This is a list of Quantum Leap episodes in the order in which they were broadcast. Quantum Leap is an American television series that first aired on NBC from March 1989 to May 1993. The series was created by Donald Bellisario, and stars Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett.
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| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | DVD release date | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere | Season finale | Region 1 | Region 2 | |||
| 1 | 8 | March 26, 1989 | May 17, 1989 | June 8, 2004[1] | November 8, 2004[2] | |
| 2 | 22 | September 20, 1989 | May 9, 1990 | December 14, 2004[3] | October 31, 2005[4] | |
| 3 | 22 | September 28, 1990 | May 22, 1991 | May 10, 2005[5] | May 10, 2005[6] | |
| 4 | 22 | September 18, 1991 | May 20, 1992 | March 28, 2006[7] | June 26, 2006[8] | |
| 5 | 21 | September 22, 1992 | May 5, 1993 | November 14, 2006[9] | December 26, 2006[10] | |
The show, a late-season replacement, was recognized in its eight-episode first season with a Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling for a Series, for the work on "Double Identity".
| № | # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Leap date | Location | Original air date | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Genesis" | David Hemmings | Donald Bellisario | September 13, 1956 | Edwards Air Force Base in Blockfield, California Waco, Texas |
March 26, 1989 | |
| In 1995, Sam Beckett, desperate to prove his time travel theory before the project runs out of funds, leaps before the kinks are worked out of the machine. He ends up leaping into Tom Stratton, a pilot of the experimental Bell X-2 aircraft, and has to pretend to be the pilot while trying to fill in the holes in his "Swiss cheese" memory. Later, Sam leaps into minor league baseball player Tim Fox and has to win the game. | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Star-Crossed" | Mark Sobel | Deborah Pratt | June 15, 1972 | Lawrence College (fictional) in Marion, Ohio |
March 31, 1989 | 65003 |
| As Gerald Bryant, a lecherous old professor at a private university, Sam's mission is to stop a young coed from ruining her life by entering into an ill-advised marriage with Sam's host, but along the way, Sam tries to change his own history by reuniting Donna, the woman who will later leave him at the altar, with her father before he ships out to Vietnam. | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | "The Right Hand of God" | Gilbert Shilton | John Hill | October 24, 1974 | Sacramento, California | April 7, 1989 | 65002 |
| Sam is Clarence "Kid" Cody, a crooked boxer who must win the championship in order to win the money that his new managers (a group of nuns) need to build a new church. | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | "How the Tess Was Won" | Ivan Dixon | Deborah Arakelian | August 5, 1956 | Riata Ranch in Texas | April 14, 1989 | 65004 |
| Sam leaps into Daniel "Doc" Young, a veterinarian in rural Texas, and must decide if he needs to win the love of a wealthy Texas rancher or save the life of an important animal. | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Double Identity" | Aaron Lipstadt | Donald Bellisario | November 8, 1965 | Brooklyn, New York | April 21, 1989 | 65001 |
| On the eve of the Northeast Blackout of 1965, Sam leaps into Mafia hitman Frankie LaPalma and later leaps into Geno Fescotti, the Mafia don as the Quantum Leap project tries to bring him home. | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | "The Color of Truth" | Michael Vejar | Donald Bellisario & Deborah Pratt | August 8, 1955 | Red Dog, Alabama | May 3, 1989 | 65013 |
| Sam leaps into Jessie Tyler, an aging black chauffeur in the segregated South. He must save his wealthy white employer (the widow of the former Governor of Alabama) from dying in a car crash, while persuading her to play a more active role in the civil rights movement. Al has his first experience being noticed by a human other than Sam, although she only perceives him as a ghostly voice. | ||||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Camikazi Kid" | Alan J. Levi | Paul Brown | June 6, 1961 | Los Angeles, California | May 10, 1989 | 65014 |
| Sam leaps into Cameron "Cam" Wilson, a high school nerd who must prevent his sister from marrying an abusive man, an incident that reminds Sam of the fate of his own sister. | ||||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Play It Again, Seymour" | Aaron Lipstadt | Story by: Donald Bellisario, Scott Shepard & Tom Blomquist Teleplay by: Donald Bellisario & Scott Shepard |
April 14, 1953 | New York City | May 17, 1989 | 65009 |
| Sam leaps into private investigator Nick Allen, who is looking for the murderer of his partner in a world akin to a Humphrey Bogart film. His host bears an uncanny resemblance to Bogart. | ||||||||
During this season, Dean Stockwell won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. Two episodes were also recognized, with the work on "Pool Hall Blues" receiving a Emmy Outstanding Cinematography for a Series and "Good Night, Dear Heart" receiving an Edgar Award for Best TV Series Episode.
| № | # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Leap date | Location | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | "Honeymoon Express" | Aaron Lipstadt | Donald Bellisario | May 26, 1957 April 27, 1960 |
Ohio New York City |
September 20, 1989 |
| After saving a cat from a tree as a firefighter in 1957, Sam leaps into Tom McBride, a New York City cop on his honeymoon, Sam must save himself from his wife's jealous and sociopathic ex-husband. To make matters worse, the Project's funding is in danger of being cut off, stranding Sam alone in the past, unless he can make a significant change in history… such as preventing the U2 flight from being shot down over Russia. | |||||||
| 10 | 2 | "Disco Inferno" | Gilbert M. Shilton | Paul Brown | April 1, 1976 | Burbank, California | September 27, 1989 |
| Sam is unhappy about leaping into stuntman Chad Stone on the set of a disco film, but he must prevent his brother, a fellow stuntman, from being the victim of a freak accident while steering him toward a career in music. This is the first episode in which Sam remembers that he had a brother who died in Vietnam. | |||||||
| 11 | 3 | "The Americanization of Machiko" | Gilbert M. Shilton | Charlie Coffey | August 4, 1953 | Oak Creek, Ohio | October 11, 1989 |
| Sam leaps into Charles Lee MacKenzie, a US sailor returning from overseas with his Japanese bride after being stationed in Japan for two years. He lives in a small American town and must help his host's mother accept his new bride, fend off his ex-girlfriend's advances, and fight off racist responses from some of the townspeople. | |||||||
| 12 | 4 | "What Price Gloria?" | Alan J. Levi | Deborah Pratt | October 16, 1961 | Detroit, Michigan | October 25, 1989 |
| Sam leaps into a woman for the first time, a stunning blonde named Samantha Stormer. He must prevent his host's female roommate from killing herself when her married boyfriend (who is also Sam's host's boss) refuses to divorce his wife. Sam also has to deal with sexual harassment from the same man and deal with Al's attraction for Sam's host. | |||||||
| 13 | 5 | "Blind Faith" | David G. Phinney | Scott Shepard | February 6, 1964 | New York City | November 1, 1989 |
| Sam leaps into Carnegie Hall as Andrew Ross, a blind pianist during The Beatles New York visit. He must save the pianist's girlfriend from being killed by a serial killer in New York's Central Park, and convince her mother that he is not bad for her. | |||||||
| 14 | 6 | "Good Morning, Peoria" | Michael Zinberg | Chris Ruppenthal | September 9, 1959 | Peoria, Illinois | November 8, 1989 |
| Sam leaps into Chick Howell, the Wolfman Jack type DJ of a radio station in a city where local politicians are trying to ban rock & roll. He and the station owner barricade themselves in the station and thwart several attempts by the authorities to take the station off the air. Patricia Richardson guest stars, and Sam teaches Chubby Checker (in a cameo appearance) to "do The Twist," which Checker had just recorded as a single. The episode is a homage to the hit film Good Morning, Vietnam. | |||||||
| 15 | 7 | "Thou Shalt Not..." | Randy Roberts | Tammy Ader | February 2, 1974 | Los Angeles, California | November 15, 1989 |
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Sam is David Basch, a rabbi who must prevent his brother's family from being torn apart by the death of their son in a plane crash and the mother's subsequent affair. In this episode, Al reveals that his third wife was Jewish during the bat mitzvah of the niece of Sam's host. Episode note: During the leap, Sam performs the Heimlich maneuver on Dr. Henry Heimlich. |
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| 16 | 8 | "Jimmy" | James Whitmore, Jr. | Paul M. Belous & Robert Wolterstorff | October 14, 1964 | Oakland, California | November 22, 1989 |
| Sam leaps into Jimmy LaMotta, a young man with the genetic developmental disability Down syndrome who needs to show he can keep his job at the docks or else he will die in a mental institution. Michael Madsen guest stars as a dock worker that teases and intimidates Jimmy for being disabled. It's also revealed that Al had a younger sister who had a developmental disability and died in an institution. | |||||||
| 17 | 9 | "So Help Me God" | Andy Cadiff | Deborah Pratt | July 29, 1957 | Twelve Oaks, Louisiana | November 29, 1989 |
| Sam becomes Leonard Dancey, a defense attorney in a capital murder case, defending a black woman accused of murdering a prominent white man in a town steeped in racism. | |||||||
| 18 | 10 | "Catch A Falling Star" | Donald Bellisario | Paul Brown | May 21, 1979 | Syracuse, New York | December 6, 1989 |
| Sam is Ray Hutton, the understudy to an alcoholic actor on a way-off-Broadway production of Man of La Mancha. He must prevent the obnoxious actor from ending his career with a drunken fall on stage that breaks his leg. This situation is greatly complicated when Sam decides he doesn't want to leap after meeting his old piano teacher, whom he had a boyhood crush on- and who is in love with Sam's host. Janine Turner guest stars. | |||||||
| 19 | 11 | "A Portrait for Troian" | Michael Zinberg | Story by: John Hill & Scott Shepard Teleplay by: Donald Bellisario & Scott Shepard |
February 7, 1971 | Near Los Angeles, California |
December 13, 1989 |
