Editing Quantum Leap (1989 TV series) (section)

==Episodes==
{{Main|List of Quantum Leap (1989 TV series) episodes}}{{Series overview
| color1     = #3B53A9
| link1      = List_of_Quantum_Leap_(1989_TV_series)_episodes#Season 1 (1989)
| episodes1  = 9
| start1     = {{Start date|1989|3|26}}
| end1       = {{End date|1989|5|17}}
| color2     = #E0C6E3
| link2      = List_of_Quantum_Leap_(1989_TV_series)_episodes#Season 2 (1989–90)
| episodes2  = 22
| start2     = {{Start date|1989|9|20}}
| end2       = {{End date|1990|5|9}}
| color3     = #00A98C
| link3      = List_of_Quantum_Leap_(1989_TV_series)_episodes#Season 3 (1990–91)
| episodes3  = 22
| start3     = {{Start date|1990|09|28}}
| end3       = {{End date|1991|05|22}}
| color4     = #FF6052
| link4      = List_of_Quantum_Leap_(1989_TV_series)_episodes#Season 4 (1991–92)
| episodes4  = 22
| start4     = {{Start date|1991|9|18}}
| end4       = {{End date|1992|5|20}}
| color5     = #EECB53
| link5      = List_of_Quantum_Leap_(1989_TV_series)_episodes#Season 5 (1992–93)
| episodes5  = 22
| start5     = {{Start date|1992|9|22}}
| end5       = {{End date|1993|5|5}}
}}

===Broadcast history===
The ''Quantum Leap'' series, though initially scheduled to air on Friday nights, was almost immediately moved to Wednesday evenings. Later on, as the show became more successful, it was moved to Fridays. In late 1992, it began to air on Tuesdays. The series finale aired on a Wednesday in May, 1993.<ref name="dpbyt" />

The most frequent time slot for the series is indicated by ''italics'':
* Sunday at 9:00–11:00 pm on NBC: March 26, 1989
* Friday at 9:00–10:00 pm on NBC: March 31, 1989 – April 21, 1989
* ''Wednesday at 10:00–11:00 pm on NBC: May 3—17, 1989; September 20, 1989 – May 9, 1990; March 6, 1991 – May 20, 1992''
* Friday at 8:00–9:00 pm on NBC: September 28, 1990 – January 4, 1991
* Tuesday at 8:00–9:00 pm on NBC: September 22, 1992 – April 20, 1993
* Wednesday at 9:00–10:00 pm on NBC: May 4, 1993

In the United Kingdom, the show began on [[BBC Two]] on February 13, 1990,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/0d39b86a7c8349219b81d5dc65f955bc|title=Quantum Leap|date=February 13, 1990|issue=3452|pages=41|via=BBC Genome|access-date=March 30, 2020|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806162710/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/0d39b86a7c8349219b81d5dc65f955bc|url-status=live}}</ref> airing Tuesday evenings at 9:00 pm. The final episode was scheduled to be aired on June 14, 1994, but altered schedules after the death of British dramatist [[Dennis Potter]] earlier that month delayed the airing until June 21, 1994.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/92691553a45c4ffabfa750269c767852|title=Quantum Leap|date=June 21, 1994|issue=3675|pages=80|via=BBC Genome|access-date=March 30, 2020|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806230916/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/92691553a45c4ffabfa750269c767852|url-status=live}}</ref> Repeat episodes continued on the channel at various times until December 28, 1999.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/263159cb03b14fe6bc0d56549f86aa4d|title=Quantum Leap|date=December 28, 1999|issue=3957|pages=145|via=BBC Genome|access-date=March 30, 2020|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806181021/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/263159cb03b14fe6bc0d56549f86aa4d|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Quantum Leap Week ====
During the summer of 1990, NBC scheduled a "Quantum Leap Week". Over the course of five consecutive nights, repeat episodes of the show were broadcast in an effort to drum up interest in the fledging series.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NBC PUTS 'QUANTUM LEAP' ON OVERTIME |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1990-06-25-9006240084-story.html |access-date=May 18, 2022 |website=Orlando Sentinel |date=June 25, 1990 |language=en |archive-date=October 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017091702/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1990-06-25-9006240084-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The "Quantum Leap Week" was repeated during the summer of 1991. Each of the weekly events was supported by a series of advertisements. In each were a series of "[[man-on-the-street]]" attempting to say "Quantum Leap Week" fast, with varied levels of success.<ref>{{Citation |title=The 1st Quantum Leap Week commercial | date=February 12, 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUU56dYgW58 |language=en |access-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518165714/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUU56dYgW58 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=The 2nd Quantum Leap Week commercial | date=February 12, 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMkH_Ffk-wE |language=en |access-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518165716/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMkH_Ffk-wE |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Home media===
[[Universal Pictures Home Entertainment|Universal Studios]] has released the entire, [[digitally remaster]]ed, ''Quantum Leap'' series on [[DVD]].<ref name="qldvdr1" /><ref name="qldvdr2" /> Some controversy arose when fans discovered that many songs had been replaced from the soundtrack due to music rights issues. For the fifth season, Universal included all of the original music.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://quantumleappodcast.com/music-replacement-in-quantum-leap|title=Music Replacement in Quantum Leap – Quantum Leap Podcast|access-date=March 30, 2019|archive-date=March 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330154207/https://quantumleappodcast.com/music-replacement-in-quantum-leap/|url-status=live}}</ref>

