NBC announced that its revival of Quantum Leap will not continue to a third season, leaving the series and the franchise ending on a cliffhanger. The show arrived in the Fall of 2021 and saw the revival of Project Quantum Leap in an attempt to find Sam Beckett who disappeared after five years of leaping. But Dr. Ben Song enters the Accelerator early and loses his memories, requiring the others in the project to guide him in his leaps while trying to figure out why he made his unauthorized decision. The show received an early renewal for a second season after performing well in the ratings, but NBC then decided not to keep it going for a third year.
Quantum Leap had decent ratings in its first season, averaging a 0.33 score based on same-day viewing by the 18-49 demographic according to Nielsen. It was below the network average and its numbers trended down through the season, but it performed well enough early on to get a renewal nod that got production started ahead of the impending strikes. It was one of the few scripted shows to hit the schedule in Fall due to the production stoppage from the strikes, and it performed well even though its average rating was down to a 0.29 score. But that was still enough to rank at Number 36 among all broadcast network shows for the Fall, and it was performing pretty much on par with other dramas on the network at that time.
When the show returned in January 2024, it was moved to the Tuesday 10 PM EST timeslot and its numbers dropped notably. It slipped to an average of 0.18 in that hour, and its season average dropped to a 0.25 score. NBC did not do a good job of promoting the timeslot change, and it certainly appeared like they were trying to justify killing off the show. Its numbers were down, but word is that it was doing well in digital viewing over on Peacock, and that was in part what helped the show get its second-season renewal in the first place.
I took note of the show’s declining numbers in our Cancellation Watch column, but I did not move the show to Bubble Status because I figured that NBC would go the same route as La Brea and at least give Quantum Leap a final season. Or perhaps it could have shifted to Peacock like the network just did with Law & Order: Organized Crime. But for whatever reason, the network decided to outright cancel the show, leaving two entries in the franchise (going back to the ’90s series) ending with the leaper never returning.
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The fact is that NBC executives should have an incentive to give this show a proper resolution. The original series had five seasons and 97 episodes while the revival has produced two seasons and 31 episodes so far. That makes for a nice syndication package (where shows really turn a profit) and/or an extended binge run on streaming. But it ultimately proves unsatisfying at this point because it does not offer a conclusion. One final season of six episodes or so would not set NBC back that much (especially considering the fact that networks throw away millions of dollars on shows all the time), and it would give the property a much better resolution. That makes it much more saleable in the syndication and/or streaming market and could help it to live on for many years in encore runs. And since NBCUniversal has at least partial ownership of the property, the company will continue to profit from it.
So it is basically up to the fans at this point. Within just the past few years, we saw NBC’s Timeless saved by fan action, both for a second season and a final movie. If fans of Quantum Leap can get the show trending, it is very possible that it will get a final season or at least a movie to wrap up its storylines (and we can certainly hope that Scott Bakula will return as Sam Beckett). And the network has much more of an incentive to provide a resolution for this franchise as opposed to Timeless seeing as it has over one hundred episodes under its wing already when you combine the original series and the revival.
Quantum Leap is leading our season-end Save My Show Poll as of this writing, and there is also an online petition out there garnering some attention. Fans should certainly stage watch parties on Peacock and do everything they can to get the show trending on the social networks (and there are more ideas on how to help the show at our Call to Action page). I believe a strong show of support can certainly help this one, and possibly get it to at least one more season. It will take some effort from the fans, but it is certainly within reach.
Did you watch Quantum Leap and will you help with fan efforts to save the show? Chime in with your thoughts below.
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