| Sam is Timothy Mintz, a parapsychologist working with a young widow who insists that her late husband is haunting her. The Sylmar earthquake and an aftershock occur during the episode. A device that Sam's host invented to record paranormal activity allows those near it to hear Al. Series writer-producer Deborah Pratt plays Troian, while Bellisario himself plays Mintz (or rather, his reflection). | |||||||
| 20 | 12 | "Animal Frat" | Gilbert M. Shilton | Chris Ruppenthal | October 19, 1967 | Meeks College in California |
January 3, 1990 |
| Sam leaps into all-American college jock Knut "Wild Thing" Wileton who must prevent anti-war protests from turning violent and resulting in the destruction of the science block while a student is inside, thus ruining the life of a young woman opposed to the war. | |||||||
| 21 | 13 | "Another Mother" | Joseph L. Scanlan | Deborah Pratt | September 30, 1981 | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 10, 1990 |
| Sam is Linda Brookner, the mother of three children, one of whom will disappear in the next 48 hours. Sam must juggle motherhood and his rescue mission while Al watches over the youngest child – a burden made much easier by the fact that he and Al can be seen by the woman's youngest daughter (played by Troian Bellisario, daughter of Donald and his then-wife Deborah Pratt and after whom "A Portrait for Troian" was named). | |||||||
| 22 | 14 | "All Americans" | John Cullum | Paul Brown and Donald P. Bellisario | November 6, 1962 | El Camino High School in Woodland Hills, California |
January 17, 1990 |
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Sam leaps into Eddie Vega, a high school football player who must prevent his best friend from throwing the big game and ruining both their chances at college scholarships. Episode note: During the leap, Al is viewing the 28 January 1996 Super Bowl XXX, claiming that "the Steelers are trailing by three" points. When the game was actually played six years after the episode first aired, the Pittsburgh Steelers indeed twice trailed the Dallas Cowboys by three points (3-0 and 20-17) before finally losing 27-17. |
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| 23 | 15 | "Her Charm" | Christopher T. Welch | Story by: Donald Bellisario, Deborah Pratt, Paul M. Belous & Robert Wolterstorff Teleplay by: Donald Bellisario & Deborah Pratt |
September 26, 1973 | Boston, Massachusetts | February 7, 1990 |
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Sam is Peter Langley, an FBI agent who is protecting a woman in the Federal Witness Protection Program from a deadly Mafia hitman who has an uncanny ability to find them. Episode note: At the end of this episode Sam meets his former professor who helped him develop the String Theory that lead to Project Quantum Leap. |
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| 24 | 16 | "Freedom" | Alan J. Levi | Chris Ruppenthal | November 22, 1970 | Nevada | February 14, 1990 |
| Sam leaps into a young imprisoned Native American named George Washaki who is trying to take his dying grandfather back to the reservation where he can die in peace, but the town sheriff is out to stop them. | |||||||
| 25 | 17 | "Good Night, Dear Heart" | Christopher T. Welch | Paul Brown | November 9, 1957 | Riven Rock, Massachusetts | March 7, 1990 |
| A woman's apparent suicide by drowning turns out to be a possible murder tied to her male and female romances, and Sam, as Melvyn Spooner the coroner, must find the truth. | |||||||
| 26 | 18 | "Pool Hall Blues" | Joe Napolitano | Randy Holland | September 4, 1954 | Chicago, Illinois | March 14, 1990 |
| Sam leaps into Charlie "Black Magic" Walters, one of the greatest pool men in America and Al's childhood mentor. He must help his granddaughter keep her nightclub and rescue it from under the corrupting influence of a criminal loan shark. | |||||||
| 27 | 19 | "Leaping in Without a Net" | Christopher T. Welch | Tommy Thompson | November 18, 1958 | Near Denver, Colorado | March 28, 1990 |
| Sam leaps into Victor Panzini, a member of a family of trapeze artists who must prevent his host's sister from performing a dangerous stunt that will result in her death, a mission which is made more difficult by his fear of heights. | |||||||
| 28 | 20 | "Maybe Baby" | Michael Zinberg | Julie Brown & Paul Brown | March 11, 1963 | Texas | April 4, 1990 |
| Sam leaps into Buster, a bouncer in the middle of an infant kidnapping scheme with a ditsy, compulsive liar as his partner (Julie Brown). Sam and Al cannot agree on whether Sam is there to help the pair succeed or return the baby to its rightful guardian. | |||||||
| 29 | 21 | "Sea Bride" | Joe Napolitano | Deborah Pratt | June 3, 1954 | On the RMS Queen Mary in the Upper New York Bay |
May 2, 1990 |
| Sam leaps into Phillip Dumont, the ex-husband of a young heiress who is preparing to marry a gangster aboard a cruise ship, and Sam must get them back together. | |||||||
| 30 | 22 | "M.I.A." | Micheael Zinberg | Donald Bellisario | April 1, 1969 | San Diego, California | May 9, 1990 |
| Sam leaps into police detective Jake Rawlings, and is caught between two missions; saving his partner's life and preventing a young woman from losing hope for her husband who is Missing in action in Vietnam… a situation made even more awkward by the fact that the woman in question is Al's first wife. | |||||||
The season's two-part premiere episode received two Creative Arts Emmys, with part 1 recognized for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Series and part 2 recognized for Outstanding Cinematography for a Series. The second part also earned Michael Zinberg a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Shows – Night.
| № | # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Leap date | Location | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 1 | "The Leap Home (Part 1)" | Joe Napolitano | Donald Bellisario | November 25, 1969 | Elk Ridge, Indiana | September 28, 1990 |
| Sam leaps into himself as a high school teenager and Al tells him he is there to win a basketball game that was a turning point in many people's lives, but Sam wants to take the opportunity to prevent his sister from marrying an abusive alcoholic, his father from dying from a heart attack, and his brother from getting killed in Vietnam. | |||||||
| 32 | 2 | "The Leap Home (Part 2) – Vietnam" | Michael Zinberg | Donald Bellisario | April 7, 1970 | Vietnam | October 5, 1990 |
| Sam leaps into Herbert "Magic" Williams, a soldier in his brother's platoon in Vietnam, where he is given the chance to keep his brother from dying, but at a terrible price. NOTE: This is Sam's first leap out of the United States. | |||||||
| 33 | 3 | "Leap of Faith" | James Whitmore, Jr. | Story by: Nick Harding & Karen Hall and Tommy Thompson Teleplay by: Tommy Thompson |
August 19, 1963 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 12, 1990 |
| Sam leaps into Father Francis "Frank" Pistano, a priest who must help prevent a fellow man of the cloth from losing his faith and self-control. | |||||||
| 34 | 4 | "One Strobe over the Line" | Michael Zinberg | Chris Ruppenthal | June 15, 1965 | New York City | October 19, 1990 |
| As Karl Granson, a well-known fashion photographer, Sam must protect a female fashion model from overdosing on illicit drugs. | |||||||
| 35 | 5 | "The Boogieman" | Joe Napolitano | Chris Ruppenthal | October 31, 1964 | Coventry, Maine | October 26, 1990 |
| Sam leaps into horror novelist Joshua Rae who is surrounded by death and mystery. Al and Ziggy don't seem to be able to predict what will happen and Sam is running out of suspects. Is this part of someone's book… or someone's nightmare? (Joshua Rae is played by this episode's writer Chris Ruppenthal.) | |||||||
| 36 | 6 | "Miss Deep South" | Christopher T. Welch | Tommy Thompson | June 7, 1958 | Louisiana | November 2, 1990 |
| Sam leaps into Darlene Monty, a beauty pageant contestant who must protect a naive fellow contestant from ruining her life by posing for nude photographs, and in the process must ensure that his host places at least third in the pageant so that she can win a scholarship and become a doctor. | |||||||
| 37 | 7 | "Black on White on Fire" | Joe Napolitano | Deborah Pratt | August 11, 1965 | Watts, Los Angeles | November 9, 1990 |
| Sam leaps into an African-American named Ray Harper, a medical student dating a white woman on the day of the Watts Riots. He must prevent his host's girlfriend from being killed, while persuading her that they need to stay in Watts. | |||||||
| 38 | 8 | "The Great Spontini" | James Whitmore, Jr. | Cristy Dawson & Beverly Bridges | May 9, 1974 | Oakland, California | November 16, 1990 |
| Sam leaps into a traveling amateur magician named Harry Spontini, he must perform some real magic to prevent losing custody of his young daughter to his ex-wife, as well as save the girl from performing a dangerous trick that will go badly wrong. | |||||||
| 39 | 9 | "Rebel Without a Clue" | James Whitmore, Jr. | Story by: Nick Harding & Paul Brown Teleplay by: Randy Holland & Paul Brown |
September 1, 1958 | near Big Sur, California |
November 30, 1990 |
| Sam leaps into Shane "Funny Bone" Thomas, a member of a biker gang where he meets a truck stop restaurant owner who lost his son to the war and an idealistic young woman who is going to die unless she gives up her reckless dream of living the hard life of Jack Kerouac. | |||||||
| 40 | 10 | "A Little Miracle" | Michael Watkins | Story by: Sandy Fries Teleplay by: Sandy Fries and Robert A. Wolterstorff |
December 24, 1962 | New York City | December 21, 1990 |
| Sam leaps into Reginald Pearson, a personal valet to a Scrooge-like industrialist who is bent on demolishing a Salvation Army mission, forcing Sam and Al to literally 'Scrooge' him by showing him his past, present and future in an attempt to change his mind. | |||||||
| 41 | 11 | "Runaway" | Michael Katleman | Paul Brown | July 4, 1964 | Carbon County, Wyoming, heading south |
January 4, 1991 |
| Sam leaps into Butchie Rickett, a 13-year-old boy who is on a family roadtrip from which the mother will soon disappear, while also dealing with the bullying of his host's older sister. | |||||||
| 42 | 12 | "8½ Months" | James Whitmore, Jr. | Deborah Pratt | November 15, 1955 | Claremore, Oklahoma | March 6, 1991 |
| Sam leaps into Billie Jean Crockett, a pregnant teenager who needs to keep her baby and obtain the support of her father, a fact made all the more confusing by the fact that Sam still seems to be pregnant even though he lacks the 'equipment' to carry a child… | |||||||
| 43 | 13 | "Future Boy" | Michael Switzer | Tommy Thompson | October 6, 1957 | St. Louis, Missouri | March 13, 1991 |
| Sam leaps into Kenny Sharp, (a.k.a Future Boy) an actor on a children's sci-fi show and must work quickly to keep his eccentric co-star from being killed or committed to a mental institution because of his "wild" theories about traveling in time. In the process, Sam learns, much to his surprise, that the actor has independently come up with Sam's own 'string theory' of Quantum Leaping. | |||||||
| 44 | 14 | "Private Dancer" | Debbie Allen | Paul Brown | October 6, 1979 | New York City | March 20, 1991 |
| Sam is Rod McCarty, (a.k.a. "Rod the Bod") a Chippendales dancer who must help a deaf woman find success as a professional dancer, before she goes down a road of prostitution and dies of AIDS. | |||||||
| 45 | 15 | "Piano Man" | James Whitmore, Jr. | Ed Scharlach | November 10, 1985 | Tularosa, New Mexico | March 27, 1991 |
| Sam leaps into Joey DeNardo, (a.k.a Chuck Danner) a lounge singer in the witness protection program who must keep himself and his accident-prone girlfriend from being killed for the murder he witnessed three years ago. | |||||||
| 46 | 16 | "Southern Comforts" | Chris Ruppenthal | Tommy Thompson | August 4, 1961 | New Orleans, Louisiana | April 3, 1991 |
