Leap Week

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Leap Week was an official event created to promote Quantum Leap

It consisted of the rebroadcast of five nights of episodes. The purpose was to attract new fans and and to provide a treat for existing fans. This event occurred at a time when fans were dependent upon TPTB and the whims of networks for the opportunity to see shows they had missed or wanted to view again.

It appears that Dean Stockwell (the actor who portrayed Al) had distributed promotional buttons for "Leap Week."

A similar official promotional event that year was "Quantum Leap" Screening for Fans (1991).

Fan Comments

We were amazed that NBC even tried something like QL Week. We can't remember a network ever promoting another show in this manner and think it’s great that they tried it with "our" show. Somebody at NBC likes us! [1]

QUANTUM LEAP Week was heaven on earth. Three of the five episodes were all new to me. It's also wonderful to be a fan of a show that the network is actually supporting. [2]

Now that I’ve recovered from QUANTUM LEAP Week. I can sit down and write this LOC! Five consecutive nights of Quantum Leap is almost more than I can stand (but I would LOVE the opportunity to do it again soon) and I am so very pleased to see that it was a success. Judging from what I’ve been hearing, fully 35 to 40% of the people who watched QL during that week were new viewers and I've been hearing that they liked what they saw! Here’s hoping the new viewers QL acquired during QL Week will stay with us. Many thanks to you and Dean Stockwell for the "QUANTUM LEAP Week" button. It’s started more than one conversation about QL, which naturally is my favorite subject![3]

QL Week was the occasion for another party, this one organized by some local Leapers. (Where the hell did NBC get the idea that anybody called themselves "Leapheads”?? Members of this fandom have been known as Leapers since last summer!) In what appears to be a requisite maneuver, the party had to leap from the initial location to a secondary one, but fortunately it was done in time to settle into the new place before [the episode] "Machiko" started, and was a popular success. We cheered for Sam and Al, booed the bad guy, and decided it had all been so much fun we'll have to do it again. One’s in the works for mid-August, and we’ll probably do it again the week of the start of the new season. [4]

8:00 o'clock? Yes, I know of several friends who couldn't survive the late airing due to an early job and higher need for the "zzz" supplement. Friday? No way, Jose! This is a killer slot with only a torrid past behind it. Doesn't anyone at NBC recall it canned STAR TREK once and for all in that position citing poor ratings? I'm sure they're still kicking themselves for that move. QUANTUM LEAP was killed in that slot during LEAP Week, too. Get a clue, guys! When I see movement in, not just the time, but day of the week, I begin to suspect a plot, and a poorly written one at that. Heavens! Do they think we're stupid (aka Leapheads!!? Almost every single time a show moves, it loses gobs of viewers and begins a decent into oblivion. It took the vast majority of my friends MONTHS to figure out when QL aired and to finally set a routine around it. There are people I know who worked evening college classes around the time slot to avoid missing it! Maybe we need to spell it out: D.O.N.T. C.H.A.N.G.E. A. G.O.O.D. T.H.I.N.G!!! [5]

References