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“Quantum Leap” Episode 1 Recap: Al Calavicci Dean Stockwell Tribute

September 20, 2022

Warning: the following contains spoilers from Monday quantum leap first.

In quantum leapThe first episode of Ben Song (played by Raymond Lee) took an unauthorized jump and found himself in the body of a would-be diamond thief in 1985. Details of why he jumped remain unclear, but we now know that Al’s daughter, Janice Calavicci is somehow involved.

At the end of the hour, Herbert “Magic” Williams (Ernie Hudson) revealed that Janice wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps and participate in the new Quantum Leap project. However, the MoD rejected her due to her emotional ties to Al (played in the original series by Dean Stockwell), who died last year, and Sam (Scott Bakula), who never returned home. him. The night of Ben’s jump, Janice sent urgent messages for Ben to do it now because they were “running out of time”.

According to showrunner Martin Gero, we’re just getting started with Janice. “The Calaviccis play a huge role in Season 1,” he told TVLine. “Georgina Reilly, who plays Janice, will be coming back to the show a lot.”

NBC’s New Vision quantum leap was in development while Stockwell was still alive, and the producers always knew the Calavicci family would be an important part of the story. But after Stockwell’s death in November 2021, the show’s handling of Al’s character evolved.

“The dream was always to potentially have Dean play a small role on the show,” Gero shares. “But when he passed away, it was important to us to keep that character’s legacy on the show in a real and profound way.”

Read on for additional info from showrunner Martin Gero and stars Raymond Lee and Ernie Hudson.

Gero on quantum leapis related to the original series: “The show is its own thing, but we have this really beautiful connection to the past that informs everything we do, and in a way that I think will reward viewers of the old show but not alienate viewers. new viewers who maybe can take refuge I haven’t seen the 90+ episodes of quantum leap. It’s a really cool story, and it goes to some really great places, and I can’t wait for you all to see a little more Georgina as Janice Calavicci.

Lee on Addison telling Ben, who has lost her memory, that she was originally meant to jump and that Ben was supposed to be her hologram: “It’s up to Addison to reveal what she can reveal because there are things better left unsaid for Ben’s well-being, health and well-being. She might know a reason for which he would [make an unauthorized jump], but it might not be OK for her to tell me. But there’s so much to discover there, so much drama.

Hudson on his co-star Lee: “He’s someone you can identify with. Scott Bakula, What I Loved [him in the original], he was so funny and goofy and charming, but it was that guy you loved. He would find himself in those situations, but it was hard not to feel for him, and I think Raymond has a lot of that too.

Gero on the inclusion of Easter Eggs throughout the series: “We try to have a couple every [episode], and there are some iconic props that will eventually return to this show’s canon as well. This show is made by fans of the original show, and it’s also made by the people who made the original show, so the connection to the old show is very palpable.

What were you all thinking quantum leaps First episode? Grade the premiere below, then sound off in the comments.