Quantum Leap (2022–2024) User Reviews

Disappointing start

[hafaball-1 · 4/10 · 20 September 2022]

After just seeing the Pilot episode, it was hard to have hopes for the future of this remake, but again, it was only 1 episode. Even so, very sorely lacking was any kind of hook for me to come back. The stale robotic Sorkin-esque dialogue didn't help, unnecessarily over-explaining how all this sci-fi mumbo jumbo time traveling works.

The wooden acting from every key player, especially unfortunately from Caitlin Bassett, the replacement for Dean Stockwell (RIP). Gone I guess are the days of a truly comedic suave cigar smoking showman who could steal a scene with a wink. Now everything and everyone feeling so bland and formulaic. I do have hope for Raymond Lee and Ernie Hudson. Lee was a great choice I feel, carrying the show as much as he could with as little is given for him, as so much is jam-packed into 1 episode it hardly seemed like the first leap even had a point other than exposition dump after exposition dump.

Future mystery after mystery revealed, one after the other, it again felt over-convoluted and unnecessary. 5/10 is generous, only because I'm giving it a benefit of the doubt, for now. I hope they slow things down and have some fun with it.

not horrible but a hard sell.

[adammarcotte · 5/10 · 21 September 2022]

Loved Sam and Al! The original is always hard to beat. Not sure the new guy can pull it off. I like the nostalgic feel but it's gonna be a rocky road. I think a lot of people are going to be critical and rightfully so. I'll give it a few more episodes to make a full judgement. The Quantum Leap idea is so cool so I want them to succeed. I think if they can bring Sam back in some way to properly pass the torch it may have a shot. Reminds me of MacGyver; so hard to live up to original. There has to be some good ideas ahead with the new characters so why not give them a chance to prove themselves? I wish them good luck but it's gonna need to make some huge leaps to successful.

I was really surprised!

[tiffanie_says_stay_in_your_lane · 9/10 · 22 September 2022]

Honestly, I was skeptical of this show at first. I figured remakes are usually lackluster, so I'd be wasting my time if I watched. Also, I never found the original to be all that interesting. In the new version, it's 30 years later after Dr. Sam Beckett entered the Quantum Leap accelerator and disappeared. The new team picks up the project where it left off to decipher the mysteries behind the machine and its creator. I'm not even a fan of science fiction and I enjoyed this! Pretty solid acting. Loved the diversity of the cast. I did take off 1 star for the lack of realism when it came to the characters' wardrobe and hairstyles. For example, in the pilot episode, Dr. Ben Song (Raymond Lee) goes to a fancy party in the 1980s, but all of the people look like they're in 2022! Nonetheless, I now look forward to Monday nights because of this show. I really hope it doesn't lose its amazing quality!

Ok start, ...hoping it will be better

[grlym-46849 · 6/10 · 23 September 2022]

Many shows have rough starts. Thai is no exception

However it seems to have potential. And as the actors settle into their roles, the acting should get better.

The show felt rushed on the main plot, but I think that's because the show was constantly waylaid by the drama of the future cast. And hich makes it feel like the show is going to chase conspiracy right out the gate. Which I hope I am wrong. I liked the originals open and close episodes. Good hearted episodes focused on righting wrongs and other a modicum of levity.

But no one has attention spans anymore for the old formulas, so this fast paced and huge cast may be appropriate for the times.

I find it refreshing to see so many Asians in prominent roles as they are one of the least accepted in Hollywood. I wish that the girl helping the main guy wasn't his wife. It narrows the role dynamic. But we shall see.

I'll stick around this season if it keeps a gradual improving pace, but mostly because I loved the original.

Seem to be in the minority- but I like it

[micheleaz-62843 · 8/10 · 20 September 2022]

I like it. I was a huge fan of the original series and I think this series has huge potential. I think why most people dislike this is the new Sam is nothing like the old one. I am willing to give this new show benefit of the doubt for now. I hope it lives up. They better have a great explanation of why he rewrote Ziggy's code without anyone knowing and crashed the system. The whole season is hinged on that. If that reason does not live up, I fear this new show will be doomed. As far as the acting the new Sam is pretty good. I like that character. The new Al needs to step it up a bit. That character seems a bit flat.

I want to know where it goes

[maikerus · 8/10 · 21 September 2022]

It's a continuation of the original series - 30 years later - which brings with it all sorts of interesting and fun possibilities.

