Quantum Leap 

Scientist Sam Beckett finds himself trapped in the past, "leaping" into the bodies of different people on a regular basis.

Creator:

Donald P. Bellisario

Stars:

Scott Bakula, Dean Stockwell, Deborah Pratt

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 16 wins & 43 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Scott Bakula	...	Dr. Sam Beckett / ... 97 episodes, 1989-1993
Dean Stockwell	...	Admiral Al Calavicci 97 episodes, 1989-1993
Deborah Pratt	...	Narrator / ... 65 episodes, 1989-1993

Storyline

Theorising That One Could Time Travel Within His Own Life Time, Dr Sam Beckett Stepped Into the Quantum Leap Accelerator, and Vanished. He Awoke and Found Himself Trapped in the Past, Facing Mirror Images That Were Not His Own. and Driven by an Unknown Force to Change History for the Better. His Only Guide On This Journey is Al, An.observer from His Own Time, Who Appears in the Form of a Hologram, That Only Sam Can See and Hear. and So Dr Beckett Finds Himself Leaping from Life to Life, Striving to Put Right, What Once Went Wrong, and Hoping Each Time, That His Next Leap, Will Be the Leap Home

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Plot Keywords:

alternate timeline | alternate reality | alternate history | altering history | body swap | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 March 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Viajeros en el tiempo

Filming Locations:

Big Sky Ranch - 4927 Bennett Road, Simi Valley, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Belisarius Productions, Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min (97 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

The series traces its roots to Battlestar Galactica (1978), which Donald P. Bellisario co-wrote and co-produced. The series' revival spin-off, Galactica 1980 (1980) was to originally center around time travel, and returning changes in history, back to normal. The concept was dropped after the pilot, but Bellisario stuck with the concept to develop into this show. The concept of Sam inhabiting the identity of another person, to incorporate change for the better, was partly inspired by Heaven Can Wait (1978), which in itself was practically a "word for word" remake of Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941), with the one exception of changing the lead character from a prize fighter, in Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941), to a Los Angeles Rams quarterback in Heaven Can Wait (1978).

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Goofs

In the Season 5 opening, "Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime...", the visuals reflect the narration. The narrator says, "Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished...", what is seen is him leaving the imaging chamber after leaping back to New Mexico.

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Quotes

[his life in the 70's]
Sam: Great. I'm on the take, I wear polyester clothes and I live above a bar in an apartment decorated like a gym.

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Alternate Versions

When the show first aired on NBC there was a longer opening narration than what is heard in syndicated reruns. The network version ran three and a half minutes. The syndicated version runs just under two.

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Connections

Referenced in How I Met Your Mother: Zip, Zip, Zip (2006)

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Soundtracks

Prologue (Saga Sell)
Written by Mike Post and Velton Ray Bunch
Performed by Velton Ray Bunch with Deborah Pratt (voice over)
Courtesy of Music Corp. of America (BMI)

User Reviews

Basic Sci-Fi or dramatised sociology?

I have to admit I may be a little biased as I've always had a soft spot for this programme. I recall watching the pilot when it was originally aired in the UK (1990 I think?) and remember, even then, being transfixed by the subsequent weekly 'leaps' of its main character, Dr. Sam Beckett.

I always thought it was more than just a Sci-fi/ comedic drama as, at times, it was incredibly insightful. The concept was completely innovative and didn't rely to heavily on expensive effects to convey the belief of time travel.

Sam's holographic sidekick Al Calavici (played by Dean Stockwell) provided an above average level of humour, making the viewer laugh out loud at issues which some would consider untouchable (his remark of 'bigot in a moo-moo' regarding one very ample character's racist comments being an example!)

There appeared to be no subject to dangerous to touch and that was what made the programme so engrossing. By examining key issues that could have affected anyone (sexual harassment, racism and teenage pregnancy to name a few), the viewer could not help but be drawn into a theoretical discussion as to the rights and wrongs of each subject.

I could go on but all I can add is that I highly recommend this T.V classic to newcomers as, once you've seen it, you will become as hooked as the millions of other devotees out there!