| Sam leaps into Gilbert LaBonte, the owner of a New Orleans brothel to prevent one of his girls from disappearing after a confrontation with her abusive husband. | |||||||
| 47 | 17 | "Glitter Rock" | Andy Cadiff | Chris Ruppenthal | April 12, 1974 | Detroit, Michigan | April 10, 1991 |
| Sam is Geoffrey "Tonic" Mole, the lead singer of a KISS-inspired rock band who in the original history was murdered by an unknown stalker; Sam must find out whether it was the manager, a band member, a random fan, or his host's estranged son who did it, and stop them before the deed can take place. | |||||||
| 48 | 18 | "A Hunting We Will Go" | Andy Cadiff | Beverly Bridges | June 18, 1976 | Arkansas | April 18, 1991 |
| Sam leaps into Gordon O'Reilly, a bounty hunter handcuffed to a compulsively lying woman who is suspected of embezzling a large sum of money, and must decide whether his mission is to help the woman escape or bring her to justice. | |||||||
| 49 | 19 | "Last Dance Before An Execution" | Michael Watkins | Story by: Bill Bigelow & Donald Bellisario & Deborah Pratt Teleplay by: Deborah Pratt |
May 12, 1971 | Tallahassee, Florida | May 1, 1991 |
| Sam leaps into Jesus Ortega, a man about to be executed by the electric chair, until he is suddenly given a temporary 48-hour reprieve to (apparently) try to prove his innocence. This episode is noteworthy in that Sam's traditional leap-in phrase was understandably changed from Oh, boy! to Oh, God! | |||||||
| 50 | 20 | "Heart of a Champion" | Joe Napolitano | Tommy Thompson | July 23, 1955 | Atlanta, Georgia | May 8, 1991 |
| Sam leaps into Terry Sammis (aka "Nikolai"), a professional wrestler who must prevent his brother from dying of a heart attack in the championship match. | |||||||
| 51 | 21 | "Nuclear Family" | James Whitmore, Jr. | Paul Brown | October 26, 1962 | Homestead, Florida | May 15, 1991 |
| Sam leaps into Eddie Elroy, a college student helping his brother sell nuclear bomb shelters during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and must prevent their neighbor from being shot during a false air raid. | |||||||
| 52 | 22 | "Shock Theater" | Joe Napolitano | Deborah Pratt | October 3, 1954 | Havenwell, Pennsylvania | May 22, 1991 |
| Sam leaps into Sam Beiderman, a depressed mental patient who receives shock therapy as soon as Sam leaps in. This causes Sam's ego to become displaced, resulting in his assuming the identities of people he has leaped into before. It's up to Al to complete Sam's mission by helping a mentally challenged young man learn how to read, which he is able to do when he discovers that he and Sam can be seen by mentally insane people; he must also find a way to restore Sam's ego so he can leap, or else risk losing contact with Sam forever. | |||||||
Scott Bakula won a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series – Drama for this season's work.
| № | # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Leap date | Location | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | 1 | "The Leap Back" | Michael Zinberg | Donald Bellisario | June 15, 1945 | Crown Point, Indiana | September 18, 1991 |
| Sam and Al switch roles after a lightning strike. This allows Sam to return home to his wife, but when Al leaps into Captain Tom Jarrett, he is set to be killed by his lover's jealous ex-fiance, Sam must act as his hologram in order to save Al and continue to leap through time. | |||||||
| 54 | 2 | "Play Ball" | Joe Napolitano | Tommy Thompson | August 6, 1961 | Galveston, Texas | September 25, 1991 |
| Sam is a washed-out baseball player named Lester "Doc" Fuller who has to help a younger and angrier player get into the major leagues, the player reminding him of Al when they first met. | |||||||
| 55 | 3 | "Hurricane" | Michael Watkins | Chris Ruppenthal | August 17, 1969 | Jackson Point, Mississippi | October 2, 1991 |
| Sam leaps into Archie Necaise, a small-town sheriff in the middle of Hurricane Camille. He must keep his host's girlfriend from being killed in the storm... or by anyone else. | |||||||
| 56 | 4 | "Justice" | Rob Bowman | Toni Graphia | May 11, 1965 | Alabama | October 9, 1991 |
| Sam leaps into a man named Clyde just as he is about to join the Ku Klux Klan, out of respect for the racist family he has married into. He must prevent a black civil rights leader from being lynched by the Klan while trying to explain to his host's son the evils of racism, but due to his moral upbringing, it becomes very difficult to act like the person he has leaped into to avoid his own lynching. | |||||||
| 57 | 5 | "Permanent Wave" | Scott Bakula | Beverly Bridges | June 2, 1983 | Beverly Hills, California | October 16, 1991 |
| Sam is Frank Bianca, a male hair stylist living with his girlfriend, a single mother. When her child witnesses a murder of a mall drugstore clerk just as Sam leaps in, the boy's mother won't let him tell the police what he saw, and the killer is getting closer and closer to make sure that he never will. | |||||||
| 58 | 6 | "Raped" | Michael Zinberg | Beverly Bridges | June 20, 1980 | Mill Valley, California | October 30, 1991 |
| Sam leaps into Katie McBain, a woman who has just been raped by the town's all-American boy. He must make sure that justice is done, resulting in the woman herself being brought into the Imaging Chamber to testify at her trial. (Unlike most episodes, the cast member playing the host - Cheryl Pollak - is spotlighted in the opening credits.) | |||||||
| 59 | 7 | "The Wrong Stuff" | Joe Napolitano | Paul Brown | January 24, 1961 | Cape Canaveral, Florida | November 6, 1991 |
| In a very bizarre out-of-the-human host, Sam leaps into Bobo, an astro-chimp whom he must get into the space program – or he'll disappear forever due to unethical helmet testing methods. (This is the only episode where Sam does not leap into a human being.) | |||||||
| 60 | 8 | "Dreams" | Anita W. Addison | Deborah Pratt | February 28, 1979 | Malibu, California | November 13, 1991 |
| Sam leaps into a cop named Jack Stone just as he finds a man accused of murdering his wife, before killing himself and emotionally crippling their children. He must uncover a childhood trauma of the man he leaped into (which has unfortunately remained in Sam's head after the Leap) and catch a murderer before his host becomes the next victim. | |||||||
