Scott Bakula Endorses ‘Quantum Leap’ Reboot After ‘NCIS: New Orleans’ Cancellation

NCIS: New Orleans is ending, but Scott Bakula has no interest in leaving television behind. The veteran star even endorsed the idea of playing Dr. Sam Beckett again, almost 30 years after Quantum Leap ended. In a new interview with TVLine, the Star Trek: Enterprise actor said a revival or reboot of Quantum Leap would be a “good idea.”

The original Quantum Leap ran on NBC for five seasons from 1989 to 1993 and was created by Donald P. Bellisario. It starred Bakula, 66, as Sam, a physicist who leaps to different time periods to temporarily replace other people and fix historical mistakes. Dean Stockwell, who retired from acting in 2015, co-starred as Admiral Al Calavicci, Sam’s friend who appeared as a hologram during the trips to offer guidance. The show ended with a cliffhanger, as the finale showed Sam getting stuck in the past after telling Al’s first wife that Al was still alive. The credits showed Al and Beth never divorced in a new timeline. The show is available to stream for free on Peacock.

During the interview with TVLine, Bakula suggested that a series following a son of Sam’s could be a cool idea. He noted that Sam did take trips to see his wife, so something could have happened then. Sam also had a daughter with a woman in a Season 5 episode. “That’s one of the ideas, and it seems like a good idea,” Bakula said. “We all know that Sam’s still out there, and I always tell people that should be comforting — that he’s still out there fixing things that once went wrong.”

Bakula said Quantum Leap remains a “very special” show to him. The series gave him his first taste of success, and he earned four Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the show. In 1992, he won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Drama. He suggested the premise of the show is still relevant today.

“I mean, the idea of walking in another man or woman’s shoes is so relevant and so important right now,” he told TVLine. “We’ve become so divided in our world that the ability to cross that line of politics and just deal with the humanity and the individual person who’s sharing a moment on the planet with you is really relevant.”

Earlier this week, CBS confirmed NCIS: New Orleans will end with its ongoing seventh season. The series is the second NCIS spin-off, following NCIS: Los Angeles, which is now in Season 11. There are also reportedly plans to launch a third spin-off, NCIS: Hawaii. “Sad to end our love affair with this phenomenal city but so grateful for all the friends we made along the way,” Bakula told Deadline. “I will miss the music. Big thank you to CBS for seven years.”

“It has been our sincere pleasure and honor to work on this show and with this incredible cast and crew for over 150 episodes,” executive producers and showrunners Christopher Silber and Jan Nash added. “As disappointed as we are to see NOLA end, we couldn’t be prouder of the work we’ve done and are grateful to the spectacular and resilient Crescent City that embraced us for seven wonderful years.” Both Nash and Silber are working on the Hawaii spin-off.