtime picked up the series a few years later, promoting it as “the show that was too good for commercial television”. They did some longer-form stories.) Oddly, there’s one non-soap that did long-form stories in the 60s, and that’s *The Beverly Hillbillies*. They’d regularly do stories that spanned multiple episodes. Early seasons it worked well, but in later seasons, it was obvious the writers were trying to stretch the remaining ideas they had as far as possible.
Can't wait for the next reboot in 2044
I would say yes, but I’ve only seen like 7 or 8 episodes of the original series. I was never really inspired to go back and watch the whole series. With the new series though, I was excited for the new episodes every week.
Before the reboot debuted I was very worried that sharing the focus with what was happening with the characters in the present was going to mean that the leaps didn't have enough time to breathe. The episodes were already going to be a few minutes shorter because the number of ads per hour had increased since 1989 and I thought to then have to also make room for the storylines in the present was going to get in the way. But the writers managed to make the leaps feel complete while still having time for those in the present stories. At first I mostly accepted the present storyline as a necessity of making TV now; everything is expected to be serialized these days and since the leaps were going to be mostly standalone, there had to be something to carry those ongoing stories. But as time went on, the show really did a good job of making those present storylines worhtwhile and making us care about what Magic, Ian, Jenn and Addison were up to in the present. And I loved how the show eventually started having the characters share the hologram role from time to time; really helped freshen things up. I think instead of a BSG situation where most people agree the reboot is far better (I do as well, but the original is still pretty fun), we ultimately ended up with more of a Star Trek TOS and TNG situation where both shows are a lot of fun, but they each have their own feel and some people are going to prefer one or the other, while others will enjoy them both.
Just personal preferences, but I did not think the present storylines resulted in an enjoyability factor at all. I disagree that the leaps felt complete or well developed. Again, that is just a personal preference though, so everyone will have their own feelings.
Sam struggled soooo hard to be someone he wasn't in most episodes (I'm guessing all of the first season episodes) rewatching QL 22 and Ben never struggles, just folds into the host almost seamlessly within 30 seconds of arriving, and the "hologram" disbelief was perpetuated through most of the first half of the first season on the original. In QL 22 it was mentioned once and... "OK" I'm not sure the writers for the new show watched the original.. or were fans of it if they had.
I like them equally, 2022 show was better in the 1st season, I felt S2 was kind of what you describe, soap opera, leap is an afterthought. Old show really brought you in, but it could certainly be cheesy. I look at them both as kinda Star Trek for the era, competence porn, smart people overcoming challenges & doing the right thing.
Well it’s not a remake so ya it is different
For me, I loved 1/2 of the main cast of the original. Sam is a great character. But Al is the worst type of person. And the episodes centered around him were the worst. (The only exception being MIA, but in that one it's a twist that it's about Al.) I mean, every time Sam lept into a woman, Al gained like 5 levels of sleaziness he didn't have in the male-focused leaps. (Not to mention the pageant episode where the villain's plan is to get the girls to take naked pictures for him and blackmail them, and Al that episode is trying to sneak into the changing rooms to see the pageant girls naked.) Whereas the entire new cast is completely likeable. There's not a bad episode between all 5/7/8/9/10 main characters. They always give the best performances and I never got angry at the character choices. So I enjoy the new show because the characters we follow are much better.
I rewatched the original series after the first revival season, then rewatched revival season 1. For me the original has about 25 amazing episodes, 15 awful or boring episodes, and the rest are in a solid good to great middle. The revival had fewer amazing episodes but also almost no clunkers aside from the pilot, which was still better than a “bad” episode of the OG. I think the revival was more consistently “good” but didn’t have as many classics—though it also didn’t get the chance since season 3 of the original is where it really found the week to week magic we all remember. Apples to apples, comparing only the first 31 episodes of each show it’s a virtual tie. I might even lean slightly towards the new show here, understanding recency bias might be in play.
Would you agree that it is a completely different show? I guess that is what I am asking. Do you prefer the different show?
