One aspect that separates the new incarnation of Quantum Leap (premiering tonight 9/19 at 10PM ET/PT on NBC) with its predecessor is the notion that the hologram helping Dr. Ben Song (Raymond Lee) is actually his fiancee Addison (Caitlin Bassett) – but thanks to the “swiss cheese brain” effect left by the Quantum Leap accelerator, Ben does not remember that.
Showrunner Martin Gero addressed this part of the story last week during a NBC Press Day as part of the Television Critics Association press tour. Gero describes the leaps as “the fun of the show” and the serialized aspect is “just a glorious, delicious icing on the cake.” The rest of what he had to say might be considered spoilery, so only read on if you truly want to know!
First: Yes, “why Ben left” is a big question the first season will answer… but secondly, Martin Gero promises that “Ray will slowly get his will get his memory back pretty quickly as far as it comes to at least remembering [Addison].”
“He will remember that he’s in love with Addison pretty quick, because we didn’t want to stretch that out too much. Honestly, that’s information the audience has, so we want to get that information to Ben pretty fast, and I think it’s done in a really clean way. From that point on, the relationship gets way more complex. It’s like the longd istance relationship from Hell. They’re separated by time and space… not just onto separate coasts with a bad time difference. This is a huge time difference,” he adds.
“That type of story is actually incredibly touching and very emotional and, like, occasionally very sexy, if I do say so myself. It’s just like there’s a heat between these two characters that is undeniable, and it’s a big part of why I think this version of the show works,” he continues.
Quantum Leap returns tonight (September 19) on NBC. Read some more of KSiteTV’s coverage of the show, including a review of the series premiere!
