Ahead of its return to our screens tonight, star of the original Quantum Leap series, Scott Bakula, has taken to Twitter to tell his fans that he won’t be appearing in the reboot despite the fact that the whole concept of a Quantum Leap return is based on his character, Sam Beckett.

When the reboot series was announced (here), it was believed that Bakula would appear in it and he himself said as much before the wheels started turning (here) but then, once the series was given the full order, it turned out that Bakula was no longer involved (here), much to the surprise of everyone.

Star Ernie Hudson sad recently that the door was open to Bakula returning, should he want to.

However, Bakula has taken to the socials to put the record straight: “To Quantum Leap fans around the world,” he writes.

“In an effort to quiet the rumors and move on… First of all, thanks for hanging around through the decades! Here’s the simple version of what’s going on with the Quantum Leap reboot and me.

“I have no connection with the new show, either in front of the camera or behind it.

“In January, the pilot was sold and a script was sent to me because the character of Sam Beckett was in it, which makes sense, right? As so many of you have been asking me the last several months, “How could you do QL without Sam?”(or Al, for that matter) Well, I guess we’re about to find out.

“That’s the story.

That time Sam almost leapt into Magnum P.I.

“As the show has always been near and dear to my heart, it was a very difficult decision to pass on the project, a decision that has upset and confused so many fans of the original series. However, the idea of anyone ‘leaping’ around in time and walking a mile in someone else’s shoes, remains a very appealing concept and so worthy of exploration, especially given the current state of mankind.

“In that spirit, I am crossing my fingers that this new cast and crew are lucky enough to tap into the magic that propelled the original Quantum Leap into the hearts and minds of generations past and present. I wish them good luck and happy leaping!”

Obviously there was a lot going on behind-the-scenes that we don’t know about – we still have no idea why exactly Bakula said no, it could be money, artistic differences, a million other reasons that we aren’t privy to but the one thing we do know is that, for now at least, Bakula isn’t involved in the new series.

When the show was announced, the synopsis directly mentioned Sam Beckett and how his disappearance was the kickstart behind the new Project Quantum Leap:

It’s been 30 years since Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished.

Now a new team has been assembled to restart the project in the hopes of understanding the mysteries behind the machine and the man who created it.

It’s going to be weird knowing that Sam and Al, the late Dean Stockwell, will not be involved in Quantum Leap and, honestly, it’s counting against it in my opinion but I’ll be watching tonight and hoping it has at least some of the magic that the original series had. But I’m not terribly optimistic at this stage.

Thoughts? Let me hear them…

(1/5) To Quantum Leap fans around the world, in an effort to quiet the rumors and move on…
First of all, thanks for hanging around through the decades!
Here’s the simple version of what’s going on with the Quantum Leap reboot and me: pic.twitter.com/IY04yl6ReU

— Scott Bakula (@ScottBakula) September 15, 2022