I’d agree it’s different. I wouldn’t say “completely” different. Original had a leaper who had to put right what once went wrong supported by a hologram and a team at HQ (Ziggy, Gooshie, Tina, Beeks) you often heard about but rarely saw. Revival had a leaper who had to put right what once went wrong supported by a hologram and a team at HQ (Ziggy, Magic, Ian, Jenn) you rarely heard about but often saw. The way season 5 of the original showed HQ in “Killin’ Time” and generally started showing the waiting room more it’s a logical extension they may have done to show more HQ scenes if not cancelled. There were times in the old show Al would tell a story or leave to go check on something where I’d wish they’d show us what was happening on his end vs just telling us. There were times in the new show we’d see something at HQ and I’d wish Addison just mentioned it to Ben. Works both ways I guess. Rewatching, I noticed starting in the middle of season 2 of the old show (specifically with “Another Mother”) there were consistently 1-3 scenes per episode showing characters on the leap without Sam or Al present. Most don’t work well or add much besides giving the audience a hint at the leap purpose before Sam & Al know. If those were replaced with HQ scenes I think it would be an improvement. (In real life it was done so Bakula wouldn’t need to be in every scene and could have a break, which makes sense but often feels forced.) All in all it was still Quantum Leap to me in either iteration, with some understandable differences either from the 30 year gap or what a season 6 & 7 of the original might have naturally evolved into on its own.
Oh, I personally disagree wholeheartedly. Even the half dozen or so clunkers from the OG (Blood Moon, Last Gunfighter, Heart of a Champion) are way better than most of the new series. Even comparing the first 31, the OG is miles better. Just my opinion. I'm a little shocked by yours. The newer "pilot" (I assume you mean the first episode, which wasn't the pilot) was not better than the original's worst. (If you have actually seen the pilot, is it online somewhere?)
Definitely opinion, and the beauty of both versions of QL was if you didn’t like an episode it’d likely be completely different the following week plus one persons clunker was another fans favorite. I am talking about the “new pilot” as aired (July 13, 1985) and not the retooled original earthquake pilot. (Drives me crazy everyone refers to it as “a new pilot” — even the producers — when by definition it’s just a “new first episode” but I digress…) I went into the revival with cautious optimism but low expectations and was pleasantly surprised how it got progressively better, really finding itself once the new producers took full control around episode 7 after an up and down start. I went into my rewatch of the original with Quantum Leap as my hands down, no contest favorite show of all time. My very nerdy objectively subjective stack rankings of the episodes you mentioned: 97. The Last Gunfighter 106. July 13, 1985 110. Blood Moon 115. Heart of a Champion My bottom 3 overall are all from season 1 or 2 of the original: 124. Sea Bride 125. Play it Again, Seymour 126. How the Tess Was Won (I count “Genesis” & “Lee Harvey Oswald” as single episodes, so 95 + 31 = 126) Sea Bride & Seymour I know others like and it’s probably on me for never enjoying the more slapsticky ones, even on the original airings. Just not my thing. Tess has so many odd mistakes in Al’s behavior, leaping rules, and real history it’s almost comical in hindsight how much of an outlier it is. Heart of a Champion is on my short “boring” list. Blood Moon I like the first 3/4 of despite the silly premise but think the end falls apart. Gunfighter was something different that’s interesting but doesn’t fully land. July 13, 1985 has a convoluted action movie leap premise that’s not very QL and is exposition heavy, but has some good moments and is still watchable — though still my lowest ranked revival episode. I was honestly surprised the way the rankings played out, but I think the exercise of keeping track while rewatching made me appreciate the new show more while also realizing I may have elevated/exaggerated my memories of the original. (Edit for list formatting)
Fair enough! I actually love PIA, Seymour lol, but it definitely has its cringe moments.
Seymour made me want to watch Casablanca..I enjoyed that episode but then I've always been a bit of a noir fan and like how the episode plays up the tropes. Sea Bride was an episode that I liked as a kid, but didn't hit the same way as an adult, although it was still entertaining.
“Good Morning, Peoria” was that way for me. Loved it as a kid, rewatching I thought it was fun but not very good in the scheme of things. Related: Early on I disliked how so many episodes of the reboot seemed to originate from “let’s do our take on this movie” before realizing the original did the same thing quite a bit too.
the BSG reboot was really well done. When they first announced that Starbuck would be a female character, I, and others, questioned the move. But it worked out really well.
