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'Quantum Leap' was an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from March 26, 1989 to May 5, 1993, for a total of five seasons. The series was created by Donald Bellisario, and starred Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a physicist who becomes lost in time following a time travel experiment, temporarily taking the places of other people to "put right what once went wrong". Dean Stockwell co-starred as Al Calavicci, Sam's womanizing, cigar-smoking sidekick and best friend, who appeared as a hologram that only Sam, animals, and young children could see and hear. The series featured a mix of comedy, drama and melodrama, social commentary, nostalgia and science fiction, which won it a broad range of fans. One of its trademarks is that at the end of each episode, Sam "leaps" into the setting for the next episode, usually uttering a dismayed "Oh, boy!" Despite struggling on Friday nights at 9 PM in its brief first season, NBC surprisingly renewed the series because of its impressive 18-49 demographics. The series was moved to Wednesdays at 10 PM where it flourished against other fan-favorite series, Wiseguy and China Beach. It was moved twice away from Wednesdays (to Fridays at 8 PM in the fall of 1990 and to Tuesdays at 8 PM in the fall of 1992) where it floundered. The series finale aired in its successful Wednesday 10 PM slot in May 1993. In 2004 and 2007, Quantum Leap was ranked #15 and #19 on TV Guide's Top Cult Shows Ever. |