The Quantum Leap revival is off to a great start at NBC, even with former franchise lead Scott Bakula’s decision to not join the show. With that said, the series keeps mentioning his character Sam Beckett and, while we know Bakula doesn’t currently have any plans to join, the story seemingly remains open-ended for Sam to return at a later date should things change. Now, comments from showrunner Martin Gero have provided some clarity regarding where things stand with Bakula and Beckett, despite the feelings the actor presently has.
Martin Gero took some time to share how he’s proceeding with the veteran actor's rejection and not having him involved. Gero mentioned to Collider that he will respect his decision, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to quit reaching out:
I will respectfully always ask him to do the show. I have a very, very good idea that Deborah (Pratt) knows about and that Don (Bellisario) knows about. I think it could be really exciting. But I also completely respect his wishes. He knows our enthusiasm for him. He knows our enthusiasm, our love, and our reverence for the old show. It’s a no right now. It would be pretty amazing to have him back, but I don’t know what that timeline looks like, or even if it’s possible.
The Quantum Leap showrunner expressed that he’d love to welcome back Scott Bakula, possibly as Sam Beckett, but he’s unsure if it’ll happen. While Bakula previously said that he’s rooting for the revival and that it has his support, he hasn’t exactly given an explicit reason as to why he’s not involved. Bakula is still an in-demand actor, however, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he simply had a previous commitment that prevents him from being involved. Bakula was linked to an NBC pilot earlier this year, but it's since been reported that the project isn't moving forward.
It’s also possible that everyone involved is playing coy to hide the surprise that Scott Bakula will eventually join the cast of Quantum Leap. Early reports about the series once pointed to Bakula’s involvement though, obviously, it seems more likely that he's completely uninvolved at this point in time.
The revival’s premiere noted that Sam Beckett was never found after his jump and that he was either still out in the universe making jumps or dead. That feels like an intentional placeholder for Beckett to come back into the story at some point. It's also vague enough that it would give the actor some flexibility in regard to finding th time to return and shoot footage with this Quantum Leap's absolutely stacked cast.
If Scott Bakula returning as Sam Beckett isn’t in the cards, the series seems more than content right now, building the story around Dr. Ben Song. Ben unexpectedly made a jump without his colleagues' approval or knowledge and, now, that the jump has taken away his memories. The show continues to dole out breadcrumbs that may reveal his motivations for embarking on such a dangerous journey that he may never return from. In short, it’s doing fine without Beckett for the time being, though I’m sure many fans would love to see him return at some point just as Martin Gero does.
Quantum Leap airs on NBC on Mondays at 10:00 p.m. ET. The series has only just started, so now is a perfect time to catch up and join in on the speculation for why Ben jumped without consulting anyone. Those who would like to check it out can stream the series using a Peacock subscription.