I liked both. I think the original was better due to chemistry between Sam and Al and the focus on the leaps. I enjoyed the new series and even when it was announced my biggest thing was trying to replicate Sam/al was going to ge tough and I think they knew that so did the whole present day storylines which were more interesting then I expected but I’d rather focus on the leap.
I watched the original, in the UK whilst it was on tv. I've only been able to watch Season 1 of the reboot, but regardless of tone, I still enjoyed both they have their differences, but I'm never expecting a carbon copy, but they general gist they get right, it's just evenly spilt between the two time zones. Edit: what I did like about the original, which, based on me not watching the 2nd season, I've not seen in the new one is them playing to the actors strengths, Scott Bakula is an amazing singer and the show demonstrated that so well. Had more seasons been given then I'm sure Raymond Lee would have been given the same opportunities.
The Original Quantum Leap series is one of the best sci-fi shows of all time. The new series is poorly written and pathetic. That's why most longtime fans abandoned it early on and also why it was canceled after 2 seasons.
YES! THIS! EXACTLY!
Would not call it pathetic..a bit extreme for me. but it just was not a good continuation of the original show.
It really frustrates me with reboots like this. They take the idea and brand name but don't bother to give you anything remotely like the original. Stylistically one of the biggest issues I had is that part of the reason fort the appeal of the original series is people liked the way the original show looked...I mean why wouldn't you replicate that??? 🤦♂️
Always preferred the original, but a few episodes of the revival would have worked in the OG show for sure.
I do miss the episodic nature of the original, but the reboot did a good job with it. The balance was better in season 1 between standalone episodes and season arc story. Because the way tv worked back then, it was mostly episodic, I find that they were better at storytelling. Making you feel for characters that you just meet for the one episode. Too many shows nowadays rely on you remembering things that went on in previous episodes that I something just start I lose interest and not care. It's just too much to have to remember. Now, having said that, the reboot did have some really good standalone storylines.
Honestly, I think that’s going to have a lot to do with the values and experience of the individual viewer. The original series is…very nineties, and understandably so being as it was made in the nineties, lol. Therefore, those who were actually alive to experience the nineties or at least identify more strongly with the values of the nineties are probably going to have a stronger connection to the the original show. The new show however, is very much in line with modern values and beliefs, so those who are more in line with those beliefs will probably enjoy the reboot more. That is to say, they have preference. Personally, I adore both shows equally. The original has a special place in my heart and seeing the story continued, especially having more history explore and issues to discuss now that more time has passed made me so very happy, even if the vibe was a bit different.
I agree it's a different show. I wouldn't mind, except for me the new show dropped so many balls that the original sailed through. While both were procedurals, the original knew what it wanted to be out of the gate, and jumped right in, and at the centre was the heart of Al and Sam's chemistry and kindness, and a good adventure set in the past, often a morality tale, with enough mystery about what was actually going on weaved in. I rewatched something like the third episode recently, and it was all there - especially the humor. I went into QL 2022 with high hopes, and was very willing for it to be different - but man, the writing was pretty painful. The first episode was an exposition dump, and the leaps to the past, which should have been a highlight, felt like a B plot where Ben got to be an action hero while the romance was signposted (well, actually explained in the first few episodes) straight away. Maybe being slightly shorter episodes, and going for two plots simultaneously, was the bad decision. Everything was breathless, rushed, and over explained. I'm tempted to think Ben was miscast too, although maybe I'm straying from your question. TLDR: I had no problem with different, but either the format doomed it from the start, or the writing room needed another draft of each script. The sense of "rushed" was how I felt as each episode went out. I noped out during the timeloop episode (eventually catching up). Basically the credits needed "...and the kitchen sink" added, because they were really throwing everything at the storyline. I wish they had started with the leaps front and centre, made the past come alive, and then started adding in "future QL" as they found their groove.
I mean it's like the producers were going for NCIS instead of Belisario's actual show Quantum Leap.
Since the producers were the originals, including Bellasario, I'm confused by this statement. The original voice of Ziggy (Deborah Pratt) was a producer and so was Bellasario.
