Quantum Leap returned to television with a new revival, and while it doesn't currently have Scott Bakula on board, that hasn't stopped it from finding an audience in Season 1. The series is evidently getting enough attention between NBC viewers and Peacock Premium subscribers that the network has officially ordered a Season 2 already. The cast and showrunner Martin Gero were understandably psyched for the news, and while the cast celebrated with a fun video, Gero decided to talk a bit about what is on the way for the next season.
NBC celebrated the Quantum Leap renewal on its Instagram page, and did so with the help of the cast. Check out the video, which features Raymond Lee, Caitlin Bassett, Mason Alexander Park, Nanrisa Lee, and Ernie Hudson reacting in a slightly NSFW way:
For those confused, it seems like this is a nod to Dr. Ben Song's reaction right before he was launched into space on a rocket ship in the pilot. There's been some debate amongst fans about whether or not this is the equivalent to Sam Beckett's "Oh boy" catchphrase, and while this video might not solidify the legacy of "Oh shit," at least there's another season on the way for the cast and crew to try and make it a thing.
As for what else Quantum Leap might pursue, one has to wonder if there will be more efforts to try and bring back Scott Bakula as Sam Beckett. The series confirmed in its pilot that if Beckett is still alive, he's still leaping. In the real world, Bakula has revealed he's not currently involved with the series. Showrunner Martin Gero mentioned that he'd continue to ask Bakula to return, and that he thought it would be pretty exciting to have the former star involved at some point.
Another season of Quantum Leap also means there's more time for Martin Gero to further flesh out the story that the first season has only begun telling. Gero took some time on Instagram to thank the fans for their support and offered the slightest bit of information in regard to what's ahead for Season 2:
Wow! Thank you so much for making this new version of Quantum Leap such a massive hit and securing us this EARLY SEASON 2 pickup! This cast and crew have risen above some really hard early setbacks to make an incredible season of television. So proud of the hundreds of people that work tirelessly with so much passion to bring you this show every week. Our plans for season 2 are pretty wild and I don’t want to spoil anything now…plus there’s still so many great season 1 episodes left (We’re back in January)! Thank you to our dear friends at @nbc & @peacocktv and our wildly supportive studio partners at @universaltv! More soon!
Quantum Leap has a lot going on at the moment, as the Quantum Leap program is in jeopardy of being shut down thanks to government oversight. There's also a mystery leaper Ben is unintentionally following through jumps, and investigating that man in the present timeline only opened up more questions for Magic and the crew.
Let's not forget the whole mystery behind why Janis Calavicci, daughter of Al, is seemingly sabotaging the project and how Ben is connected to all of that. Ben lost his memories in the jump, so he can't help the team out as to why he was working with Janis, though as he continues to jump, he may remember the answer eventually.
And if all that wasn't enough to keep its audience invested, Quantum Leap still has its classic episodic jump format where Ben has to help others and find his way into the next leap. I'm assuming those next leaps won't be the ones that take him back to his time anytime soon, but who knows? Maybe we'll be surprised ahead of Season 2!
Quantum Leap returns to NBC as part of the 2023 TV schedule on Monday, January 2 at 10:00 p.m. ET. Now might be the perfect time for anyone who was waiting to check it out to catch up by watching on Peacock and see why the series scored its renewal.