Remember it's also 30 years in the future for those of us (including many of the reviewers) who enjoyed the original series. Now that we have smartphones and streaming services and special effects and decades of several unbelievably good shows, we have to all remember that the show should not and cannot recreate that original magic. It needs to make its own original magic.

So far I like the characters. The cast is solid. It's the first episode. It wasn't perfect, but it is interesting. I appreciate that the writers have shown us a glimpse of some of the new possibilities/magic.

Let the writers tell us the story. Sit back and enjoy. Or get off the ride.

Good next chapter in the Quantum Leap Saga

[ninjaphil · 8/10 · 20 September 2022]

I loved the original show growing up and am so glad they decided to continue the story rather than just remake it, although some 1 star reviewers on here are calling it a remake which makes me wonder what they actually watched...

Sure we no longer have Al (Sam could well turn up at some point) but the show still has a similar feel and flow. Raymond Lee seems like a very capable lead man and I think he has what it takes to carry the show.

Overall, I found it fun, entertaining and intriguing. There are several nods to the source material and although it has just started, there are many interesting directions the show can go in while still bringing its life affirming messages about changing history for the better.

The only downside for me is that the show is just finding it's legs and perhaps has a little too much exposition to try and catch us all up. Other than that a brave and enjoyable first episode which I hope becomes well-loved so we get a proper ending one day without another cancellation.

Good job and more please!

(Ziggy glitches and coughs)

[webcruser · 6/10 · 23 September 2022]

Sam Beckett, Al Calavicci, and technically Ziggy, an artificial intelligence accessed by a glitchy gizmo that seemed to cough whenever Al slapped it. Those were the only characters present for every episode of "Quantum Leap" from 1989 - 1993. The rapport between the two leads and a variety of sympathetic stories broached many serious subjects with a light touch, making this one of my favorite shows of all time.

The new series continues this story nearly 30 years later. Dr. Ben Song steps into an updated Quantum Leap chamber and leaps into another person's life "to put right what once went wrong." This time, the holographic guide is his fiancee, Addison, which provides an interesting wrinkle when Ben's leaps induce amnesia (known to Sam as the "Swiss cheese effect"). However, this rendition of the series introduces a flurry of supporting characters, which so far appears both a blessing and a curse. Their diversity of gender, race, and sexuality is a refreshing change, but their quantity and extensive storylines complicated the first episode and kept the actors from building depth and chemistry. Instead, the writers too often imbued scenes with a heavy-handed and overly serious intensity without humanizing the characters with lighter quirks to make them more relatable. That said, one character, a programmer named Ian, already had a bit more flair, and more nuanced development may evolve in future episodes.

I'd only rate this a 5 or less if not for its skillfully brief allusions to characters from the original Quantum Leap project (unlike other more overbearing reboots), including a cathartic nod to the messy cliffhanger ending to the earlier series. Hopefully, NBC will provide this show and its characters time for growth. A few slaps seemed to fix Al's gizmo, and maybe this program's glitches will similarly improve over the next few episodes.

I'm a fan

[pkq-1 · 8/10 · 20 September 2022]

Surprised that there are a rash of negative reviews on this show. Perhaps I loved the original.so much that I am being less critical.

But come on, the original was canceled too soon and the fact that this reboot has Sam and Al woven into the plot should mean a lot to fans.

Meanwhile, the production values are good. Acting is above average and the writing is on point.

I hope this show has the chance to grow. The depth of the plot is significant and I really enjoyed the big difference from the original, which is the behind the scenes work being done at the "quantum lab"

Some of the leap-plots in the original were better than others. So it would be hard to make a judgment on this one episode.

That said great potential in this show.

Pleasantly Surprised

[josh03081985 · 10/10 · 20 September 2022]

I went into watching the new Quantum Leap with a very biased opinion based upon the fact that the original was one of my favorite shows as a kid...after watching the premier however, I'm very impressed. They kept the spirit of the original intact while updating it for a modern audience. The pilot starts out as a slow burn but definitely gets better, and it has multiple nods to its predecessor. Now I will say this, I can already tell that it won't be everyone's cup of tea. But I do suggest if you were a fan of the original, give this one a chance. Don't base your entire opinion on the pilot episode...

intriguing start

[mnstonecold · 6/10 · 21 September 2022]

