TV Review: Quantum Leap

My dad always said Quantum Leap was his favorite show, and I can see why. It’s not because it’s the best show ever or anything. But my dad seems to like a lot of what I’ll call “boomer porn” — the movie Forrest Gump or the songs “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and “American Pie.” And Quantum Leap is a bit like those, as it’s Sam Becket leaping through time throughout all the years of his life, occupying the bodies of different people — men, women, the occasional historical or public figure.

But at the heart of the show, Bakula is fantastic, and he’s what makes this show mean more than those other instance of “boomer porn.” There’s a genuine heart here, and Bakula makes Becket just so damn likable.

He’s of course joined by his friend Al (Dean Stockwell), whose corporeal body remains in the present while he appears as a hologram in the past. Al is a womanizer, and honestly, he tends to be a bit much as a character. But Stockwell has great chemistry with Bakula, and he’s usually pretty fun.

Throughout the entire series Sam has this desire to finally head home, and while this doesn’t pay off in every single episode, it’s overall a great emotional core for the series. And in the episodes where it does pay off, it’s usually done very well. Some of the best episodes are when the writers explore the backgrounds of Sam or Al, like with Al’s first marriage or with Sam’s relationship with his brother.

And the story does such a great job in exercising empathy. Sam has to see life from so many different perspectives. Some of it’s dated, but having him be a black man, a boy with Down syndrome, and a woman make for some very entertaining television.

The show isn’t perfect, but over five seasons and nearly 100 episodes, there’s a lot more to like than dislike.

Rating: 7/10