Has it been worth watching? (no spoilers please)

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Anorak

Project QL Intern
Dec 9, 2016
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I've been avoiding the forum because I've been trying to avoid any spoilers.

I've been a bit busy at work, so after the first two episodes I stopped watching. I've got the others to watch, and I certainly didn't HATE the show, I thought it was.............. okay.

But after the end credits had played out to each, I found the impetus to watch another wasn't there. It was a real "take it or leave it" kind of show, which the original never seemed to be.

Did it get good?
 
Anorak said:
I've been avoiding the forum because I've been trying to avoid any spoilers.

I've been a bit busy at work, so after the first two episodes I stopped watching. I've got the others to watch, and I certainly didn't HATE the show, I thought it was.............. okay.

But after the end credits had played out to each, I found the impetus to watch another wasn't there. It was a real "take it or leave it" kind of show, which the original never seemed to be.

Did it get good?
Click to expand...

It does not have the heart of the original (perhaps it is fair to say “yet”? Will it get there?), but the connection to the original, quite specifically to the original in a certain new character I keep hoping for more from, Ernie Hudson, the hope for recurrence of an important guest. I’ll continue watching and supporting with these hopes in mind.

Of course, I’m a Saints and a Cubs fan, so I’m used to disappointments. ;)
 
It's always worth watching purely for the callbacks to the original and in later episodes it does deliver on numerous occasions.

IMHO it doesn't do enough of it but it still grabs my attention and enough to still keep me watching. The premise for new QL project is explained further in episodes 4-8 and why Ben Is leaping and as a mini-spoiler why he can leap beyond his lifetime.

My issue with it which you will discover if you keep watching is they are running far too many story arcs at once, it's only been 8 episodes and it come across very convulated.

However I still consider it a success with the characters growing into their roles and I hope as we progress through the season more connections to the original and of course the legend who made it all possible Dr Sam Beckett ��
 
I find it helps to define what the original Quantum Leap is.

Original Quantum Leap was a 52 minute walk-a-mile-in-another-person's-shoes adventure starring a multi-doctorate science prodigy partnered with a wise-cracking smart-dressing military man with a map of the world on his face and a heart of gold. It frequently tackled social issues and often placed the Leaper into awkward situations where he needed the guidance of the Observer to understand cultures and experiences unknown to his sheltered upbringing in Indiana. It was grounded in science but never afraid to delve into faith and the supernatural.

Over the course of 97 episodes, the original show spent a grand total of 30 minutes in the future. Most problems were solved through intuition and understanding the human condition, as investigations of the original history rarely provided a clear solution. The show was known for its memorable musical score, iconic screen props (ie. the handlink), and visually distinct special effects that have not been replicated in 30 years despite the availability of modern software and hardware.


New Quantum Leap is a 42 minute military procedural ensemble entangled in an overarching mystery and centered around a time-frustrated love affair between the main characters. The revival show's sprawling Los Angeles facility is cavernous and well-funded, which provides a backdrop to the expanded intrigue of the present day mystery. The interpersonal conflict and teambuilding between the expanded Project Quantum Leap staff receives equal billing to the weekly time plots which are solved more often than not with the data received from the parallel hybrid computer.

In the original show, each leap took us to the deepest darkest point in people's lives, and the solution was rarely as simple to find as a Google search. In the revival show, the various leaps are part of a pattern that fit into a bigger mystery that the main characters are trying to solve. And now we have an adversarial character that, at the time of the Winter break, is perceived to be harmful but may actually be the impetus for the whole show.


If you like shows like the 4400 and Manifest, the new show may have a lot to offer you, even as it is still finding its footing. However if you liked original Quantum Leap because it hewed closely to material like Highway to Heaven or help-one-person-per-week fare like MacGyver, you may experience your own identity crisis watching it.
 
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Excellent post, thank you.

I did find the fact that the leaps were almost incidental to the plot to be a sticking point with getting hooked on the show.

I wasn't put off watching more, but I wasn't put on, either... I could really take or leave it.
 
Was this an eight-episode season in the end btw? I thought I read on here they were going for a full season length at one point?

That was another sticking point for me... the days of 22+ episode seasons seem archaic now.
 
tina_als_girl said:
We've just been on winter hiatus. The show comes back next Monday with episode 9, and we've got a total of 18 eps for the season, so ten more yet to air!
Click to expand...

Ah, thanks!

I reckon I'll try and catch up over the Christmas holidays...
 
There is no single answer to such a question as it depends on the individual's taste.

You, however, should be warned that it DOES not continue the formula of the original but rather updated it to fit this age of advancement and added levels of depth and complication that is iconic of more modern time travel fiction.
This includes a dual focus that follows the project as well as the leaps.

It gives more insight into how the project functions, the leapers motivations, the characters' relationships with the leaper, and how some of them are affected by certain leaps and not just emotionally. In the most recent episode, we see a member of the QL team unwittingly effected by a choice the leaper recently made.

The project plot also includes intriguing and natural feeling tie-ins with the original, most prominently through a couple of particular characters.

Thus far the leaps have been concentrated on the serious side and focus more on the subject matter then the leaper's experience in his roles though he does have quite a few responses that mirror Sam's and as Sam was is a tolerant and non-prejudice character.
Some of the subject matter is sensitive and more openly discussed than people were comfortable with during the time of the original, particularly in the most recent episode
Spoiler Alert! (highlight to read)
which revolved around a transgender teenage girl who was being discriminated against at school.


It's weaving a bit of a convoluted tangled web with all these pieces that are dropped and then sidelined without being fit into place that while a perfect time travel mess, I'm not 100% vibing with but there is intrigue.

