The Quantum leap “sequel”, in my opinion, was always doomed to fail. It was a reimagining of the magic that was the original, and that was always going to be a tall order to fill, especially with devoted fans of the original. But leave it to unimaginative Hollywood elites, who think rebooting or remaking a well liked and established franchise is always a good idea. How many examples do they need of why it doesn’t work, and only serves to besmirch the original…Disney anyone? Not to mention the absolute boring and repetitive use of these remakes as platforms for their diversity and inclusion narratives. Quantum Leap 2022 is no different. The woke aspects aside of this politically correct version of Quantum Leap is not even the major problem, however. The boring abysmal writing and the chemistry among the characters in the first 2 episodes alone were enough to put anyone to sleep. Fans and critics apparently agree, as Quantum Leap 2022 has not fared well among either, with a poor showing in the ratings during its premiere, and a drop of almost 30% from week 1 to week 2. Quantum Leap 2022 might just be cancelled before it even gets off the ground.
If I Were NBC I Would be Worried
The reimagined Quantum Leap’s debut saw its premiere episode have 3.348 million viewers tune in for the diversity cast sequel. By week two however, Quantum Leap saw a drop of 17% in viewers to 2.772 million and an almost 30% drop in the coveted 18-49 demographic that advertisers target their marketing towards. To put that into perspective, The CW’s Naomi, which was cancelled after only one season, saw an 8.98% drop between its week one and week two numbers, and a 21% drop in the 18-49 demo. I know Naomi had a much smaller audience, but much more of that audience tuned in the second week compared to Quantum Leap’s second week…and Quantum Leap is a well known franchise. Point being, is that a failed comic book character that fans had no desire to see in live action, fared better between its week 1 and 2 audiences, than Quantum Leap did. Quantum Leap has had a well established fan base for decades, and if I were in charge of this new incarnation of Quantum Leap, I would be worried. The critic and fan reviews have not been good, and fans are sending a message to NBC and Comcast, to not join the well of remakes like the rest of Hollyweird is doing. Leave well enough alone and create something new.
Related: At Least We Have the Original
Critics and Fans Agree This Sequel is Bad
Bad ratings are not a good sign for a beloved franchise, but when you tack on the poor reviews it’s getting from both critics and fans, Quantum Leap’s show runners have got to be nervous. Rotten Tomatoes currently has Quantum leap with an average critics score of 47% and a fan average score of 43%. This certainly isn’t a bell weather for an accurate read on how well Quantum Leap is doing or not, based on Rotten Tomatoes’ past shenanigans, but based on the ratings, the average scores between fans and critics seem to gel with how Quantum Leap has rated after two weeks.
No Sam Beckett?
This Quantum Leap sequel has been in talks for years. Until recently, the main star of the original Quantum Leap, Scott Bakula was attached to a sequel, remake, or reboot, showing his passion for the Sam Beckett character time and time again, with hints at a possible return if there was a reboot. But that never came to fruition, and the original show’s other main character, Dean Stockwell, who played Al, unfortunately died last year. Whatever happened that Scott Bakula was no longer going to be attached to this new version of Quantum Leap, is a little unfortunate, as fans might have tuned in week after week to find out what might have happened to Sam Beckett. Scott Bakula, in an Instagram post, stated that he was not a part of this new Quantum Leap, whether it was in front of or behind the camera. Other than a mention and a holographic image of Sam Beckett, there are no appearances by the original character. Strike two for the new reimagined Quantum Leap.
Let’s Just Forget What Made the Original Work
If ratings continue to drop as precipitously as they did between weeks one and two, how long before NBC and Comcast decide that they won’t renew Quantum Leap? All I can say is that I watched the first two episodes and was bored to tears. I was so bored, that I watched the pilot episode of the original Quantum Leap in between the first and second episodes of the new Quantum Leap just to get a palate cleanser. In addition, it seems a little telling that David Bellisario, the creator of the original Quantum Leap, would allow this to happen to such a beloved franchise. But maybe he’s just a figure head, and it’s completely out of his hands, and the current crop of producers and writers want this new Quantum Leap to reflect the world outside their bubble…quality writing and reverence of the original be damned!
