I could tear this new series apart with it's intended and lazy failure to explain the obvious in the technical department, but I gave this show a chance. I understand that being specific will only make this review seem more "personally charged" to attempt a hostile "shut is down before you destroy the best part of the original series" mentality to the show. You should take my word for it, no special effects team or heavy handed cast lineup is going to save this pile of vomit that's been tossed to the large fanbase. Everything woke in today's society is tossed at you from the start; including a cross-cultural alternative lifestyle cast, to presenting interracial relationships, to altering actual history patterns to better suit today's presentism that does hold a huge factor in at least three episodes.
*Presentism - Judging everyone in the past by the standards of the present.
What's good in the series. Well, just like the new Star Trek extensions on the rival Paramount network, the special effects were upgraded. The woke community gets to see some cool flashy effects and holographic displays which have been overly used over the course of recent time. The camera work and lighting are up to speed and there are some action sequences that were never used in the original series that sets this show apart from the old. So yes, there is more action and with the holographic section of the show presenting the back end of what's happening while Dr. Song is in another time and place, it's good to see what the team is doing behind the scenes.
What's bad about the series. It's a long list, but the acting stands out above the rest. There's the feel of the actors not being given a good opportunity to settle in to their roles. Of course, in today's wokism mentality, there has to be a romantic link somewhere which is rushed and IMO damages the flow of the fifth episode. The writers brought in characters from the original series to help people understand that Becket's time in the Quantum Leap wasn't a wasted effort. You hear a lot of "If it wasn't for Dr. Becket, I would never be here" or some variation of it. But worst of all, and for all of the research team trying to figure out how the technology works, Dr. Song launches himself into the machine without warning anyone on a secret mission??...Time traveling isn't a sea cruise adventure, it's a dangerous place to visit and should be widely respected at all costs.
This new re-boot also fails to mention some elements of the QL techology, like where is the essence of the person that Dr. Song replaces when he leaps? In the old series, the essence of the person replaced remains in the holo-chamber; where he/she can be interrogated for information for Ziggy to use in her calculations to figure out what Sam had to do to leap out.
Is the show fun? No. Is the show capable of leaping beyond the fantastic adventure of the original show? No. Has this new show hinted on saving Sam and getting him home? Of course; but not in the way that one might suspect. With the loss of Dean Stockwell earlier this year, any chance for a cool reunion of the old cast died with him. The new holo-assistant, played by Caitlin Bassett, is just another action packet female character with controlled vigor and emotion, who was also added as the love interest. She's got a long way to go to be anywhere near as clever as Stockwell was in delivering her part in the show. Her character does divulge some information that she was supposed to be the actual leaper within the new team; something that would have been a little more acceptable for the new show in my opinion.
In closing, the show is okay. It's not a spectacular group performance that I would have expected from a reboot of such a splendid series. It was approved for a second season...well, after the harrowing historical nonsense presented in the last episode of the season, I'm surprised that this show was given another nod with the same writing team.
⭐️⭐️[2 of 5 Stars]