Overall, I'd call it more or less Sci-Fi meets NCIS and a slight garnish of 'Time Traveler's Wife'.

I have gathered that a lot of fans of the original are not pleased with this new format but you shouldn't let that make your decision for you. See it for yourself and decide.

I might not be a big fan of all these project elements that are being piled on but overall, I like the show.
 
I have a number of issues with the new show:

- acting. Ben, the new leaper, does not have any charisma. A sad follow up to Sam… Same goes for Addison, ie the wet blanket. I want to love the character of Magic, but same—just not a good actor.

The shows biggest potential strength—the dual plots—that of the leaper, and behind-the-scenes at QL has potential… But there’s just too much extra drama going on at QL, that it takes away from the leaper story.

Finally, I hate the camera angles. It’s like everyone tries to imitate a JJ Abrahams film with spinning, dizzying camera angles. The original QL worked because of story, not it’s dazzling special effects etc.

Also, for some reason I miss the old, low-budget turn to blue effect of the leaps.

I watched these 12 episodes hoping to like it, but it’s honestly really hard to sit through. I found myself fast forwarding the the plot moving pieces focused on Janis…
 
I'm not quite as bummed out about the revival as the poster above but I can certainly see his/her points. I especially agree with ..."there's just too much extra drama going on at QL, that it takes away from the leaper story."
 
sna77 said:
I have a number of issues with the new show:

- acting. Ben, the new leaper, does not have any charisma. A sad follow up to Sam… Same goes for Addison, ie the wet blanket. I want to love the character of Magic, but same—just not a good actor.

The shows biggest potential strength—the dual plots—that of the leaper, and behind-the-scenes at QL has potential… But there’s just too much extra drama going on at QL, that it takes away from the leaper story.

Finally, I hate the camera angles. It’s like everyone tries to imitate a JJ Abrahams film with spinning, dizzying camera angles. The original QL worked because of story, not it’s dazzling special effects etc.

Also, for some reason I miss the old, low-budget turn to blue effect of the leaps.

I watched these 12 episodes hoping to like it, but it’s honestly really hard to sit through. I found myself fast forwarding the the plot moving pieces focused on Janis…
Click to expand...

Agree on all points.

Ben and Addison in the roles of leaper and hologram just do not cut it against the OG which it will indoutably always be compared to.

Take the acting of Scott Bakula as the legend that was/is Sam, he could sing, dance, be physical when required and exude femininity when leaping into a woman, an all rounder, while with Raymond Lee he seems limited compared and yes no real on screen charisma.

The production values of the show have that modern "gloss sheen" to them where you feel as if you are in a studio rather than the real thing and also a small gripe of every scene having background music playing whether there is jeopardy or drama to it or not.

The gap in the scheduling doesnt help either, there have been ONLY 4 episodes in 2023 alone.

I think Janis and Ian are the 2 stand out characters so far.
 
Let me start with something positive:

I think the hearts (but not the minds) of the people involved are in the right place. I trust the intentions of the people making new QL.

However, intention is not execution.

So much about what made OG QL work was the stuff that was fundamental to storytelling. Call backs are not enough, you have understand how to spin a compelling yarn in this format. Quantum Leap at its heart was a human interest drama that deep dived into the issues that the Leapees were facing. Everything was clear, well defined, and inherently difficult to solve. There was action, there was excitement, but everything was character motivated/driven. It had a focus that you rarely find in IP heavy entertainment anymore.

New QL is a show that mostly plays itself as a badly timed/paced, overly energetic action procedural that treats the leaps as surface level soap opera PSAs and solves the leaps as fast as possible with the least resistance because you're dealing with a show that's just 40 minutes long and juggling two separate and often unconnected stories. Scenes are shot as white knuckled blurry close ups that are too close and everyone looks orange (warm) and sweaty and panic stricken like they need to run because they're terrified you're going to get bored.

The part of the show that isn't leaping is a typical modern mystery box that fails because each puzzle piece reveals itself in its own good time and rarely because the characters have earned it and at the same time the new piece neither creates narrative propulsion or makes the picture its making easier to see. The support team wonders around aimlessly, asking too little of an overqualified cast.

None of the man cast are developed, each of them being no more than single word archetypes etc etc etc etc etc.

Could go on but I don't want to be Debbie Downer. An overhaul in season two is needed.
 
Oh, I just realized I never really answered the question of this topic.

YES!!! YES, it has been MORE than worth watching!!! I'm absolutely *loving* this show and I love the characters and I love the mystery. And I'm so happy to see how happy Deborah Pratt is. She's been fighting for this for so long, and I'm so glad she's been a part of this new show every step of the way.
 
Well i'll finally be able to watch this show, because it's supposed to arrives on April to my country.
'till now i couldn't watch it, cause i'm not into pirating TV shows. No matter how much i want to watch it, and i'm not registered to the NBC-Universal streaming service(and not gonna to).
So hopefully on the end of April. i'll be able to start giving my thought on this revival
 
I *loved* the original show, the new one is different, I like it. It is different from the original, its supposed to be the same universe not the same show. I love time travel and a pretty diverse list of genres, themes, types of shows - I give it a B+ versus the solid gold A that is the original series - and it has potential

In a world of reboots we have a sequal series - celebrate ir , support it, and wait to see it tie more and more to the original. I expect Scott at the end of this season or the next one. We shall see if I'm right.

Give it a chance just don't expect a clone, expect a something that is in the same universe and I think you will enjoy it - I am
 
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