| 61 | 9 | "A Single Drop of Rain" | Virgil W. Vogel | Story by: Donald Bellisario, Ralph Meyering, Jr. & Richard C. Okie Teleplay by: Richard C. Okie |
September 7, 1953 | Clover Bend, Texas | November 20, 1991 |
| Sam is William "Billy" Beaumont, a traveling rainmaker returning home to a farming community suffering from a drought, who has to make it rain while preventing his host's brother's wife from running away with him. | |||||||
| 62 | 10 | "Unchained" | Michael Watkins | Paris Qualles | November 2, 1956 | Talawaga County, Alabama | November 27, 1991 |
| Sam is Chance Cole, an escaped convict who is chained to a wrongly accused black man named Jasper who escape together only to be recaptured again. Sam must find a way to prove Jasper's innocence to the corrupt warden as the string of robberies continue. | |||||||
| 63 | 11 | "The Play's the Thing" | Eric Laneuville | Beverly Bridges | September 9, 1969 | New York City | January 8, 1992 |
| Sam leaps into a man named Joe Thurlow who's dating a much, much older woman and must convince her not to move back to Cleveland with her straight-as-an-arrow son and his wife. And somehow he also has to get through a nude version of Hamlet. | |||||||
| 64 | 12 | "Running For Honor" | Bob Hulme | Bobby Duncan | June 11, 1964 | Prescott College near Lakeside, Michigan |
January 15, 1992 |
| Sam leaps into Thomas "Tommy" York, an honor-roll cadet at a Naval Academy who might be gay. His roommate was kicked out of the Naval Academy for being gay and Sam must stop his former roommate from being killed by a bigoted gang of midshipmen, while also dealing with Al's own homophobia. | |||||||
| 65 | 13 | "Temptation Eyes" | Christopher Hibler | Paul Brown | February 1, 1985 | San Francisco, California | January 22, 1992 |
| As a rash of serial murders take place in San Francisco, Sam leaps into a television reporter named Dylan Powell who must prevent a psychic who is helping the police from becoming the next victim. But when she discovers who Sam really is, they fall for each other and the ordeal becomes very personal. | |||||||
| 66 | 14 | "The Last Gunfighter" | Joe Napolitano | Story by: Sam Rolfe Telplay by: Sam Rolfe & Chris Ruppenthal |
November 28, 1957 | Coffin, Arizona | January 29, 1992 |
| Sam is a retired gunfighter named Tyler Means who's living with his family in an Old West town that is used for tourism and films. He must face his former partner, who wants to kill Sam because his host stole his heroic antics for his own, while also preventing his host's grandson from ruining his life after his image of his grandfather is ruined. | |||||||
| 67 | 15 | "A Song for the Soul" | Michael Watkins | Deborah Pratt | April 7, 1963 | Chicago, Illinois | February 26, 1992 |
| Sam leaps into Cheree, a member of an all-girl teenage R&B trio, and must prevent one of the singers from signing a cheap contract and ruining their lives. | |||||||
| 68 | 16 | "Ghost Ship" | Anita W. Addison | Donald Bellisario & Paris Qualles | August 13, 1956 | Flying in and out of the Bermuda Triangle |
March 4, 1992 |
| Sam leaps into Eddie Brackett, copilot of an air taxi that is transporting two young newlyweds, one of whom is very sick with appendicitis. But that's the least of his worries when the plane flies into the Bermuda Triangle and he loses contact with Al and Quantum Leap. | |||||||
| 69 | 17 | "Roberto!" | Scott Bakula | Chris Ruppenthal | January 27, 1982 | Destiny, New Mexico | March 11, 1992 |
| Sam is Roberto Gutierrez, a Geraldo Rivera-inspired talk-show host who works with his co-worker to unmask a local fertilizer and pesticide plant that is researching and producing chemical weapons... before they're silenced. | |||||||
| 70 | 18 | "It's A Wonderful Leap" | Paul Brown | Story by: Danielle Alexandra & Paul Brown Teleplay by: Paul Brown |
May 10, 1958 | New York City | April 1, 1992 |
| Sam is a New York City taxicab driver named Max Greenman who's trying to earn enough money to get his father his own medallion. Along the way he meets a woman who claims to be an angel and can see Al, pretending to believe him to be the devil. | |||||||
| 71 | 19 | "Moments to Live" | Joe Napolitano | Tommy Thompson | May 4, 1985 | Los Angeles, California | April 8, 1992 |
| Sam leaps into Kyle Hart, a soap opera actor who is kidnapped by an obsessed fan who wants him to father her baby... and, in the original history, his host ended up wandering the countryside with a gunshot wound to the head that rendered him totally amnesiac. | |||||||
| 72 | 20 | "The Curse of Ptah-Hotep" | Joe Napolitano | Chris Ruppenthal | March 2, 1957 | The tomb of Pharaoh Ptah Hotep II in Saqqara, Egypt |
April 22, 1992 |
| Sam leaps into Dale Conway, a member of an archeology team that has just unearthed the tomb of the Pharaoh Ptah-Hotep, but the find carries a terrible curse. | |||||||
| 73 | 21 | "Stand Up" | Michael Zinberg | Bill Richmond and Deborah Pratt | April 30, 1959 | Cocono's in Glendale, Arizona |
May 13, 1992 |
| Sam leaps into a man named Davey Parker who's part of a trio comedy act, with his male and female partner so in love with each other that they cannot face it. Sam must get the couple to see that they love each other, and prevent one of the comedians from being killed by the Mafia. Bob Saget guest stars as one of Sam's comic partners. | |||||||
| 74 | 22 | "A Leap for Lisa" | James Whitmore, Jr. | Donald Belllisario | June 25, 1957 | Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida |
May 20, 1992 |
| Sam leaps into a younger Al "Bingo" Calavicci who is on trial for the murder and rape of his commander's wife, but when Sam's actions unintentionally prevent the witness whose testimony cleared Al in the real history from testifying before she dies, Sam discovers that Project Quantum Leap now exists in an alternate future in which Al was executed in the gas chamber. Roddy McDowall guest stars as the alternate timeline's holographic project Observer. | |||||||
An episode from the show's final season received another Creative Arts Emmy Award, this time for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Series – Single Camera Production (episode "Lee Harvey Oswald").
| № | # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Leap date | Location | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75 | 1 | "Lee Harvey Oswald" | James Whitmore, Jr. | Donald Bellisario | March 21, 1963 October 5–6, 1957 January 6, 1959 October 21, 1959 April 10, 1963 October 21, 1963 November 21–22, 1963 |
Dallas Atsugi Tustin Lubyanka in Moscow New Orleans |
September 22, 1992 |
| Sam leaps into various points in Lee Harvey Oswald's life in an effort to seemingly prevent him from killing President John F. Kennedy or find the truth about the events that day. However, the objective is made more complex by the fact that their minds are merging. Sam starts to believe he is Oswald. If Al can't bring Sam back, it will be Sam Beckett who pulls the trigger on Kennedy that fateful day in Dallas. In the end, Oswald is the lone assassin of JFK (Al speculating that people made up the idea of a conspiracy rather than face the idea that we are all still so vulnerable that one man could kill the President that easily). Sam makes a final leap into U.S. Secret Service agent Clint Hill who climbed on the back of the President's limousine during the assassination. In the episode dénouement Al reveals that an alternate history had previously occurred where Jackie Kennedy also died and Sam's actual mission was to save her. | |||||||
| 76 | 2 | "The Leaping of the Shrew" | Alan J. Levi | Robin Jill Bernheim & Richard C. Okie | September 27, 1956 | Somewhere in the Aegean Sea |
September 29, 1992 |
| Sam finds his patience tested when he leaps into Nikos Stathatos in a lifeboat with a bratty, self-obsessed heiress (Brooke Shields) and end up stuck on an island from which they will not be rescued for nine years... | |||||||
| 77 | 3 | "Nowhere to Run" | Alan J. Levi | Tommy Thompson | August 10, 1968 | San Diego, California | October 6, 1992 |
| Sam leaps into Ronald Miller, a legless Vietnam vet in a veterans' hospital who must save the life of a quadriplegic soldier while still keeping his wife from leaving him so that his eldest son can save a tank troop in the Gulf War. A pre-Friends Jennifer Aniston and Michael Boatman, who coincidentally played a doctor called Sam Beckett in China Beach, guest star. | |||||||
| 78 | 4 | "Killin' Time" | Michael Watkins | Tommy Thompson | June 18, 1958 | Pine County, Oklahoma | October 20, 1992 |
| Sam leaps into Leon Stiles, a dangerous criminal who has taken a mother and her young daughter hostage. Meanwhile, Al must find the homicidal Stiles, who has escaped from the project waiting room, leaving Gushie to act as a temporary Observer. (This episode provides a rare glimpse of the present world outside Project Quantum Leap.) | |||||||
| 79 | 5 | "Star Light, Star Bright" | Christopher Hibler | Richard C. Okie | May 21, 1966 | Charlemont, Massachusetts | October 27, 1992 |
| Sam is Maxwell Stoddard, an eccentric grandfather living with his son and his family. He must prevent his teenage grandson from running away and getting caught up in the drug culture while also preventing the grandfather from being sent to a mental institution for his wild stories about UFOs. Anne Lockhart and Guy Boyd guest star. | |||||||
| 80 | 6 | "Deliver Us From Evil" | Bob Hulme | Deborah Pratt, Robin Jill Bernheim & Tommy Thompson | March 19, 1966 | Oakland, California | November 10, 1992 |
| Sam leaps back into Jimmy LaMotta, but is perplexed when he finds that the happy future he supposedly ensured in his previous leap is not taking place, and his brother's marriage is falling apart. Shortly thereafter, Sam finds something he never expected; a female quantum leaper named Alia, apparently there to "put wrong what once went right". | |||||||
| 81 | 7 | "Trilogy (Part 1) – One Little Heart" | James Whitmore, Jr. | Deborah Pratt | August 8, 1955 | Potterville, Louisiana | November 17, 1992 |
| Sam leaps into a small Louisiana town as a sheriff named Clayton Fuller who's also the father of young Abagail Fuller, a girl accused by a local townswoman, Leta Aider, of killing her husband and daughter. Leta is the only surviving member of her deceased family and believes Abagail to be cursed. | |||||||
| 82 | 8 | "Trilogy (Part 2) – For Your Love" | James Whitmore, Jr. | Deborah Pratt | June 14, 1966 | Potterville, Louisiana | November 24, 1992 |
| Sam again leaps into the life of Abagail Fuller... this time as her soon-to-be husband Will Kinman. Sam begins to fall for her himself, but a lynch mob led by Leta Aider may hang her if Sam doesn't find the runaway child Abagail was babysitting. | |||||||
| 83 | 9 | "Trilogy (Part 3) – The Last Door" | James Whitmore, Jr. | Deborah Pratt | July 28, 1978 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | November 24, 1992 |
| Sam leaps into Larry Stanton, a lawyer who defends Abagail on trial for the murder of Leta Aider, the woman who accused her of killing her husband and daughter twenty-three years earlier. Secrets are revealed, the family history comes unraveled, and surprises are in store for Sam as he discovers the heritage behind Abagail's daughter, Samantha Jo Fuller. | |||||||
