NBC Exec Reveals Reason Behind Quantum Leap Cancellation

It’s that time of year again when network TV shows are wrapping up their latest seasons, and fans await news of their favorite show’s fate. NBC has chosen to continue shows such as Night Court while scrapping others like Extended Family. Meanwhile, Law & Order: Organized Crime is moving over to Peacock. Another show that didn’t make the network’s cut was the Quantum Leap reboot, which was canceled after two seasons. Jeff Bader, President of Program Planning Strategy at NBCUniversal Entertainment, recently spoke with TV Line and explained why Quantum Leap was scrapped instead of switching over to streaming. 

“Organized Crime is a VERY successful show; this isn’t a show that was on the bubble,” Bader explained. “It’s a show that works across the board, and it’s very, very strong on streaming. [Moving Season 5 to Peacock] is a win-win for us – 80% of its viewing isn’t in the time period where we schedule it, it’s delayed on Peacock, so it just made sense to move that to free up the time period.”

He added that it was a “different discussion with Quantum, which was just a much softer show, performance-wise.”

Back in February, Quantum Leap co-showrunners Martin Gero and Dean Georgaris told Deadline that they didn’t write the Season 2 finale as a series finale, but they did wrap things up just in case. 

“When we got the early renewal for Season 2, we knew we were not going to end it on a cliffhanger,” Georgaris said. “We were going to end it on the first scene from Season 3, and we’re going to end it with the two characters together, but in a way that you never expected. And that sort of says to the audience, ‘look at all the great places we can go.’ So if it feels like a completion for audiences, that’s wonderful. It is a completion of part of the journey, but I think for us, it serves as the launch for the rest of the journey.”

What Is Quantum Leap About?

You can read the description of the now-canceled show here: “In the new Quantum Leap, it’s been nearly 30 years since Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. Now, a new team, led by physicist Ben Song (Raymond Lee), has been assembled to restart the project in hope of understanding the mysteries behind the machine and the man who created it. Everything changes, however, when Ben makes an unauthorized leap into the past, leaving the team behind to solve the mystery of why he did it. At Ben’s side throughout his leaps is Addison (Caitlin Bassett), who appears in the form of a hologram only Ben can see and hear. She’s a decorated Army veteran who brings level-headed precision to her job.

At the helm of the highly confidential operation is Herbert “Magic” Williams (Ernie Hudson), a no-nonsense career military man who has to answer to his bosses who won’t be happy once they learn about the breach of protocol. The rest of the team at headquarters includes Ian Wright (Mason Alexander Park), who runs the Artificial Intelligence unit “Ziggy,” and Jenn Chou (Nanrisa Lee), who heads up digital security for the project. As Ben leaps from life to life, putting right what once went wrong, it becomes clear that he and the team are on a thrilling journey. However, Addison, Magic, Ian and Jenn know that if they are going to solve the mystery of Ben’s leap and bring him home, they must act fast or lose him forever.” 

Stat tuned for more updates about cancellations and renewals.