TV Show Review: Quantum Leap - Season 1

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Promising beginning in 8 episodes

Cons: Price of the set if not on sale

The Bottom Line:

Time travel series

Starts here in a short season

Get ready to leap

Leap in Here

Ah, the wonders of DVD. I've never been a huge follower of Quantum Leap, but I caught a few of the reruns over the years and really did enjoy what I saw. So when I saw a sale on the first season, I snagged it. Even from the eight episodes present here, it is quite easy to see why this show has so many loyal fans.

Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) is trying to form the basis of time travel. With his funding about to be pulled, he decided to prove his theory worked by running the experiment on himself. The results went a little caca. Now, he is trapped in time leaping from one body to the next. The only way he can leap out of a body is to figure out what went wrong in their life and somehow fix it. His only connection to his time is Al (Dean Stockwell), a hologram that only Sam can see and hear. Unfortunately, Al isn't always the help Sam needs, and Sam is then struggling to figure things out on his own.

The beauty of the series is the variety. In the two part pilot, for example, Sam is a test pilot and a baseball player. Other episodes find him as a professor, hit man, and boxer in years ranging from the 50's to the 70's.

Also fun is watching for the brief references to real history. They are often secondary to the plot of the show, but I enjoyed seeing what real event Sam accidentally helped create. I think my favorite was the reference to Watergate.

In my mind, two episodes truly stand out in this set. The first is "The Color of Truth." In it, Sam accidentally creates a stir when he sits at the white counter. See, Sam doesn't realize it yet, but he's leaped into a black man. This episode manages to deal honestly with race relations in the pre Civil Rights era without resorting once to preaching.

In a complete different vein is "Play it Again, Seymour." This time, Sam is a PI trying to figure out who murdered his partner. It's got a delightful tongue in cheek mood. Plus it guests stars Claudia Christian, my favorite actress from my favorite TV show, Babylon 5.

Speaking of guest stars, keep your eyes peeled for two before they were famous stars. Teri Hatcher and Jason Priestly both show up in this set. They, and all the guest stars, do a great job. Plus our two leads are fantastic right from the start.

Like most shows, this one was still finding its groove here, and the storylines and characters don't have quite the polish the later seasons would have. For example, the show's catch phrase "Oh Boy!" doesn't show up in the first few episodes. Still, we get some highly entertaining stories here.

Because Quantum Leap was a mid season replacement show, only 8 episodes were produced for the abbreviated first season. And that creates the only con for this set. Considering we are only getting nine hours on three discs, it is downright pricey. In fact, the full length seasons usually go for only five dollars more then this set. That's one reason I waited until I could get it on sale before I bought it.

Price aside, this set will please fans of the series. The full frame picture and mono sound are well preserved. Some of the stock footage looks a little worse for wear, but most of it looks great. Each episode starts with a very brief intro by series star Scott Bakula where he tells some story related to making that episode. Finally, the first disc includes a featurette containing new interviews with Scott, Dean Stockwell, and series creator Donald Bellesario about the creation of the series.

It may have been a short season, but there is still plenty here to entertain fans. You may want to wait for a good sale, but if you are even remotely a fan of the show, you'll find the first season of Quantum Leap well worth watching.

Season 1 Episodes:

1. Genesis Parts 1 & 2

2. Star Crossed

3. The Right Hand of God

4. How the Tess was Won

5. Double Identity

6. The Color of Truth

7. Camikazi Kid

8. Play it Again Seymour