In about five or six years, when Big Bang has reached it’s end, I intend to snap up Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons and revive Quantum Leap. I need some good ideas for scripts. So far I’ve decided on:
The 20th hijacker in his prison cell on 9/9/2001.
A ferverent anti-abortionist who has been raped and is now pregnant and doesn’t know what to do.
Give me some more ideas please.
I’m completely in favor of this plan, but have nothing useful to contribute at the moment.
Actually, I think this might make a good three-parter in the the vein of “Trilogy.” In the first part, he leaps into the anti-abortionist, the progeny in the second, and the rapist in the third, to be confronted by the progeny.
Jump in to someone in CB “Sully” Sullenger’s US Air Force unit - who has to convince Sullenger to stay in aviation.
“Sully” was the one who safely landed the airplane in the Hudson River, saving 155 lives - back in January.
One of the Shuttle Columbia astronauts who knows what that little bump at liftoff really means.
In Dean Stockwell’s role? I don’t see it. You know who’d be good? Dean Stockwell. Or Jewel Staite.
A friend of Matt Groening in the early 1970’s, who has to convince him to take up cartooning instead of “serious art.”
ETA: I could so see Jim Parsons as a helpful hologram. I’m taking Jim Parsons here, not Sheldon Cooper.
Scott Bakula
I actually thought about him. But I think a new QL really has the potential to get nice and dark (as per the OP), and Bakula chews too much scenery to do it properly. Stockwell’s character on Battlestar was perfect for this. Hell - Stockwell in the role of Sam would be great too! It’d bring up some excellent underlying themes of an aging individual with literally a new lease on life.
Oooh good one! He could try to convince the Star Trek writers to lay off the time travel. It would be great to start off with an epic fail.
Actually, I was thinking of Scott Bakula leaping into the Nexus to try and sabotage the …
<running like hell>
Funny you should bring this up. I came to QL late in its run. A while back I started at the beginning with Netflix and have been working my way through gradually. Just last night I watched the Season 5 (I think) opener where he leaped into Lee Harvey Oswald. I had seen this ep when it ran originally, but had forgotten the kicker at the end. The leap wasn’t 100% complete and Lee kept leaking through over Sam. At the crucial moment Lee was in control, and just as the trigger was about to be pulled, Sam leaped into one of the SS agents. This was the agent who jumped on the car and pushed down Jackie. At the very end of the ep, Sam’s wondering what good the leap did if Kennedy was assassinated anyway. Al reminds him that, in the original timeline, Jackie had been killed as well – Sam had saved her.
So … not every scenario has to have Sam setting things right so that they turn out the way we know them, ya know? So, if we’re going for famous incidents, perhaps “our real timeline” according to the show has Flight 93 successfully hitting its target in Washington. (Was it the White House they were aiming for? I forget.) Sam leaps into one of the passengers who attacks the pilots so they crash in the middle of a field.
For me, the best eps was not were he leaped into someone famous, but into ordinary folks. Sam as a Mommy, with the little girl who could see Al, for example. Sam as the Downs Syndrome man who lived with his brother. He got more and more accident prone as he faced the scorn of those around him.
I love Quantum Leap. I just don’t know if I could love anyone besides Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell.
StG
Janet Jackson just before halftime of Super Bowl XXXVIII.
The episodes I really enjoyed were the ones where he went into “ordinary” people, but still tied into big issues - like civil or equal rights.
How about leaping into Matthew Sheppard? Or Brandon Teena (Boys Don’t Cry)? Or someone in a similar position, if you don’t want to use their names? Ryan White?
A setting I’d love to see would be Sam jumping into a reality show contestant. Or a FOX exec…
Sam (I’m imagining a Quantum Leap: The Next Generation type situation here)-- or the evil leaper.
Whatever you do, make sure that the problems with Ziggy continue-- I loved that aspect.
I recently saw that episode, and I have to ask what was the significance of saving Jackie Kennedy. Neither of her children has done anything historical. The only plausible theory is that one of Caroline’s three children is destined for greatness.
I think Quantum Leap was best when it was about small stories of making things right. However, it could have used a little focus on an underlying mythology (which it tried to do way too late).
I think any remake should be Sam jumping around and trying to figure out some conspiracy, where he actually winds up creating the conspiracy (forgive me, Lost is fresh in my mind).
But with some non-mythology suggestions (some might have been used):
Caroline was already born. Why couldn’t they still be great?
Well, I didn’t say saving Jackie was significant. It was just an interesting twist. 
Besides, none of the ordinary people Sam saved from death were significant … saving them was the goal.
And, since Caroline already existed, saving Jackie wouldn’t have affected the family tree.
I agree that the leaps into famous people (or into people associated with famous people) weren’t any more interesting than the “ordinary” leaps. And I think a lot of the civil rights shows were good, but there was a point in my viewing of previous seasons where I just skipped over shows that yet again showed Southerners as mean, bigoted ignoramuses. As much as I like QL, I have to say it never met a stereotype it didn’t like.