As theQuantum Leapreboot proves, there’s clearly something magical about the ’80s that has prevented the decade from ever truly dying. It’s like one of those ancient mythical beasts that regularly gets defeated but always comes back eventually because a piece of it remains. In the case of the ’80s, that piece is probably the enduring presence of synthwave music or the presence of the nation’s 40-somethings in increasing positions of power.
So it should come as little surprise to know thatNBCis working on a reboot of the classicScott Bakula-led sci-fi seriesQuantum Leap. But apparently not content with simply reviving such a beloved ’80s institution, the creators have seen fit to bolster it with one of the stars of yet another powerhouse from the same decade.Ghostbustersstar Ernie Hudson, who recently reprised his role in the franchise as Winston Zeddemore in 2021’sGhostbusters: Afterlife, has joined up as one of the series leads, and just like that, it’s like leg warmers and shockingly big hair are back in fashion once again.
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Deadline reports Hudson will be joining Raymond Lee as the series leads. Lee stars as Dr. Ben Seong, a respected physicist who serves as part of the team attempting to revive theoriginal series' time travel projectdecades after Bakula’s Dr. Sam Beckett disappeared into the past. After Dr. Seong steps into the Quantum Leap accelerator, he’s hurled into the 1980s with a bad case of amnesia. Hudson’s Vietnam veteran character Herbert “Magic” Williams sets out to save him, pulling rank to keep The Pentagon off the project’s back long enough to mount a rescue.
The original series enjoyed an episodic format, seeing Bakula’s Dr. Beckett travel to different time periods in his continued attempts to return home. Unlikeother time travel stories, however,Quantum Leap’s gimmick involved Beckett inhabiting the body of an existing individual in each new adventure. He would “leap” into the role of this person and attempt to fix events big and small, eventually culminating in an unfortunately abrupt series finale that never truly resolved the story.
Beckett also had a handler of sorts in the form of Dean Stockwell’s Admiral Al Calavicci, who appeared to him in the form of a hologram and helped him get a feel for whichever time period he found himself in. It seems likely that the relationship between Dr. Seong and Williams will mirror that of Dr. Beckett and Admiral Calavicci to a degree, though it’s unclear to what degree. At the moment,Quantum Leaphas only been ordered as an hour-long pilot for NBC, so there’s no telling whether it will continue.
At the very least, this seems to have more optimistic hopes for a full series order than thatill-fatedPowerpuff Girlslive-action series. Bringing together an ’80s icon like Hudson with a cult classic from the same decade seems like a recipe for success. Besides, everybody loves a time travel story.