| 84 | 10 | "Promised Land" | Scott Bakula | Gillian Horvath & Tommy Thompson | December 22, 1971 | Elk Ridge, Indiana | December 15, 1992 |
| Sam leaps into his hometown as Willie Walters, one of three brothers who are robbing the town bank in order to pay off a loan. Sam must uncover the reason the bank lent money to these farmers who could not possibly pay it back, while trying to prevent the brothers from being killed when they try to escape. | |||||||
| 85 | 11 | "A Tale of Two Sweeties" | Christopher Hibler | Robin Jill Bernheim | February 25, 1958 | Pompano Beach Airpark, Florida |
January 5, 1993 |
| Sam finds himself between the proverbial rock and hard place when he leaps into a bigamist named Martin "Marty" Ellroy, with a 50% chance of picking the right family to stay with. | |||||||
| 86 | 12 | "Liberation" | Bob Hulme | Chris Abbott & Deborah Pratt | October 16, 1968 | Connecticut | January 12, 1993 |
| Sam leaps into Margaret Sanders, a housewife who must convince her husband that the family can survive and even thrive with feminism. He must also persuade the daughter that advances for women must come about through nonviolent means and persuade a woman working in the husband's firm to be more assertive about her ideas for the company. | |||||||
| 87 | 13 | "Dr. Ruth" | Stuart Margolin | Robin Jill Bernheim | April 25, 1985 | Manhattan, New York | January 19, 1993 |
| As the famous sex doctor Ruth Westheimer, Sam must help a woman stand up to the sexual harassment of her boss and get his coworkers together, while the real Dr. Ruth helps Al deal with his fear of abandonment and his inability to tell a woman that he loves her. | |||||||
| 88 | 14 | "Blood Moon" | Alan J. Levi | Tommy Thompson | March 10, 1975 | Outside of London, England |
February 9, 1993 |
| Sam leaps into an eccentric artist named Lord Nigel Corrington who lives a strange, gothic lifestyle. He has only a few hours to save his wife from a grisly death, supposedly at the hands of a vampire, while dealing with Al's own conviction that his host actually is the walking dead. | |||||||
| 89 | 15 | "Return of the Evil Leaper" | Harvey Laidman | Richard C. Okie | October 8, 1956 | North Falls, New York | February 23, 1993 |
| As a nerdy college kid who dresses up as a superhero named Arnold Watkins, Sam must stop a fraternity from holding chicken races as part of their initiation. While back in the waiting room, Al must convince Sam's host to give up his dangerous lifestyle and help him deal with the murder of his parents. However, the sudden return of the Evil Leaper makes the task significantly harder. | |||||||
| 90 | 16 | "Revenge of the Evil Leaper" | Debbie Allen | Deborah Pratt | September 16, 1987 | Mallard, Ohio | February 23, 1993 |
| Leaping into Elizabeth Tate in a women's prison (accompanied by Alia), Sam must keep the reformed Evil Leaper from being caught by her former Observer while also trying to keep his host from being executed for the murder of a fellow inmate. | |||||||
| 91 | 17 | "Goodbye Norma Jean" | Christopher Hibler | Richard C. Okie | April 4, 1960 | Hollywood, California | March 2, 1993 |
| Sam is Dennis Boardman, the chauffeur of Marilyn Monroe and must help the unhappy star stay alive to make one final movie. | |||||||
| 92 | 18 | "The Beast Within" | Gus Trikonis | John D'Aquino (and Tommy Thompson, uncredited) | November 6, 1972 | Washington | March 16, 1993 |
| Sam is Henry Adams, a Vietnam War veteran living in the forest with an epileptic fellow veteran who will die unless he gets his medicine. However, he is opposed in this task by the sheriff living in town, who served in the same unit and doesn't want to face his past. | |||||||
| 93 | 19 | "The Leap Between The States" | David Hemmings | Richard C. Okie | September 20, 1862 | Mansfield County, Virginia | March 30, 1993 |
| Breaking all the rules of Quantum Leaping, Sam leaps along his genetic line and finds himself in the American Civil War as his great-grandfather, Captain John Beckett, of the Union Army. While helping the underground railroad smuggle a family to freedom, Sam must also win the heart of his great-grandmother, or he may be erased from existence. | |||||||
| 94 | 20 | "Memphis Melody" | James Whitmore, Jr. | Robin Jill Bernheim | July 3, 1954 | Memphis, Tennessee | April 20, 1993 |
| As Elvis Presley, Sam must help a struggling female musician, but at the same time must ensure that he doesn't prevent the king of rock 'n' roll from being discovered. | |||||||
| 95 | 21 | "Mirror Image" | James Whitmore, Jr. | Donald Bellisario | August 8, 1953 April 3, 1969 |
Cokeburg, Pennsylvania San Diego, California |
May 5, 1993 |
| In the Series Finale, Sam arrives at a mining town as himself on the date and exact hour he was born. Patrons of the town bar look familiar from past leaps, but with different names, other patrons seem to be leapers, and Al the bartender implies that he might be God, Fate, or Time. While trying to figure things out, Sam has to help save some trapped miners, regain contact with Al, and decide whether or not to continue leaping. He agrees to continue leaping, in exchange for the chance to go back to when he met Al's wife on a previous leap and tell her that Al is still alive. | |||||||