Scott makes quantum leap to the Big Easy…
IF you were a teenager in the late ’80s, then Scott Bakula ( pictured) was as much a demi god with
Quantum Leap as gadget guy MacGyver or David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight ( Knight Rider).
In a nutshell they were, ahem, the A-team of the small screen.
While some went on to flourish in other shows à la The Hoff, success didn’t come as easily to others.
But over the years, Bakula has meandered his way into an array of mediocre movies and the semi-popular comedy drama, Men of a Certain Age.
That’s why NCIS: New Orleans is a big deal for the sexagenarian actor. It marks a huge turning point in his largely slumped career.
Aside from looking like Mark Harmon’s ( NCIS) twin – he slots into his role with astonishing ease.
While he is very much a take-charge character akin to Leroy Jethro Gibbs ( NCIS), he also harnesses that nurturing side of Hetty Lange ( NCIS:
LA). That said, he has his own idiosyncrasy – he cooks and he has a more relaxed demeanour than his counterparts.
He also has a team that, to some extent, mirror the relationship shared between Anthony and Ziva or Deeks and Kensi, for that matter.
On the introduction of this instalment, Bakula shared: “We are just getting started in terms of what the show could be, what the characters are going to be and we are still kind of riding high on crossovers in the episodes with Mark Harmon and Michael Weatherly coming down – and a bunch of great guest help from the mother ship. But we are making it our own and that’s really exciting to move forward and see what we can carve.”
Shedding light on his character, he offered: “This guy can be so many different things. He’s flawed. Somebody who is as passionate as he is is going to make mistakes because you are letting your heart run things sometimes. And that can get you into trouble.”
As for the setting of this series, Bakula offered: “First of all, the city is known around the planet and has an appeal. I don’t think everybody understands what that appeal is, but there’s just something about New Orleans; whether it is Mardi Gras, whether it’s the food, whether it’s the music. It could be in any order – but there’s a certain mystique about it.”
In the same way that critics were a bit sceptical when CSI decided to sign on Ted Danson to steer the ship, I’m sure there were some muted suspicions when news of Bakula made headlines.
Like Danson, though, Bakula takes up the baton with commendable conviction.
This may be foreign territory – genre-wise – for him. But he is fast gaining command of his new domain.
NCIS: New Orleans airs on M-Net from Thursday, April 2 at 9.30pm.