The Quantum Leap midseason finale left Us with so many questions — and the cast is offering some hints about what’s still to come in season 2.
Before the bombshell Wednesday, December 13, episode, stars Ernie Hudson, Nanrisa Lee and Mason Alexander Park exclusively opened up to Us Weekly about how the second season of the NBC series differed from the first.
“It was really cool to see the feedback roll in real time [for season 1 as we started filming the second season]. Especially leading up to the season finale, because there were so many big story points that happened toward the end that really kept upping the ante,” Park, 28, explained. “As we’re building out season 2, we can [now] talk about how it really does feel a lot bigger and it feels like we’ve even found ways to make the show even more intense and even more insane.”
While Park has enjoyed getting to see viewers react as the season progressed, Lee, 43, has preferred taking a step back.
“In terms of the reception, we were all just so thrilled to be there. We really liked the show. We were having a really good time making it. I was having a good time making it,” she told Us about her experience filming the first season. “For me personally, I don’t read a ton about critical feedback or message boards or things like that. You don’t have time when you’re making the show. So to me it felt like sort of a perfect storm of just you keep your head down, do your work, mind your business and stay out of trouble.”
Quantum Leap, which is a revival of the ‘90s science-fiction series, follows Ben (Raymond Lee) after he makes a secret leap through time and gets lost in the past. With help from his ex Addison (Caitlin Bassett) and the rest of the Quantum Leap team, Ben tries to figure out what caused him to alter history.
Wednesday’s midseason finale introduced a major twist when Addison’s new boyfriend — and the new leader of the Quantum Leap team — Tom (Peter Gadiot) revealed that there might be a way to finally return Ben to the present.
Keep scrolling to see Hudson, Lee and Park break down all of Us‘ burning questions about what’s to come in the remainder of season 2 and the future of the show:
The Ben Reveal
Ben potentially coming back to the present threw Us for a loop because it sounds too good to be true. According to Park, Ben’s potential return means the entire premise of Quantum Leap falls apart.
“If Ben is back, we’re unemployed,” Park joked. “Obviously, as the characters, we all want to see resolution with that story line. We’ve been working years and years — especially with the time jump — to bring this individual back. I could probably speak for all of us to say that as characters we want Ben back.”
Park continued: “As an actor, I would like to make more episodes. So I’m sure that [the writers room] has plans that I’m really excited about for all the various ways in which the show is going to continue from this to the season finale, which I think is really, really rad.”
Hudson, 77, meanwhile, is waiting to see how the plot twist plays out before getting his hopes up.
“It’s what we come into [with] trusting the producers and the writers team. We all definitely as characters really want [Ben to come back], but I’m also trusting that they have looked further ahead. As we were saying, we like the surprise of what comes next,” he detailed to Us. “And if Ben’s back, I’m sure it’s going to be very interesting. I’m excited about the possibility and I’m sort of taking it all in one episode at a time. But the possibilities are just all out there.”
Lee also praised the writers for pushing the boundaries they themselves created, adding, “It would pretty drastically change the format of the show. But if it did happen, I am sure our writers would find some really fun and interesting ways to develop that and maybe get another leaper out there.”
What Fans Can Expect From the Rest of Season 2
While the first half of season 2 finished airing, the cast is currently on set filming the remaining episodes. Without giving any spoilers away, the trio were able to tease where the story can go from here and how it sets up the show’s future.
“What’s really exciting for me is [the way] there are the characters, [but] there’s another huge part of it, [which] is the people behind the Pentagon. All those forces that make this possible that we really don’t control,” Hudson pointed out about potential threats. “They affect everything and how they’ll come into play as we move forward is a mystery. But it is also very, very exciting. It’s not all just up to us to just feel good about each other. There are other elements that really sort of turn things upside down and sideways.”
Park opted out of offering hints about how season 2 plays out because they know their “limits,” joking, “I’ll ruin something somehow,”
Lee, for her part, reminded viewers to evolving character arcs as well as story lines.
“Season 2 has had more of a focus on the relationships. Between what’s going on with Ben and Addison together and separately [on an emotional level], as well as the rest of the team and what everybody is sort of grappling with,” she noted. “It’s a really nice opportunity for the audience to get to know other facets of these characters. Some of those things tend to build and we see some arcs of those things. But past that, I can’t divulge too much.”
How Much They Know About Their Character’s Upcoming Story Lines
“For me, I’d rather sort of discover it as we go along. But I think if there’s some major things that are about to happen, it’s kind of nice to be aware because it affects everything that comes [ahead of it],” Hudson shared. “I don’t want to be totally naive about it, but as much as possible, I’d like to kind of discover it in the same way the audience does.”
Park told Us they would “get made fun of a lot” on set for “not reading ahead” in their scripts.
“Nanrisa gives me a really hard time with the level of uncertainty that I maybe approach some things with. But there’s so much fun in discovery. There’s so much fun in seeing what the writers come up with every week, especially because the show does go to really wild places and it does shift pretty drastically really quickly,” they gushed. “I try not to get too attached to story lines or get too attached to an idea of what could happen because odds are they’re going to throw a curveball at us anyway.”
Lee, meanwhile, enjoys reaching out to her cast members to unpack the big twists.
“Definitely, on more than one occasion, I’ll text the [cast] thread just, like, all capitals after a script gets released to us. It’s exciting to be a part of an ongoing series where big things happen,” she noted. “I like being surprised, but like Mason said, if it’s something that’s directly attached to our character, we get a heads up about it.
The actress concluded: “As far as the twists and turns of things that are happening with the program or in the leap, we just got one that I could not contain myself [about]. I just read it the other night. It was insane. It’s going to be really, really, pretty exciting to deal with.”
Their Favorite Guest Stars — and Their Dream Additions
Lee noted that it was fun having Justin Hartley and his real-life wife, Sofia Pernas, appear on an episode during season 1. She also applauded Bel-Air’s Diandra Lyle for playing a district attorney when Ben leaps into the 1980s.
Park joked that they were “selfishly thrilled” with their real-life partner Alice Kremelberg‘s presence on the show because of the glimpse fans have gotten into their character Ian’s personal life.
“We’ve wanted to do something together for a very long time, so that was such a nice treat to find out that the writers really did want to make it happen at some point,” they shared. “It was something that we had talked about literally during the pilot. So that was really cool to see it sort of come to fruition and it be more than just a one episode, one-off kind of experience. It is nice for Ian to have someone to play off of that. We’ve now seen [Ian and Rachel together] four times, which has been great.”
Hudson concluded by pointing out how Quantum Leap uplifts its guest stars.
“The way the show is set up, it really gives them a lot to come and play. It’s not just making an appearance, the episodes are really written in a way that they really get to show what they do,” he said. “Stan Shaw, who’s been a friend of mine for years, to see him come on and have fun, that was really important to me. And, of course, I feel like for the fans, the ultimate guest star would be to see Sam Beckett [played by Scott Bakula] come back [from the OG series].”
