‘80s Sci-Fi Hit Finds New Home On Streaming Giant

TV reboots are a natural part of the industry, and they are unlikely to ever fully go away. Classic shows that aired in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s have all cemented a place in Hollywood history, and they continue to influence productions today. Naturally, as studios search for proven hits, they will look to reboot those classic shows that still have audiences today.

The recent years have seen several ’80s shows earn reboots and revivals in the modern day. MacGyver, for instance, first premiered in 1985 and eventually earned a five-season reboot in 2015. Magnum, P.I. premiered in 1980 and was rebooted in 2018 for another five-season run.

Even animated shows have been brought back to life, including DuckTales, ThunderCats, and Voltron. Fuller House came back to life as a full revival of Full House, and The Conners and Roseanne served as sequels to 1988’s Roseanne. With revivals still seeing success today, one underrated ’80s revival is now moving to a new streaming platform.

Quantum Leap Found A New Streaming Home

The recent revival, Quantum Leap, is coming to Netflix this month. Based on the original 1989 show, which ran for five seasons and 97 episodes, the sequel series began in 2022. It starred Raymond Lee as Ben Song, a physicist who is thrown into the past and forced to desperately try to find a way home.

The sci-fi series ran for two seasons from 2022 to 2024, before NBC declined to renew the show. It earned a positive reception from audiences, which led to a 72% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes, though it disappointed critics. Even so, the show generally received praise for Lee’s emotional portrayal and for the thrilling action sequences.

While it was previously available on Peacock, the show is no longer accessible through any streaming platform. Fortunately, Netflix announced that both seasons of the show will available on Netflix as of August 14. Any user with a subscription will finally be able to watch the entire show in full.

What This Means For Quantum Leap And Netflix

Ben Song smiling on Quantum Leap season 2, episode 12.

Peacock is not nearly as widely used as Netflix is, so Quantum Leap will now reach a truly massive audience. Potential viewers who enjoy binge-watching shows can easily push through a two-season series, and they could recommend it to other Netflix subscribers. Positive word-of-mouth is essential for streaming shows, and past performance indicates that Quantum Leap will have it.

Netflix has been known to renew shows for follow-up seasons even after their cancelations, if they become successful enough on its platform. Should the show receive high enough viewership, it could very well be revived yet again, though it is not guaranteed. Quantum Leap is getting a second chance, but that will depend on its viewers going forward.

Quantum Leap

6/10

Release Date: 2022 – 2024
Showrunner: Martin Gero
Directors: Chris Grismer, Pamela Romanowsky, Deborah Pratt, Jude Weng, Avi Youabian, Kristin Windell, David Grossman, David McWhirter, Helen Shaver, Joe Menendez, John Terlesky, Linda Mendoza, M.J. Bassett, Rachel Talalay, Silas Howard, Tessa Blake, Thor Freudenthal, Marcus Stokes, Tamika Miller
Writers: Steven Lilien, Bryan Wynbrandt