Before Scott Bakula discovered space as Captain Archer on the Enterprise, the actor made a name for himself in 1989 with another science fiction series: Back to the Past. In it, he traveled through time in search of a way back to the present, always accompanied by his holographic friend Al (John Stockwell).
In five seasons, the time travel series from NCIS creator Donald P. Bellisario developed into a cult. Since success in the television business rarely lasts forever, Quantum Leap returned in 2022 with new stars and Bellisario is back on board as a producer. Tonight the reboot celebrates its free TV premiere on ProSieben.
This is the story of the science fiction series
Quantum Leap takes place in the same universe as the original series, so it continues the story with a new cast. Almost three decades after scientist Dr. Sam Beckett (Bakula) climbed into the quantum accelerator (originally: Quantum Leap Accellerator) and disappeared without a trace, a new team of scientists would like to continue his work. Physicist Ben Seong (Raymond Lee) is one of them.
When Ben undertakes an unauthorized test run of the machine, his consciousness ends up in 1985. It jumped into the body of another person from the past. As Ben jumps into different characters in different times throughout the series, his team searches for a solution to bring him back to the present.
Universal
Quantum Leap – Back to the Past
The new series essentially follows the original, whose appeal lay in the anthology format. Each jump creates a “new” main character and story. In the first episodes of the new series, for example, Ben jumps into the bodies of an astronaut in 1998, a boxer from the 70s and a bounty hunter from 80s Los Angeles.
A character has a special relationship to the original
The other cast includes Ghostbusters actor Ernie Hudson. He takes on the role of war veteran Herbert “Magic” Williams, who leads the Quantum Leap project. But this isn’t the first time the character has appeared in series continuity.
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In episode 2 of the 3rd season of Back to the Past (“The Leap Home (Part 2) – Vietnam”), Sam Beckett jumps into the body of “Magic” during the Vietnam War and meets his own brother there, who died in the war becomes. Back then, the role of Magic was played by Christopher Kirby. In the new series, Hudson steps into the role, so to speak, who is all too familiar with the experience of a Quantum Leap.
These are the broadcast dates for Quantum Leap – Back to the Past
Quantum Leap – Back to the Past begins airing today February 12th at 10:15 p.m. on ProSieben. The series is shown in double episodes every Monday. Next week the start will be pushed back to 10:40 p.m.
The first season consists of 18 episodes. If you like the new version of Quantum Leap, you can be happy. There is already a second season, which is currently airing in the USA. It is not yet known whether the series will be renewed by NBC.