Oh, boy! Quantum Leap Trailer Thoughts

I’ve been cautiously optimistic about the upcoming Quantum Leap reboot/continuation series since it was first announced. Now that the official trailer dropped yesterday and we’re a little over a week away from the premiere I’m getting amped. I honestly haven’t been this excited for the debut of a new TV show since the original QL back in 1989.

Figured I’d throw down some play by play reactions to the trailer (along with a few predictions) to get them on the record.

Check this out if you haven’t already, then meet me down below…

• The backward stuff here and on some of the teasers is a little lame, though I doubt any of it will come into play on the actual show.
• I love “Oh shit!” as the modern take on “Oh boy!”
• The new accelerator interior looks awesome, and I’m intrigued by the choice to show a lot more of the present day project than the original series did.
• A lot of the promotion has focused on clips of real historic events which were (mostly) a no-no in the Sam Beckett days until the final season. I’m starting to suspect they’ll come into play more in this one.
• The first leap-in disorientation and arrival of the hologram is pitch perfect, and the hologram glitching when people walk through Addison is a nice modern touch.
• My wife watched the trailer and said “He’s from 2022 but can’t drive stick?” I reminded her I’m from 2022 and can’t drive stick. It’s a stretch to say a hologram can teach someone who doesn’t know for the first time on the fly, but I’m betting he does know but swiss-cheese forgot and this scene is intended to show how lost skills can come back to him. (I don’t have a good excuse as to why I can’t drive stick.)
• “You’re the getaway man. Get us away, man!” is a funny line and very true to the spirit of the original series.
• Hologram Addison riding in a car with Ben is also a good throwback since Al often did that even though it never 100% made sense with the hologram thing.
• The original briefly had a “we’re not allowed to share last names so we don’t mess with time” thing they don’t seem to care much about here.
• “We’re in a relationship that you don’t remember and I can’t tell you about” is a nice take on the swiss cheesed leaper / observer relationship.
• The actress in the rockstar mirror shot looks really familiar to me but I can’t place her.
• It’s fun that a lot of the leaps they show here are similar to ones Sam had previously (rockstar, soldier, boxer, robber, astronaut (albeit Sam was a space chimp…)
• “Changing history for the better…” YES YES YES!
• That catwalk in the imaging chamber seems like it would limit movement of the holographic observer.
• Great casting on the new Gooshie. Also wondering if Ziggy will use they/them pronouns in a nod to the he/she switch mid-series last time around.
• Really excited for Ernie Hudson as former leapee Magic heading the project, taking on half of Al’s old role.
• “Find out why he leaped” is an interesting line, as is the big focus in the synopsis of the mysterious circumstances around Ben’s decision to step into the accelerator. My wild theory: Sam Beckett is ready for retirement but needs to find a replacement. So he leaps into Ben, steps into the Quantum Leap accelerator, and vanishes. We’ll learn this in the season finale or a later episode at the Al’s Place bar where Sam is now the bartender.
• “If you fail, there’s a 100% chance this ship will crash.”
• “It’s time to remake history” is a pretty perfect tagline for this.
• It was speculated that Sam would die if his host did, but God/Fate/Time/Whatever always seemed to leap him out the few times it came close to happening.
• One other random prediction: There’s an episode set during the 1989 San Francisco earthquake — originally intended to be the pilot but re-edited to air sixth after the network felt a better setup was needed. I think attempting to retrieve Ben causes the quake, much like trying to retrieve Sam caused the great northeast blackout of 1965 in the episode “Double Identity” back in 1989. Coincidentally, that episode of the original series was intended to air second but also got moved to episode 6 when Don Bellisario thought an episode with a double leap (seemingly to prevent Sam’s death) airing so early would confuse the heck out of people.