Quantum Leap didn't make the jump to Peacock for one big reason

Quantum Leap was canceled in April following a two season run. NBC's decision disappointed its fans because the show had the gift of not only rewriting history without harming the future but also positively addressing societal issues. I, for one, was among the disappointed because Quantum Leap further educated me on the perspectives of others and how they see the world.

Not only did the series succeed in its storytelling and execution of human emotion, but it also succeeded in having the Headquarters, which a group of diverse characters operated. Chief Ziggy the Computer engineer Ian Wright (Mason Alexander Park), identifies as nonbinary and is a core team member. Their expertise, wisecracks, and multi-layered complexity gave one of Quantum Leap's most vital narratives, coupled with Ian's being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, which is still comparitvely rare on television

Then, you have Dr. Ben Song (Raymond Lee), who develops a deeper understanding of the people he leaps into through different decades. He saw history unfold, witnessing anti-Asian hate and racism up close in "One Night In Koreatown." Being of South Korean descent, Ben felt the racism personally, but the episode did end on a high note.

Going home was Ben's goal, and his team worked effortlessly to achieve the mission. However, he began to look forward to his leaps after he met and fell in love with Hannah Carson (Eliza Taylor), a WWII veteran with a knack for computers and mathematics. She constructed a code to bring him home while having a comforting relationship with Ben, linking them eternally.

If Quantum Leap produced such profound storylines, character arcs, and history embedding, why couldn't Peacock include it? Well, it has to do with numbers.

The reason why Quantum Leap isn't leaping to Peacock

As Peacock is "home" to NBCUniversal's expansive series catalog, it would've made sense for Quantum Leap to resume its seasons, since seasons 1 and 2 are integrated but it wasn't meant to be unfortunately.

According to TVLine's report, NBC executive Jeff Bader stated a concrete reason why the sci-fi show won't continue on the streamer. The ratings weren't enough to push Quantum forward, whereas Law and Order: Organized Crime did remarkably well. It'll be premiering its fifth season on Peacock.

Additionally, Bader quoted the following about Quantum Leap's performance level.

"[it's a] different discussion with Quantum [Leap], which was just a much softer show, performance-wise."

Bader is speaking of the 3 million total viewers on average that the series garnered with a 0.4 demo rating (when the Live+7 numbers are factored in). This placed the show last among the drama's on NBC's roster. Meanwhile, Law and Order: Organized Crime has been averaging 5.3 million viewers and a 0.6 rating. That's a stark difference in the numbers and it basically matches its previous season's numbers. In contrast, Quantum Leap was down 23% in viewers and 34% in the demo compared to its freshman run.

So, as you can see, performance truly is the major reason why the sci-fi drama didn't move to streaming for a third season. Particularly since Bader shared that "80% of [Organized Crime's] viewing isn’t in the time period where we schedule it, it’s delayed on Peacock, so it just made sense to move that to free up the time period." Had that been the case for Quantum Leap, it'd be a different story.

Seasons 1-2 of Quantum Leap can be streamed on Peacock.