NBC’s upcoming streaming service The Peacock was not represented at NBC Universal’s day before the Television Critics Association. The Peacock will feature revivals of classic NBC sitcoms Punky Brewster and Saved By the Bell, but NBC’s head of program planning and strategy, Jeff Bader, discussed another series that might get revived as well.

Speaking with /Film, Bader said the ‘90s time travel series Quantum Leap is another title under consideration and spoke about what led to the Punky Brewster and Saved by the Bell revivalson The Peacock.

Quantum Leap starred Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett (above), a scientist who invented time travel. Every week he would leap into someone from the past to correct a wrong that occurred in history. It ran from 1989 to 1993, and it might be jumping into the 21st century.

“That’s one that I know everyone is discussing,” Bader said.

In 2009, Syfy considered a reboot of Quantum Leap with a new cast., but that’s not what any Quantum Leap fan wants. They want Scott Bakula, and ideally Dean Stockwell as his hologram partner Al. Unfortunately, Bakula is currently on CBS’s NCIS: New Orleans and Stockwell is 82 and hasn’t acted since 2015 , though he did an episode of NCIS: NO with Bakula in 2014.

One of the hooks of Quantum Leap was that Beckett could only leap within his own lifetime. So episodes spanned the ‘50s to the ‘80s. A 2020 Quantum Leap could do ‘80s and ‘90s stories as period pieces.

“That’s true,” Bader said, adding that the network is exploring their whole back catalog. “There’s more that I think we’ll be visiting.”

A “Quantum Leap” sequel series has received a pilot order at NBC, Variety has learned. The project is one of two drama pilots ordered by the broadcaster.

In the new iteration, it’s been 30 years since Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. Now a new team has been assembled to restart the project in the hopes of understanding the mysteries behind the machine and the man who created it.

According to an individual with knowledge of the project, original series star Scott Bakula is believed to be involved with the pilot. Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt are writing the pilot and will also executive produce under their I Have an Idea! Entertainment banner. Both are currently executive producers on the NBC series “La Brea.

“Quantum Leap” creator Donald P. Bellisario will serve as an executive produer via Belisarius Productions. Deborah Pratt will also executive produce, as will Martin Gero for Quinn’s House Productions. Universal Television will produce. Gero is currently under an overall deal at UTV. There have been rumors of some kind of reboot or followup to the original show for some time, including a potential feature film.



The original “Quantum Leap” aired for five seasons on NBC from 1989-1993. Bakula starred as Dr. Sam Beckett, who found himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong. Dean Stockwell co-starred with Bakula as Al, an observer from Sam’s own time who appeared in the form of a hologram that only Sam could see and hear. Stockwell passed away in November 2021 at the age of 85.

The other pilot order is for the drama “Found” from writer and executive producer Nkechi Okoro Carroll. Per the show’s logline, in any given year, more than 600,000 people are reported missing in the U.S. More than half that number are people of color that the country seems to forget about. A public relations specialist — who was once herself one of those forgotten ones — and her crisis management team now make sure there is always someone looking out for the forgotten missing people. But unbeknownst to anyone, this everyday hero is hiding a chilling secret of her own.

Okoro Carroll will also executive produce the pilot via Rock My Soul Productions along with Lindsay Dunn. Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and David Madden of Berlanti Productions will also executive produce. Warner Bros. Television is the studio, with both Rock My Soul and Berlanti Productions currently under overall deals at the studio.

This marks the second NBC project announcement for Okoro Carroll in as many days. She also has the “Life Goes On” sequel series in the works at the broadcaster, with original series star Kellie Martin set to return. NBC has given that project a put pilot order.