I thought the beginning premise is different. Being a remake/reboot it will be different. Look at the many remakes that have been made-The Conners, Hawaii 5-0, MacGyver, Magnum PI to name a few. Some are good, but they are not the original. I saw some people not liking the special effects, but it is closer to the first season of the original until they ramped it up. I think there is potential as bringing back mentions and the character of Magic. I like that Don Bellisario and Debroah Pratt are involved to help to make it right. Only time will tell as it goes on. The nice hints and homages were nice that I caught on to. Any beloved show when it is remade people are going to be apprehensive. Are there things I don't agree with-yes. But I can look past those like any shows that reboot or reimagine. I think it will also get the nostalgia crowd like the original did. I lived through the times we have so far in previews. In all I give it a 6/10. I hope this lasts, as the world needs a hero like Ben.

Can't wait to see where this goes!

[Greg-Tufaro · 10/10 · 22 September 2022]

Think the show has a ton of potential. As a long time fan of the original (my favorite show of all time), this delivered the connection to the original that I was looking for and set up a bunch of new mysteries. It definitely feels like there is some network intervention going on behind the scenes which is likely causing a bit of confusion for the viewers... network execs, leave this one alone because you're ideas will likely kill it before it can build a fanbase! There did seem to be multiple teams of writers working on this first episode... the A story on Ben/Addison was well written... the B story about the actual leapee was a bit TOO MUCH. Did we really need to having a completely unrelatable diamond heist story featuring a girl who needed an operation? TOO MUCrH GOING ON. And the C story of the Quantum Leap staff was fine, but... their chemistry needs more development for us to care about them as individuals. I think the Executive Story Editor needs to pay more attention to how all of these parts are gelling together. You guys can do it!

Disappointed, enough said.

[leon_staples · 5/10 · 23 September 2023]

Yes I'm a fan of the original, no you can't compare them and yes there is so much wrong with the show that it unfortunately outweighs the nostalgia. Firstly, the script is so dumbed down to the point where they have to spell everything out for you. Secondly, I just can't stand the hologram/partner, I don't know why, but she bothers me, she is dull, whiny and makes everything about herself. I don't know why they made her character the romantic interest, it does not make it more interesting.

We also spend a chunk of each episode going over what is happening in real time, outside of the leap. I'm not going to lie, during the original episodes I did wonder what happens in the world that he is missing but the reality is that it doesn't matter, we care about the leap and the main character.

Besides the main character I can't say that I like anyone else in this show, they are annoying and detract from the point of the show, the part that you want to watch. Honestly I can live with the dumbed down dialogue and obvious plots if it had characters and storylines that entertained me, this unfortunately has nothing going for it.

They had a golden opportunity with this show and the stories are basically limitless but they are so underwhelming and they could not have cast the show worse if they actually tried, this is a truly disappointing miss and such a smudge on the name of quantum leap.

Let's see!

[marcialpairola-562-669937 · 7/10 · 20 September 2022]

What happend with the intro music! What happend with Ziggy (i want to hear that computer). What happend with the original humor.

I will continue to look a glimpse of nostalgia and will give it a chance! If they ruin it, i will lower my score. I hope producers and writers could read this humble feedback.

We all want more, like Cobra kai did with Karate Kid, they caught the essence of the show. Sorry for my rusty english.

An appereance of Scott Bakula would be awesome!!!! I see potential, but you have to give a little of quantum leap old school for the followers of the original show!

Thanks!!!!!

Missing essentials

[drael64 · 5/10 · 26 October 2022]

A commodity tv show, with a science fiction component really always needs two things to make up for the lack of drama, production, writing, and special effects.

Those two things are heart, and levity. And those were two things the original quantum leap had in spades. As does pretty much any other commodity tv science fiction show you might think of. This show however does not have any funny characters or writing. The main character's actor in particular seems just fine as an actor, but not well suited to comedy. And whilst the show aims for story lines with heart, it feels very by the numbers.

Diet Quantum Leap - same premise, but no heart

[marysocontrary · 11 January 2023]

I watched the first two episodes (the second one only because Beth Calavicci was in it) and to say I'm underwhelmed by it is an understatement and I think I understand why Scott Bakula doesn't want anything to do with it.

They removed everything about the original series from it to make it into a series without substance. They barely give you any reason to care about Ben & no reason to care about the people he's helping. The original series did that. You grew to care about the people that Sam was helping in the episode & not just Sam himself. Instead they decided that they needed to make it into a flat action adventure series. There's also way too much split focus, going between Ben trying to help people back to the project isn't needed. This is a case where telling the viewers that the team was working on trying to fix the problems with Ziggy & figuring out a way to get Sam back was better than showing us what they're doing in the present to get Ben back. What is the point of making the team suspicious of Ben & his motivations? Why did they think they needed a mystery about Al's daughter?

