Quantum Leap Star Ernie Hudson Reveals the One Thing He Wants From the Reboot Series

The cast of Ghostbusters had their chance to move the franchise forward while also reckoning with its past in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Now, Ernie Hudson is hoping that they can do the same thing on Quantum Leap. The NBC series, which serves as a continuation of a fan-favorite show of the same name, seems to be flirting with the idea of resolving the original series’ cliffhanger ending. In Quantum Leap, Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) traveled through time, “leaping” into the lives and bodies of others in order to help change their fates for the better. Beckett could not control the leaps, though, and ended up stranded in time, always hoping the next leap would finally bring him home. Unfortunately for Beckett (and fans), the final episode established that Sam never managed to make it back. 

Hudson’s character, “Magic” Williams, has a very personal reason for wanting to bring Sam Beckett back home: when he was younger, during the original series, Sam “leaped” into Magic during the Vietnam War, in an experience that saved the lives of both Magic and of Sam’s own brother. Speaking with ComicBook.com’s Chris Killian, Hudson confirmed that he wants to give Sam closure.

“Well, that’ll probably depend on any negotiation with SB and NBC,” Hudson said. “I certainly am a huge fan of Scott’s, and I would love to see that happen. I think the fans would love to see it happen. I don’t really know what goes into it; all I know is that I would do anything to get a chance to work with him, but also to see him come back and be a part of the franchise.”

In the years since the finale, some fans have continued to mourn the show’s premature cancellation, and the fact that Sam was left stranded in time. Others have argued that there’s a kind of happy-ending quality to the way Sam came to accept his role as a temporal guardian angel. For Hudson (and Magic), the former carries a little more weight than the latter.

“I think it would be a big plus if the fans got a chance to see [Sam],” Hudson added. “The fact that he’s sort of left hanging out there in the ether, wherever time is, that doesn’t feel good. It didn’t feel good to Magic in the beginning, which is partly why he was so committed to getting this project up and running. I’d love to see it happen.”

You can see Quantum Leap on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.