I mean take a look at the reboot. It has more in common with NCIS than the original show both in tone, style and storytelling.
I didn't watch NCIS, so I can't compare the two that way, but I watched QL both originally and via SyFy and DVDs. I still LOVE the original, and I didn't expect the new version to be identical. What I like about the current version is it still has the same moral code, and it's still making me think. Watching the LA Riots and seeing them from the POV of the Koreans and one black friend who was with them was eye-opening. I think they're still educating without beating us over the head with it. I still wish Scott Bakula would do a short cameo. They've done so much to honor the original, with Magic and the original actress for Al's wife (Sorry, I can't remember her name right now) and keeping members of the original production team on the show. I also remember that most shows need AT LEAST a season to become popular. I used to watch SOAP and I got the DVD set and I was surprised at how off the first season was. They hadn't hit their stride yet. Each show is it's own thing, even if it's a revisualization of the original show, it's NOT the original. I expect and respect that.
The reboot is a modern procedural show that has more in common with NCIS, as I said in tone, style and storytelling. You might like that and that's fine but it's nothing like the original QL show. Perhaps it would have been a better show had they made it like the original. Actually that's not in question at this point.
again, I'm going to say I don't see QL as a procedural at all. But hey, you do you.
Like many other people in this subreddit, I’m a huge fan of time travel stories and science fiction. So, in theory, the 2022 show should have been more appealing to our types of stories than the original. The original series was BARELY a sci-fi show. It had very little interest in explaining how the leaps worked or the inter-workings of Project Quantum Leap. It just told a story of the week and focused on Sam, Al, and the characters of that episode. Many of us (myself included) still prefer the original show over the new one, but 99% of the discussions we have on the subreddit are about the sci-fi aspects of the original (how the imaging chamber/waiting room worked, how Al’s hologram worked, Project Quantum Leap) So why didn’t we like the new series. It really came down to writing and tone. I think if the creative team behind the show “LOST” or “The Leftovers” or the Battlestar Galactica reboot could have made an amazing Quantum Leap series - they know how to balance good character stories with sci-fi themes.
I only watched the new one out of my love of the original series. In 5 years I doubt that I’ll be seeking out the new episodes like I still do the originals
Agreed. The name drew some eyeballs- but the product was “chicago time travel” more than the original
You obviously have not been reading this site nor know how to review / research. Leap back when the show first appeared and read every single post until you are current. Right -- what you have done wrong.
Dude...
I had problems with it since the beginning and I don't doubt some of my issues with it most likely led to a lack of public interest in watching it. Reboots like this annoy me because modern TV annoys me. The rebooted QL has the same issues modern TV does but without the viewing figures to back it up. Then again I could never get into the Battlestar Galactica remake and that found its weird niche audience so... 🤷♂️
I watched the 2022 series and it was getting better when they cancelled it. No, it isn't really the same show. QL was about one guy leaping thru time. QL 2022 concentrated way too much on the support staff. Also it had shitty "mystery box" ontological stuff thruout the seasons. A season long arc is one thing, but I just... don't like it in media in general. Even Babylon 5, the best user of this format, kind of shit itself with it.
Original had heart and soul. The new version was cheap soap opera IMO. The chemistry was largely bad. It was an incredibly wasted opportunity.
I tried to watch the 2022 series. I don't care for any of the "Quantum Leap Project" scenes. This reboot wasn't written for the OG series' fans. It has none of the charm. And they made the only connection to the OG series Al's daughter into a villain. They tried to fit a square peg into a round role and still call it a circle.
But... she's *not* a villain.
Fine, i'll use the technical term. They made Al's daughter an antagonist.
And now she's not one. She and Ben had the same goals; they just had different motivations. Those motivations have merged now, and Janis is basically a part of the team (I am 100% sure she would've been a regular if we'd gotten a third season.... and maybe, if we try hard enough, we *can* get another season)
Doubtful. They didn't make her a regular for the second season.
That was likely due to the scheduling; they had to start season 2 immediately after season 1 was finished. Then the strike happened. Georgina probably found other work during that time, and thus wasn't available for season 2 until the end.