If you want a good time traveling TV series with good storytelling, watch the original. If you want a forgettable action adventure series with an element of time travel watch this I guess.

I thought it wasn't bad

[dreamingwolf-01253 · 7/10 · 20 September 2022]

People are already crucifixion the show based on one episode. First of people keep using the term remake. This is not a remake. It's a continuation from the original show based 30 years later. One reviewer said that we got to learn a little about Scott's character in each episode with the original but in this one we learned everything in the first episode. I don't know what they watched but I don't know crap about Ben except he rewrote the code and has a fiance and is a physicist. People being to cynical based off of 44 minute first episode. I thought the story was good considering it's only been 1 episode so far.

5.3 IMDB? thought it would be less

[bmiller59 · 2/10 · 23 October 2022]

I've seen every episode of the reboot of Quantum Leap. WHY? I ask myself. My wife loves it. I don't, and I don't see my view of show getting much/any better.

The show is uninspired. It lacks something that I can't pinpoint. I may laugh a few times during each episode but it's a contrived laugh. I'm trying TO enjoy it, but it's not happening. Is it because Quantum Leap 1 was SO SO great, and I'm comparing it? Possibly.

I find myself multi tasking with my lap top while watching Quantum Leap. The transition to each scenario leaves me shaking my head. WHOA! How'd we get here. I like the main character, but he's just not grabbing me in this part. His sidekick (I can't even remember their names) is terrible.

OK, maybe I am comparing it with the first QL because I remember Scott Bakula & Dean Stockwell in a heart beat. I'm probably going to give up on it to "save" that hour of TV time to watch something else. Our list of Hallmark Christmas movies is starting to grow.

Oh yea......it just came to me what Quantum Leap is missing...that would be FUN.

It's okay but it's not the original...

[reewinter · 9/10 · 20 September 2022]

I was excited to hear about this project and it was okay, but this first episode didn't really get me excited like the first time I watched the original QL pilot.

I think it has potential though. I wanted to see more of the story surrounding Ben -- the way the old series would be mostly set in the past and Al would just pop in now and then. This switches back and forth between the present and past a lot, so I didn't feel like I got involved in the story that Ben was meant to be 'fixing' in the past. The focus seemed to be more centered around the present and Ben's relationship with his wife, etc.

I'll keep watching, hoping my next leap will be the leap home.

Did this project go a little caca?

[v-sirio · 7/10 · 20 September 2022]

OK, so this is not like the original. And according to the creators, it's not supposed to be.

It's unfair to make such comparisons. This is a new project.

We're only one episode in, so you might wanna hold your horses and not jump to rushed conclusions.

The visual effects are good, the main character's acting is good, Raymond Lee looks fit for the role, and I think that getting to know what's happening back in the lab gives a perspective that was missing from the original series.

My guess is that this is going to be as entertaining as it's expected to, and will honnor the good reputation of its predecessor.

Give this a chance.

Unnecessary, garbled, hashtag ticking, remake for whom?

[nansjune · 3/10 · 12 August 2023]

I was a big fan of the original, this is garbage. I can't imagine anyone who is tuning in because they were fans of the original lasting more than a couple of episodes.

Where the original had Sam and Al there's now a squad of additional "diverse" characters to meet some network diversity target. If the viewer notices your shoehorned-in walking hashtags then it's not working, in this case it's literally every single recurring character.

In the original you could believe that Dean Stockwell was a character with a vast life experience that could be called upon to assist Sam. In this remake I don't believe that the super-fit 20 something woman has much life experience beyond going to the gym and having her hoo-ha waxed. The grizzly old dude, gruff Vietnam vet is there but shouldn't be, the dude is long passed retirement age and would never be in such a job. The uber tough head of security is another hot young woman, just like every head of security I've met (cough). The tech geek is, I'm not even sure what that person is, but is it even acting when you rock up to set wearing your every day man-frock with your fav lipstick and eyeshadow?

Additionally a time travel show needs a certain level of attention to detail and this is absent even in the early episodes where I gave up, clearly the makers have decided this is tween plop and tweens won't notice stuff like fashions, hairstyles, music, props, vehicles etc being completely incongruous to the supposed time period.

