Customer Reviews

Quantum Leap

5 star:		(115)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Should have been done years ago. Release each season as a boxed set, include the extras, the out takes, the interviews, the gag reels; ring up Scott Bakula, Dean Stockwell and all those concerned if you have to. They'll go for it. Those of us who loved the show deserve the extras. We sure waited long enough for Quantum Leap to be made available on DVD. I don't know about the rest of the fans of Quantum Leap, but I feel a bit like "Sam" with the way the show going to DVD has been handled. The writers of the show left "Sam" high and dry since the show went off the air and the fans have been left to battle excessive commercials and edits when we are lucky enough to catch it on television. It's way past time...Get it out there!

Uh-oh. Deja-vu all over again. I won't comment too much on the show itself because anyone looking at this is probably considering buying it or they wouldn't be here reading. Quantum Leap was another of my favorite shows next to Northern Exposure. Unfortunately, like Northern Exposure the first season of Quantum Leap was a late season fill-in that only produced 8 episodes the first season. And like Northern Exposure, this DVD set is overpriced. Shame shame. Taking advantage of paying customers, the companies in charge of distribution should reconsider the cost and how much they may be driving good customers away. 5 stars for the show, 1 for the cost= 3 stars average.

"Quantum Leap" is about Dr. Sam Beckett, a genius who has built a time machine. Sam is sent into the past, finding that his mind is inside someone else's body. Each person has had something gone wrong in what is now the future, and Sam's mission is to prevent the tragedy. The only problem is that his memory is "swiss cheese", with lots of holes in it. His coworker, Al, appears to him as a hologram that only he can see and helps him. A series with a deeper message that small interventions can make a difference. An excellent series that shows how one person can change other people's lives.

Here is a brief episode guide:
Pilot: Genesis, September 13, 1956: Sam goes into the accelerator even though it isn't ready yet. He finds himself an Air Force test pilot.
1. Star-Crossed, June 15, 1972: As a literature professor, he must stop a co-ed from attaching herself to him.
2. The Right Hand of God, October 24, 1974: Sam finds himself a boxer working with a group of nuns as his trainers.
3. How the Tess Was Won, August 5, 1956: Sam becomes a veterinarian who becomes involved with a wealthy heiress.
4. Double Identity, November 8, 1965: Sam has to figure out his mission as a Mafia hit man.
5. The Color of Truth, August 8, 1955: Sam is a black chauffeur facing discrimination in the South.
6. Camikazi Kid, June 6, 1961: Sam is a teenager trying to stop his sister's marriage. (guest star: Jason Priestley)
7. Play It Again, Seymour, April 14, 1953: Sam leaps into a private eye trying to find his partner's murderer.

Why isn't this series on DVD yet ?? When you envision all of the money being spent by television studios to release all of the myriad shows currently coming out on DVD, it really makes you wonder who is making the big decisions. There are many thousands of die hard fans of this series who would gladly fork out the cash to get this show on DVD. With the SciFi channels recent (and inexplicable) pulling of the show from its rotation, fans have nowhere to go to see this excellent show.
I for one, miss being able to watch a show that I both learned from and thoroughly enjoyed week after week.
Its a shame that whoever owns the distribution rights to this, one of the best televeision series ever made is unaware of the loyal fan base that exists for it, even this long after the show ended.

One of the most critically-acclaimed and beloved sci-fi dramas of all-time, Quantum Leap (which aired on NBC for 5 seasons from 1989 - 1993) launches anew with the DVD release of its 9 episode first season.

THE STORY

Quantum Physicist, super genius and all-around good old boy, Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula, lately of Star Trek: Enterprise) spear heads a time travel project and "leaps back" in time helping put right small events in people's past that went wrong. Helping out Sam on his leaps is his friend and observer Al (Dean Stockwell) and the projects Super Computer Ziggy. In the meantime Sam continues to leap throughout time helping others always hoping that his next leap will be the leap home.

ABOUT SEASON ONE:

Season One, as is expected, introduces us to the basic premise of the show and all the characters. We meet Sam and experience along with him all the little intricacies and problems time travel and leaping into other people's lives brings (not knowing people's names or where to go or what to do). We also learn a great deal about the characters of Sam Beckett and Al Calavicci.

THE EPISODES AND DISCS

Here are the 9 episodes of Season One.

Disc 1

Episode 1: "Genesis" - Jump starting the project without approval, Sam leaps into the Quantum Accelerator and wakes up as someone else, not remembering who or what he is and finds out that he's an Air Force test pilot trying to break Mach 3 - and he doesn't know how to fly!!!

Episode 2: "Star-Crossed" - Sam leaps into a literature professor and has to juggle an affair the Prof is having with an obsessed student, her jealous wrestler boyfriend AND an opportunity to have an influence on the brilliant young physics major who would one day leave Sam waiting at the altar.

Disc 2

Episode 3: "The Right Hand of God" - Sam leaps into a young boxer who's scheduled to fight for the State Heavyweight championship and an opportunity to win prize money to help a group of nuns build a church as well as start up a donut shop for the boxer and his girlfriend.

