The NBC science fiction series “Quantum Leap” is ending. The show is a revival of the Scott Bakula series of the same name that originally aired for five seasons between 1989 and 1993.
The new show premiered in 2022 and starred Raymond Lee as Ben Song, a physicist with Quantum Leap who ended up traveling through time and inhabiting different people’s bodies. Ben fixed their problems in order to continue leaping from body to body as he attempted to make his way home.
According to TVLine, NBC will not be moving forward with Quantum Leap season 3, and the show has officially been canceled. This news came a month and a half after the season 2 finale aired on February 20.
What Was The Reason For The Cancellation?
Although the first half of season 2 had relatively stable ratings compared with those of the bulk of season 1, viewership dwindled toward the end of the season. The finale got only 1.36 million viewers, the second-lowest ratings of the entire show behind the episode that aired the week earlier, which had 1.34 million viewers.
The question remains as to whether the show could potentially be picked up by another network. Although the overarching storyline was generally wrapped up in the Quantum Leap season 2 finale, the ending offered a major story development that promised to change the dynamic of the show significantly in a possible season 3.
Additionally, showrunners Martin Gero and Dean Georgaris recently revealed that they had already outlined the story for that season. The show is the first NBC scripted show to be canceled this season. It is difficult to ascertain if it will be an enticing prospect for other networks to pick up.
However, networks are generally still focused on resuscitating their own lineups in the wake of the 2023 Hollywood strikes, which saw writers and then actors fighting for fair pay.
It seems unlikely that they will pick up a show that belongs to another network unless it seems like a sure bet, especially while bigger shows like “Law & Order: Organized Crime” are also on the bubble.
It is also possible that NBC will want to hold on to the intellectual property. Both shows in the franchise have aired on the network.
While this revival does not have a future, there could be room for another revival or an out-and-out reboot down the road without the current “Quantum Leap” cast. For the time being, Ben Song’s story has come to an end.