Stream here, or search Fate’s Wide Wheel on your favorite pod catcher
In lieu of a fresh episode this week (hey, even we need a break sometimes), we’re bringing you our 30th-anniversary retrospective episode from 2019 on the eve of the 33rd anniversary of our favorite show. There may or may not be some comments about what we’d think of a potential reboot and/or sequel. Plus, lots of looking back at our favorite episodes and moments and more!
Raymond Lee, Nostalgia, and our Big Secret – Stream Our New Episode Here
Leapers!
We’re late with our blog post this week – blame Dennis. Since we recorded and dropped our episode Tuesday talking about the casting of Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Seong, we learned later Tuesday that Ernie Hudson has been cast as Herbert “Magic” Williams. Then Wednesday, news break with the rest of the main cast.
We’re excited about all of this, but we’re particularly intrigued by the casting of Caitlin Bassett. This is will mark her television debut. She is former military. After leaving the armed forces, she studied at the Stella Adler Conservatory and was later selected for the ABC Discovers Talent Showcase.
Like we said, this week’s episode almost feels like old news, but take a listen as we talk about what we know about Raymond Lee, talk about the pros and cons of nostalgia for the old series, reveal our big “secret” (you probably already figured it out), and make some fun “fan wank” guesses.
Dennis is very excited about our new Revisited series
Hello, listeners, observers, leapers!
Welcome to Quantum Leap: Revisited with Fate’s Wide Wheel – our capsule-sized reviews of the classic series. Our mission is to rank the show on a scale of 1-10 based on five different categories – writing, directing, acting, production values, and mythology. Each category is weighted based on importance – writing, directing, and acting are each worth 25% of the average, production values are 15%, and mythology just 10%. Our original reviews sought to stimulate discussion, contextualize the episode based on when it was set, when it aired, and when our discussion took place. Of course, we also provided background information and our personal opinions of each episode. That, and a whole lot more. We’re proud of those reviews and they will continue to be available for listeners in our archive. Meanwhile, we wanted the opportunity to revisit the episodes with only our opinion of the categories above – giving listeners a compact rating of each episode of the classic series in the lead-up to the premiere of the new series in the Fall of 2022. Have our opinions changed? For the better? For worse? Will this new rubric yield results that surprise even us? Step into the accelerator and find out as Fate’s Wide Wheel revisits Quantum Leap – one leap at a time in 30 minutes or less.
We’re setting aside the start of our promised capsule reviews of the series (*ahem* classic series) to take a moment to talk about diversity.
Diversity.
We’ve heard that word come a lot on Quantum Leap forums the last few weeks as the casting call for the series was released, and that release was confirmed to be genuine. Some fans of the classic series are already saying what’s to come is “too woke”. This past week, our co-host, Sam, got into a civil debate with a fellow fan on Twitter after posting an essay on the matter.
Have a listen, and we’ll be back with our promised capsule reviews next week.
Listen here, or stream on your favorite pod catcher
We’re setting aside the start of our promised capsule reviews of the series (*ahem* classic series) to take a moment to talk about diversity.
Diversity.
We’ve heard that word come a lot on Quantum Leap forums the last few weeks as the casting call for the series was released, and that release was confirmed to be genuine. Some fans of the classic series are already saying what’s to come is “too woke”. This past week, our co-host, Sam, got into a civil debate with a fellow fan on Twitter after posting an essay on the matter.
Have a listen, and we’ll be back with our promised capsule reviews next week.
Sam’s Essay:
I’m often curious when I read comments such as these. I wonder where it’s coming from. Why is there an issue with a notion of diversity and representation? Why do those that make these comments tend to fall back on the rhetoric of “as long as it’s good, I won’t care”? If that were truly the case, would the view be held to begin with? Wouldn’t they simply wait until the show premieres and then rail against the perceived quality of the program? Or is there something deeper at play?
Is there some sort of inherent threat in the diversity of a casting notice? Could it be that a creator’s intent to share a non-normative roster of characters impedes on some deeply rooted belief that the world must look like the beholder? And if so, where does that leave the youngster of Middle Eastern descent that’s only seen people that look like them portray terrorists or racially insensitive caricatures? What a privilege people that look like me have had to see their heroes share the outward – and in most cases inward – characteristics of myself. But wouldn’t be better for all of us if we saw a broader tapestry of stories and characters out there? Wouldn’t we all find something special in that diversity? Wouldn’t the privileged be able to do away with prejudices influenced by decades of stereotyping? Wouldn’t the marginalized be able to sit up a little straighter in seeing their heroes look like them? Wouldn’t their confidence grow knowing that society doesn’t only see them as the bad guy or the third person from the left? And wouldn’t the privileged be more accepting of those that were different from them knowing that they had much more to offer than being a bad guy or background noise? Wouldn’t we find a more harmonious balance of cultures and viewpoints in knowing that a world such as the one envisioned by this simple casting notice implies?
We’re back this week to discuss more of what we know about the new Quantum Leap pilot, including the recent announcement that Helen Shaver will serve as both the pilot director and Executive Producer. We also have some more inside details thanks to our source – who we are lovingly calling ‘The Observer’ – at NBC:
Details on Ziggy and the Handlink
How they’re going to address Al’s absence in light of Dean Stockwell’s passing
More hints on how the producers hope to incorporate Sam Beckett and other original characters into the new mythology
Then, of course, Sam & Dennis make with some serious “fan-wank” with some speculation with the tidbits we do have. Along the way, we talk about the Handlink as the original smart phone, the 80s/90s TV trope of sassy AI computers, and a lamentation of how it only took four years after its cancellation for Knight Rider to get a reboot attempt.
Listen to the episode here, or search for “Fate’s Wide Wheel” in your favorite pod catcher
We’re back this week to discuss more of what we know about the new Quantum Leap pilot, including the recent announcement that Helen Shaver will serve as both the pilot director and Executive Producer. We also have some more inside details thanks to our source – who we are lovingly calling ‘The Observer’ – at NBC:
Details on Ziggy and the Handlink
How they’re going to address Al’s absence in light of Dean Stockwell’s passing
More hints on how the producers hope to incorporate Sam Beckett and other original characters into the new mythology
Then, of course, Sam & Dennis make with some serious “fan-wank” with some speculation with the tidbits we do have. Along the way, we talk about the Handlink as the original smart phone, the 80s/90s TV trope of sassy AI computers, and a lamentation of how it only took four years after its cancellation for Knight Rider to get a reboot attempt.
As a new chapter of Quantum Leap looks to be upon us, we’ve decided to add a video component to our podcast.
One thing’s for sure – we certainly got faces made for podcasting.
Watch for the deep dive, but here are some things that our source has confirmed:
1. The casting notice that started making its way around last week is accurate. Our new leaper is Dr. Ben Prassad. His holographic companion will be a woman named Addison.
2. This will be much more of an ensemble show than the classic series. We’re going to see a lot more of Project Quantum Leap – including Ian, a non-binary person, and head programmer; Jenn, head of security; and Herbert “Magic” Williams, the retired-military liaison between the project and the Pentagon. (Also a legacy character: Sam leaped into Magic in “The Leap Home, Part II – Vietnam”.)
3. Though it has not been confirmed Scott Bakula will be involved, it is the producers’ intention for Sam to be an integral part of the story, calling on Bakula to at least occasionally guest star.
Fate's Wide Wheel: A Quantum Leap Podcast 