"Quantum Leap"

1989-1993
Classic television sci fi, right?
Wrong.
Painfully wrong.
I never watched QUANTUM LEAP when it first aired. I was never sure why, but now i know. Was it intuition, or the few brief glimpses i caught back then? Having now seen close to twenty episodes, i must sadly report that even in its best moments, it struggles to rise above second-rate. I'd always held hope in some back chamber of my mind - the premise and cast are wonderful! Quantum physicist gets caught in time leaps, landing inside the bodies of other people, ever hoping to return home. Could anyone want a more likable, talented lead than Scott Bakula (ENTERPRISE, AMERICAN BEAUTY)? Plus the inestimable Dean Stockwell (DUNE, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA)? How could it miss?
A pronounced lack of intelligence or vision, that's how.
The product of producer Donald Bellisario (MAGNUM P.I., JAG...plus a hand in the classic GALACTICA), LEAP got just a little better as the series progressed, but there were two albatrosses it never divested itself of. Firstly, the notion that a world-class quantum physicist would attribute unexplained phenomena to "god". A devout ditch digger? Sure. A religious roadie? Of course. But scientists are notoriously secular...one documentary filmmaker was excited to find just one top-flight astronomer who professed holy faith. Secondly, this show has all the romantic sophistication of mexican soap opera (that's not racist - moral defects are simply more apparent [and often hysterical] in a foreign tongue). So many of Sam's leaps revolve around some romance he has to set straight...make sure the girl doesn't marry the wrong guy, etc etc. General queasiness aside, i don't mean to quibble, but...if our heroine "avoids the abusive partner", what about the OTHER lucky woman who then falls into that guy's clutches, finding him more subconsciously angry at women than ever?
Beyond that, Stockwell's lecherousness was so overwritten he was forced into trying to give sincere performance to words appropriate only to farce.
And if the writers had a physics consultant on staff to give verisimilitude to the science, they ignored the heck out of her/him.
When i called it quits, it had gotten occasionally palatable enough that i briefly considered going back for it all (happily that feeling passed). After the first ten episodes, i was reduced to handpicking those with above-average potential (mostly because of guest stars). If you absolutely must indulge in a trip down QUANTUM LEAP Lane, here are the best i can offer. Personally, i'll content myself with watching Scott and Dean in ENTERPRISE's "Detained".
BEST LEAPS (season)
-"The Color of Truth" (1)
Sam leaps into the body of a black chauffeur in the deep south, 1955. The emotional impact is handled just right, and brought tears to my eyes.
-"Stand Up" (4)
As part of a Catskills comedy trio, Sam must get his partners to not self-destruct their romance, while protecting them from the mob. Memorable work by the sublime Mr. Bob Saget (AFV, FULL HOUSE) and Amy Yasbeck (WINGS, ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS).
-"Lee Harvey Oswald" (5)
Despite a lame ending, this leap into LHO's body is gripping and well-acted. Starring Willie Garson (SEX AND THE CITY, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY) and Elya Baskin (MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON, THE NAME OF THE ROSE).
-"Leaping of the Shrew" (5)
Sam leaps into a greek sailor stranded on a desert island with an arrogant rich woman (Brooke Shields). Completely obvious, and even better than it sounds.
-"Nowhere to Run" (5)
Sam is a paraplegic vet who must prevent his roommate's (Michael Boatman - SPIN CITY) suicide. He also has to convince a hospital volunteer (Jennifer Aniston) to have his babies. Where does one sign up for this leap?