Episode 4: "How The Tess Was Won" - Sam leaps into a Texas veterinarian and must "out cowboy" a strong-headed woman who will only marry a man who can best her.

Episode 5: "Double Identity" - Sam leaps into a Mafia hit-man who's having an affair with the Don's girlfriend. Oh boy...

Disc 3

Episode 6: "The Color of Truth" - Sam leaps into a Black chauffeur in the Deep South BEFORE the Civil Rights movement starts and must deal with the prejudice of the townsfolk as Sam does some "illegal" activities only meant for White people.

Episode 7: "Camikazi Kid" - Sam leaps into a teenage hot rod racer in the 50's who must convince his sister to NOT marry her boyfriend who's destined to grow up into an abusive alcoholic.

Episode 8: "Play It Again Seymour" - Sam leaps into a gumshoe detective (who looks an awful lot like Humphrey Bogart) and must solve a murder mystery before times up especially since in the original history HIS character winds up as a victim. Tons of Casablanca and gumshoe jokes abound.

THE EXTRAS

1. Each Episode contains a brief introduction by series star Scott Bakula detailing some unique fact about the episode. You can choose to turn intros "on" or "off."

2. "A Kiss With History: Remembering Quantum Leap" - located on Disc 1 is a 20-minute featurette featuring commentary by series' leads Scott Bakula, Dean Stockwell and producer Donald Bellisario discussing how the show came about and going over some of the events of Season One.

THE VERDICT

For 5 seasons fans everywhere thrilled week in and week out as Sam leaped through time helping people put events in there lives that went wrong right. With a thrilling combination of action, suspense, adventure, a little romance and a TON of moral self-checks (and tackling some sticky issues) "Quantum Leap" grew into a favorite with a strong fan-base of Loyal Leapers. Take a Leap into the Quantum Accelerator and go along with Sam for a ride through time and reminisce (or find out for the first time) what all the excitements about.

Highest Recommendation

Let me make myself perfectly clear here. This show is by far THE BEST science fiction TV show to ever deal with time travel. It works where so many other TV shows and movies fail because you actually feel like Sam Beckett has travelled back in time in each episode. Most entertainments use revisionist history to try to apply today's views on the past..and think that by playing an oldie on the jukebox they can get away with smoothing over racial relations and having people in the 60's wearing clothing from the 90's and today's hairstyles. The producers of this show paid attention to the details and had the characters use the vernacular of the time period, dress the way they did in each era, and were very good about not mixing decades. Like that other short-lived NBC show "Freaks and Geeks" you actually felt like you were looking back in time...it felt authentic. Most shows and movies get it wrong. Now for my gripe...I think it was a mis-step by the people who put this DVD together to have you sit through actor commentary about the episode before you watch the episode. I like hearing behind-the-scenes details myself...but prefer the option of choosing to watch it AFTER I've seen the episode. For those who haven't seen each episode and aren't a bonafide "Leaper", these spoilers can make you not want to sit through the episode. That's why I give the DVD a 4 instead of a 5. Commentary is good when given an option to view it...but by placing the commentary before each episode instead of giving the viewer the option to view it later, I believe was a mistake.

The first season DVD of Quantum Leap, starring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell, is available now, and it was well worth the wait! Everyone who enjoyed the series in 1989 must add this to their collection. I've watched QL numerous times over the years, but the digital clarity of these disks reveals details I never noticed before. It was like watching them for the first time.

If you've never seen Quantum Leap, or have seen it only in reruns, these disks offer the opportunity to experience the first season as it aired originally, with opening and closing credits intact. Also, scenes often deleted to make room for commercials have been restored.

In a Bonus feature, Scott, Dean, and creator Donald Bellisario reminisce individually about the series, but the interviews are edited together so cleverly it's as if they were together. The comments of each man elaborate on the others until complete incidents unfold--the auditions, the casting of Scott and Dean, and other tidbits that enhance the viewer's enjoyment of the episodes. Each episode is also preceded by an Episode Insight, a background bit from Scott Bakula that highlights some specific point about that episode.

An added treat for some younger viewers might be the appearance of a pre-90210 Jason Priestley, who is featured in the episode The Camikazi Kid.

My only complaint is that the DVD left me wanting more--more and longer interviews, more Episode Insights, maybe ever a Blooper disk. These suggestions should be considered for the remaining season releases.

On that note, I fervently hope Seasons 2-5 are released as soon as humanly possible, without sacrificing time for the creation of more Bonus materials.

Bravo to Don Bellisario, Scott Bakula, Dean Stockwell, and everyone else involved with the show and with the production of these DVDs!

Man, I've been waiting for ages to get Quantum Leap on DVD. Now, when loads of TV shows are coming to DVD, Universal finally wises up to the potential dollars and gives us what we want.

I loved Quantum Leap, it was my fave show when I was a kid. Every Tuesday on BBC2 at 9pm, that was my fave time of week. I never cared much for the X-Files or any other Sci-Fi show coz Quantum Leap was the best. Is there anyone out there who didn't cry at the end of the (alarmingly downbeat) last episode?