On April 13, 2016, Mill Creek Entertainment announced that it had acquired the rights to the series and re-released the first two seasons on DVD on June 7, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Quantum-Leap-Seasons-1-and-2/22175|title=Quantum Leap DVD news: Re-Release for Seasons 1 & 2|website=TVShowsOnDVD|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416030920/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Quantum-Leap-Seasons-1-and-2/22175|archive-date=April 16, 2016}}</ref>

On February 7, 2017, Mill Creek re-released ''Quantum Leap - the Complete Series'' on DVD and also released the complete series on [[Blu-ray]] for the first time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Quantum-Leap-The-Complete-Series/22903|title=Quantum Leap DVD news: Announcement for The Complete Series|website=TVShowsOnDVD|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222153847/http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Quantum-Leap-The-Complete-Series/22903|archive-date=December 22, 2016}}</ref> The 18-disc set contains all 97 episodes of the series, as well as most of the original music restored for all seasons.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan="2"|[[Television season|Season]] - DVD name !! rowspan="2"|[[List of Quantum Leap episodes|Episodes]] !! colspan="3"|[[DVD]] release date
|-
! [[DVD region code#1|Region 1]] !! [[DVD region code#2|Region 2]] !! [[DVD region code#4|Region 4]]
|-
| Season 1 - The Complete First Season || style="text-align:center;"|9 || June 8, 2004 || November 8, 2004 || May 2, 2005
|-
| Season 2 - The Complete Second Season || style="text-align:center;"|22 || December 14, 2004 || October 31, 2005 || February 7, 2006
|-
| Season 3 - The Complete Third Season || style="text-align:center;"|22 || May 10, 2005 || December 12, 2005 || June 7, 2006
|-
| Season 4 - The Complete Fourth Season || style="text-align:center;"|22 || March 28, 2006 || June 26, 2006 || November 2006
|-
| Season 5 - The Complete Fifth Season || style="text-align:center;"|22 || November 14, 2006 || December 26, 2006 || February 21, 2007
|-
| Seasons 1–5 - The Complete Series<br />(The Complete Collection) || style="text-align:center;"|97
| November 4, 2014<ref name="qldvdr1">{{Cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MN9PQBO/ |title=Quantum Leap: The Complete Series (Region 1) |website=Amazon |date=November 4, 2014 |access-date=September 10, 2017 |archive-date=January 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129074528/http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MN9PQBO/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| October 8, 2007<ref name="qldvdr2">{{Cite web |url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000SLR0BS/ |title=Quantum Leap - The Complete Collection (Region 2) |website=Amazon UK |date=October 8, 2007 |access-date=September 10, 2017 |archive-date=June 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601061901/https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000SLR0BS/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| N/A
|}

