Leap to conclusion: NBC cancels ‘Quantum Leap’
Leap to conclusion: Here’s some news that will have “Quantum Leap” fans saying, “Oh boy,” but not in a good way: after just two seasons, NBC’s revival of the ‘90s series has been canceled.
More of a follow-up than a reboot of the original series, the new iteration starred Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Song, a physicist who restarts the top-secret project pioneered by Scott Bakula’s Dr. Sam Beckett in the original series. Like the ‘90s series, the new “Quantum Leap” followed Ben as he leaped into different peoples’ lives, “striving to put right what once went wrong, and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home” (as stated in each show’s intro).
If you’ve watched the original series, you know that Beckett — or Becket, as it was (mis)spelled in the 1993 finale’s title card — never returned home, and he didn’t make a cameo in NBC’s revival, either, so his fate remains a mystery. That’s not entirely the case for Ben and Addison Augustine (Caitlin Bassett), who were unexpectedly reunited in Season 2, which, in hindsight, provided a satisfying open ending to their story.
It wasn’t exactly a secret that the series had been on the bubble all season, as pointed out by Deadline, which first broke the news of the cancellation. In an earlier interview with the trade publication, co-showrunners Martin
Gero and Dean Georgaris acknowledged that reality. Georgaris also explained his approach to Season 2: “When we got the early renewal for Season 2 [in December 2022], we knew we were not going to end it on a cliffhanger. … So if it feels like a completion for audiences, that’s wonderful. It is a completion of part of the journey, but
I think for us, it serves as the launch for the rest of the journey.”
Universal TV president Erin Underhill chimed in, adding, “The way that they wrapped that up is it could be a satisfying ending but they also could continue on,” while noting that a decision on the show’s fate was, at the time, still pending.
Once the cancellation was announced, Lee took to Instagram to thank fans for their support, writing: “We’re so proud of the show we made and more proud of the stories we got to tell. And selfishly for me, I got to make some really awesome friends along the way. If and when another group gets a hold of the accelerator and its capabilities, may they find us floating in time, still striving to put right what once went wrong.”
’Rules’ to
‘Love’: When “Love Island USA” returns this summer, it will feature a different host than former “Modern Family” star Sarah Hyland, who is exiting the show after two seasons.
Instead, fans of reality TV may recognize Hyland’s replacement for Season 6: “Vanderpump Rules” star Ariana Madix.
The series, which is based on a British dating show, follows a group of singles whose search for love brings them to a tropical villa, where these islanders must participate in challenges while navigating surprises and bombshells, with the winning couple potentially winning $100,000.
Madix is somewhat of a superfan of the original “Love Island,” a fact that came to light in “Vanderpump Rules” Season 10 when her now-ex, Tom Sandoval, pointedly commented on her preference for staying in and watching the show together. She also made a cameo in Season 5 of “Love Island,” when she popped up to host a round of her “favorite-ever ‘Love Island’ game”: “Mr. and Mrs.”
One year after the “Scandoval” breakup controversy, Madix has moved on, competing on “Dancing With the Stars” and debuting on Broadway. And now, Madix is set to enter the villa and take over the hosting duties for “Love Island USA” — or as she put it in a video shared on Instagram: “I am trading rhinestone buckles for bikinis. I can’t wait to stir up trouble in paradise.”
As for Hyland, the actress explained that her exit was due to her commitment “to an exciting project that will be announced soon that conflicts directly with the shooting dates for ‘Love Island USA.’”