This box set includes the first nine episodes (that's a whole season by the way). The episodes are...

1 and 2. Genesis-September 13, 1956-Sam's first leaps into an Air Force test pilot and a baseball player. The emotional ending alone is probably what sold the show.

3. Star-Crossed-June 15, 1972-Sam leaps into a sugar-daddy college professor and meets his future wife as a student. This episode is particularly annoying thanks to the casting of an overweight 40-something as a teenager.

4. The Right Hand of God-October 24, 1974-Sam leaps into a boxer fighting for prize-money to fund the building of a new church.

5. How the Tess Was Won-August 5, 1956-Sam becomes a vet who tries to marry a pretty cowgirl.

6. Double Identity-November 8, 1965-Sam leaps into a Mafia hitman and a mafia Don, while trying to avoid a contract on his head.

7. The Color of Truth-August 8, 1955-Sam leaps into the body of a black private driver who kicks of the civil rights movement in the deep south.

8. Camikazi Kid-June 6, 1961-Sam leaps into a boy racer who must stop his big sister from marrying a wife beating drunk.

9. Play It Again, Seymour-April 14, 1953-Sam becomes a private eye who is involved in a murder/betrayal plot.

The shows are presented in 1.33:1 full frame, as originally shot. The prints are fine looking with nice color detail and little in the way of dirt or scratches. The sound is plain old Dolby Stereo but is still more than adequate considering the show's simple sound design. Extras are made up of a couple of featurettes and Scott Bakula/Dean Stockwell introductions to each individual episode.

With Season 2 out already it appears that Universal know there is still money to be made from Quantum Leap so one hopes the remaining box sets won't be too far behind. Also, there is talk of a TV movie coming out on the Sci-Fi Channel this year with Bakula/Stockwell returning as Sam Beckett and Al.

Despite its short run (March 1989 - May 1993), Quantum Leap is nevertheless one of the more memorable dramatic series in television history. Although the show borrows from a concept employed in other realms, such as Highway To Heaven (with its theme of a mysterious force interceding to transform a single life), it adds a unique twist by utilizing elements of science fiction. Created by Donald P. Bellisario (creator of Magnum, P.I., JAG, and countless other hit shows), Quantum Leap developed a loyal cult following, making its short network run all the more difficult to understand...

Quantum Leap stars Scott Bakula as Dr. Samuel "Sam" Beckett, a cutting-edge experimental researcher in the field of physics. Developing a theory that an individual can travel throughout the span of his life, Beckett builds the Quantum Leap Accelerator and uses himself as the test subject. But rather than traveling within his own lifetime, Beckett finds himself mysteriously transported into the lives of various individuals, each of whom faces a problem Beckett must rectify (thus changing history for the better). When he does, he can make his next "quantum leap" (which he hopes will restore him to his pre-experiment self). Aiding Beckett on his various missions is Rear Admiral Albert "Al" Calavicci (Dean Stockwell), one of the quantum leap experiment observers who periodically appears as a hologram in order to communicate with Beckett. With each new episode, Beckett finds himself in a new body, facing new circumstances, with a new mission he must decipher and complete if he ever hopes to return home...

The Quantum Leap (Season 1) DVD features a number of action-packed episodes including the series premiere "Genesis" in which the audience first learns of Project Quantum Leap (PQL) and witnesses Dr. Beckett's leap into the particle accelerator. Beckett is transported into the body of an Air Force test pilot and a minor league baseball player, learning from Al's hologram what he must do with each man's life. The episode ends with Beckett transported into the body of a school teacher right in the middle of class... Other notable episodes from Season 1 include "Star-Crossed" in which Sam prevents a college co-ed from ruining her life while giving her professor a second chance at making his marriage work, and "The Color of Truth" in which Sam is transported into the life of a black chauffeur in 1955, where he faces the virulent affects of discrimination and racism...

Below is a list of episodes included on the Quantum Leap (Season 1) DVD:

Episode 1 (Genesis: Part 1 - September 13, 1956)

Episode 2 (Genesis: Part 2 - September 13, 1956)

Episode 3 (Star-Crossed - June 15, 1972)

Episode 4 (The Right Hand of God - October 24, 1974)

Episode 5 (How the Tess was Won - August 5, 1956)

Episode 6 (Double Identity - November 8, 1965)

Episode 7 (The Color of Truth - August 8, 1955)

Episode 8 (Kamikazi Kid - June 6, 1961)

Episode 9 (Play It Again Seymour - April 14, 1953)

The DVD Report

Ladies and Gentlemen, take my advice... go to amazon.co.uk and order the British releases of these DVDs, if you have a player that will support them. They use the ORIGINAL music, not the stuff on the DVDs released in the U.S. Also, if you do the conversion, they cost the same if not less even with shipping. Please also do not order the British complete package, as you cannot play the final episode, according to several posters. Get each season separately. It adds up to about the same. I live in VA and it was only 12 GBP to ship all five seasons. Well worth it, if you want the series the way it was intended. My two cents...