=== Final episode ===
At the end of season five, Bellisario was told to write an episode that could serve as a season finale or series finale, as it was unclear whether ''Quantum Leap'' would be renewed. The episode contained some answers to long-standing questions about the show, but contained enough ambiguity for a season six. When the show was not renewed, two [[Intertitle|title cards]] were attached to the end of the last episode. The first read that Al's first wife Beth never remarried, so they were still married in the present day and had four daughters. The second said Sam "never returned home." The finale was met by viewers with mixed feelings.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://uproxx.com/tv/the-series-finale-that-helped-us-cope-with-the-lost-finale-and-every-other-disappointing-finale-since/|title=The Series Finale That Helped Us Cope With The 'Lost' Finale And Every Other Disappointing Finale Since|date=June 5, 2014|website=UPROXX|access-date=April 26, 2019|archive-date=April 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426185744/https://uproxx.com/tv/the-series-finale-that-helped-us-cope-with-the-lost-finale-and-every-other-disappointing-finale-since/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.popoptiq.com/greatest-series-finales-quantum-leap-mirror-image/|title=Greatest Series Finales: Quantum Leap's "Mirror Image" a beautiful, metaphysical swan song|date=September 3, 2013|website=PopOptiq|access-date=April 26, 2019|archive-date=April 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426185747/https://www.popoptiq.com/greatest-series-finales-quantum-leap-mirror-image/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tvandfilmguy.com/2007/06/21/worst-finale-ever/|title=Worst.. Finale… Ever…|last=Lasser|first=Josh|date=June 21, 2007|website=The TV and Film Guy's Reviews|access-date=May 2, 2019|archive-date=May 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502153431/https://tvandfilmguy.com/2007/06/21/worst-finale-ever/|url-status=live}}</ref>

A few years{{when|date=September 2022}} after the airing of the finale, a script for an alternate ending was leaked on the internet. It implied that Al, through encouragement of his wife Beth, would become a leaper to go after Sam. Bellisario has said no script exists and that he does not know where this idea came from. In 2018, however, fan Allison Pregler purchased title cards taken from season five that contained some shots of Al and Beth together; this implies that part of the alternate ending was, in fact, shot and gives credibility to the alternate-ending scenario.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/did-a-fan-just-find-proof-of-quantum-leaps-secret-lost-1823165353|title=Did a Fan Just Find Proof of Quantum Leap's Secret Lost Ending?|last=Elderkin|first=Beth|website=Gizmodo|date=February 21, 2018|access-date=May 16, 2022|archive-date=January 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129064743/https://gizmodo.com/did-a-fan-just-find-proof-of-quantum-leaps-secret-lost-1823165353|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=Movie Nights|title=Quantum Leap LOST ENDING REDISCOVERED!|date=February 18, 2018|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=U3at8cylnJc|access-date=April 26, 2019|archive-date=October 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221016190401/https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=U3at8cylnJc|url-status=live}}</ref> In May 2019, a video of the lost footage was uploaded to [[Reddit]] by a contributor with the handle Leaper1953.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comments/bub7ks/quantum_leap_lost_ending_footage_never_before_seen/|title=Watch: Quantum Leap Lost Alternate Ending Footage Surfaces After 26 Years|date=May 30, 2019|website=Reddit|access-date=May 30, 2019|archive-date=June 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190625073657/https://www.reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comments/bub7ks/quantum_leap_lost_ending_footage_never_before_seen/|url-status=live}}</ref> How this person obtained the footage is not known publicly. Scott Bakula confirmed that several endings were shot and that the footage was authentic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theblast.com/quantum-leap-scott-bakula-lost-footage-alternate-ending/|title=Scott Bakula is Happy Fans Can See 'Quantum Leap' Lost Footage|last1=Mazzeo|first1=Jeff|last2=Trock|first2=Gary|date=June 1, 2019|website=The Blast|access-date=June 3, 2019|archive-date=June 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603153300/https://theblast.com/quantum-leap-scott-bakula-lost-footage-alternate-ending/|url-status=live}}</ref>