The showrunner of Quantum Leap explains how that surprising reveal at the end of episode 1 honors Dean Stockwell’s original character Al Calavicci.
The showrunner of Quantum Leap reveals how the reboot maintains the legacy of an original character. Set in the present day, the NBC sci-fi drama unfolds three decades after Scott Bakula’s Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished, as a new team has come together to resurrect and restart the project in order to better understand the mysteries of the machine and the man who created it. With heavy ties to the previous series, the cast of Quantum Leap features Raymond Lee in the lead role of Dr. Ben Song, along with Caitlin Bassett, Ernie Hudson, Mason Alexander Park, and Nanrisa Lee.
The premiere episode wastes no time in establishing its premise. Ben made an unauthorized leap and soon found himself in the body of a diamond thief in the year 1985. Although it's unclear why he made the jump, the end of the episode offers a big surprise: it's revealed that Janice Calavicci, daughter of original Quantum Leap character Albert "Al" Calavicci, is somehow connected.
In an interview with TV Line, showrunner Marc Gero confirms that Janice (played by Georgina Reilly) will recur heavily on the show.
Gero also talks about how the involvement of the Calavicci family in the story grew after original Quantum Leap star Dean Stockwell died in November of last year. Overall, Gero says, it was important to maintain the legacy that Stockwell helped create:
The Calaviccis play a huge part of Season 1. Georgina Reilly, who plays Janice, will recur heavily on the show. The dream was always to potentially have Dean play a small role on the show. But when he passed, it was important for us to maintain the legacy of that character in the show in a real and profound way.