NBC Renews 'Quantum Leap' Reboot For Second Season

Fans of the recent "Quantum Leap" television reboot can relax a little bit over the holidays. NBC has announced that the freshman show has been picked up for a second-season renewal. The show will officially return for a second season later on.

The news comes after NBC extended the show's first season order from 12 to a full 18 episodes, as reported by The Blast earlier in October. Most dramas that receive a full season order on NBC would receive 20+ episodes. However, due to the special effects-laden series, the full season order came to 18 episodes rather than 20 or more, similar to another NBC series, "La Brea."

The 2022 series is a continuation of the world from the original "Quantum Leap" television series that ran on NBC from 1989 to 1993 for five seasons and 97 episodes. The original series followed scientist Sam Beckett, a scientist who after jumping into the Quantum Leap accelerator can jump into the bodies of various people across time and history.

The original show ended with the cliffhanger caption, "Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home." The new series picks up thirty years after the original ended. The story now follows the scientist Ben Song (Raymond Lee), who was able to restart Dr. Sam Beckett's Quantum Leap project.

In the first episode, Ben makes an unscheduled leap into the Quantum Leap Accelerator. As a result of the leap, Ben is suffering from amnesia, leaving his friends and loved ones trying to piece together the mystery of what happened. Meanwhile, Ben must continue making leaps to find his way home.

Speaking on the announcement in a press release, NBC Universal Television and Streaming President of Scripted Content Lisa Katz stated, "We're leaping into a second season thanks to the incredible work by our cast, producers, writers, and everyone who has played a role in giving this iconic NBC series a new life." She continued on the Season 2 renewal, "As we continue to bring audiences to our must-watch dramas, it's gratifying to know 'Quantum Leap' will have a prominent place next season both on our NBC schedule and next day on Peacock."

NBC's press release boasted the show's numbers, pointing out the series drawing a 2.0 rating in the P18-49 key demo, with up to 10.8 million viewers for the show across linear, digital, and streaming platforms. NBC is also claiming that the reboot is the "best-ever drama launch" on the Peacock streaming service and the No. 2-ranked new broadcast show in the key ratings demo.

The show also stars Ernie Hudson, Caitlin Bassett, Mason Alexander Park, Georgina Reilly, and Nanrisa Lee. In the series, Hudson portrays Herbert Williams, a character depicted in the original television series, originally performed by Christopher Kirby. Reilly's character is Janis Calavicci, the daughter of Al Calvicci, portrayed by Dean Stockwell, from the original show.

As reported earlier, original series star Scott Bakula opted not to appear in the reboot. He announced on his Instagram account last September, "I have no connection with the new show, either in front of the camera or behind it." The actor continued, "It was a very difficult decision to pass on the project, a decision that has upset and confused so many fans of the original series."

The new series is executive produced by Martin Gero, along with Dean Georgaris, Don Bellisario, Deborah Pratt, Chris Grismer, Steven Lilien, and Bryan Wynbrandt. Universal Television produces the show in association with I Have an Idea! Entertainment, Belisarius Productions, and Quinn's House Productions.

The show is still in the midst of its first season. "Quantum Leap" airs Monday nights on NBC.