In short this is junk TV made entirely and exclusively for gen-Z and younger and will likely trigger anyone who has been alive for longer than 15 minutes.

What a tragic waste of an opportunity

[joshuavogel79 · 2/10 · 8 February 2023]

The tragedy here is how transparently underwhelming the writers are from minute one of the show.

It felt like they were sprinting as fast as they could to get us into the first leap. It was an ugly exposition dump that seemed to be trying to hit a checklist of items. It had the exact same emotional weight as if they'd just started the show with a narrator saying: "this is Quantum Leap. You know the deal. This guy is the new Sam. This girl is the new Al. Let's get into it!"

It felt like an unforgivable missed opportunity to intelligently build on the lore surrounding the quantum Leap project, or to give us an introduction to the characters in a way that would actually make us care about them.

I know the writers want to build tension by making it a big mystery why this new leaper with step into the machine without telling anyone why he was doing it... The problem with that is that there can be no possible explanation that will ever be satisfactory. They hung the show on a mystery that's simply doesn't pass the smell test. And everything else the writers have done in this episode demonstrates that they lack the skill to pull off anything clever.

It's sad to see yet another sci-fi property get destroyed by by writers who don't understand or care about what they've inherited. It happened with Star Wars. It happened with Star Trek. It happened with Jurassic Park. Quantum Leap deserved better.

No heart, no charm...A unique and iconic series is made into a generic primetime science fiction drama.

[Darwinskid · 21 September 2022]

I didn't watch much of the original Quantum Leap growing up, but I knew it was a fairly well-liked series and lasted as long as it had because of its accessible storytelling with universal themes, charming storytelling, and charismatic performances by Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell. It wasn't quite like other science fiction shows of the time and stayed atypical from the rest on the marketplace for a good number of years after it finished. The same cannot be said about its 2022 revival of the same name, which sets to repackage the concept while acknowledging the original series.

2022's Quantum Leap feels like any other science fiction show for primetime television, with the same fast-paced, techno-jargon heavy, and flashy editing of any other program occupying similar space between 7 to 10pm at night. To make matters worse, the premiere establishes the premise and its cast of characters far too fast to really hook someone who is totally new to the intellectual property. The fast pacing of the storytelling ends up glossing over aspects which would be pretty engaging to the viewer, what you are left with is a string of things happening left to right without enough space to feel attached to. The visual effects, for the most part, are pretty poor - at one point in the premiere, when two characters interact in a moving car, you can clearly tell the actors are in front of a screen and can see their outlines very sharply. I acknowledge that the effects work in the original series wasn't of strong quality, either, but for its time it was living up to the bar with other shows, this new Quantum Leap doesn't have any excuses in 2022.

The cast are actually fine and charismatic, but there isn't enough substance for them to go off of and not enough room for them to make enough of an impact. I would say the two actors who made the most with what they were given were Ernie Hudson and Mason Alexander Park.

I think Scott Bakula made the right call to reject the offer for his character to appear, in contemporary Hollywood where so many iconic male characters are frequently being deconstructed he probably saw the writing on the wall and kindly refused, so far his character is only mentioned in conversation and nothing else - I would be nervous to find out what this new batch of creatives might have had in mind if Bakula accepted their offer.

Questionable cast

[dark-mark-dark · 7/10 · 5 October 2022]

Honestly, I was so excited for the remake, but when seeing the trailer gave me shivers. Then we watched the first episode, my eyebrows moved to the back of my head and stayed there for 40 minutes.

There was a time when actors played their roles. Well, not yet in Quantum Leap (2022). I know many shows have a rocky start, but I just don't feel like watching the third episode, and that's mostly because of MAP. He can't act at all, and his unique appearance seems to be completely out of place.

The dialogues didn't make much of an impression either, I can only hope they will improve otherwise QL22 will be scrapped after mere one season.

Got potential

[imdb-179-789200 · 7/10 · 10 October 2022]

I watched the original Quantum Leap series a while ago, and though it's hard to beat, I really like the way the new series is going and how it's connected to the original story so far. I feel mixed about the characters (some good, some cliche which may be due to the script in early episodes) but I think I might grow to like more of them as episodes unfold and they develop. I like the lead Ben and great to see the actor in Magic's character. I like the way they interweave the nostalgic format for each episode like the original. So far being three or so episodes in, it looks promising. I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes.