History Series / QuantumLeap

** When Sam encounters Alia the evil leaper for the second time, he's leapt into a [[HollywoodNerd nerdy college student]] who dresses up and [[ChronicHeroSyndrome acts like a superhero]], complete with [[SecretIdentity codename]]. She doesn't know he's Sam, but [[YouLookFamiliar he does remind her of someone]]. Sam offers [[{{ComicBook/Superman}} Clark Kent]] as a suggestion. [[spoiler: [[TragicOrphan The kid's background]] and [[BadassNormal MO]] are actually more like {{ComicBook/Batman}}]].

** When Sam encounters Alia the evil leaper for the second time, he's leapt into a [[HollywoodNerd nerdy college student]] who dresses up and [[ChronicHeroSyndrome acts like a superhero]], complete with [[SecretIdentity codename]]. She doesn't know he's Sam, but [[YouLookFamiliar he does remind her of someone]]. Sam offers [[ComicBook/Superman Clark Kent]] as a suggestion. [[spoiler: [[TragicOrphan The kid's background]] and [[BadassNormal MO]] are actually more like ComicBook/Batman]].

** When Sam encounters Alia the evil leaper for the second time, he's leapt into a [[HollywoodNerd nerdy college student]] who dresses up and [[ChronicHeroSyndrome acts like a superhero]], complete with [[SecretIdentity codename]]. She doesn't know he's Sam, but [[YouLookFamiliar he does remind her of someone]]. Sam offers [[Franchise/Superman Clark Kent]] as a suggestion. [[spoiler: [[TragicOrphan The kid's background]] and [[BadassNormal MO]] are actually more like Franchise/Batman's.]]

** When Sam encounters Alia the evil leaper for the second time, he's leapt into a [[HollywoodNerd nerdy college student]] who dresses up and [[ChromicHeroSyndrome acts like a superhero]], complete with [[SecretIdentity codename]]. She doesn't know he's Sam, but [[YouLookFamiliar he does remind her of someone]]. Sam offers "[[ComicBook/Superman Clark Kent]]?" as a suggestion. [[spoiler: [[TragicOrphan The kid's background]] and [[BadassNormal MO]] are actually more like ComicBook/Batman's.]]

* ShamSupernatural: A Halloween episode sees Sam leap into the body of a man clearly modeled after Count Dracula. He lives in a big mansion with no mirrors, lots of old portraiture, and several macabre artifacts. Al even points out that a portrait of the dude's ancestor supposedly deceased several hundred years ago is a dead ringer for the guy Sam's turned into. To make matters worse, the guy's friends are all equally creepy and holding a ritualistic party with a woman Al identifies as having gone missing around this time as the special guest. Sam is able to figure out that the group are simply vampire wannabes who have rigged the house to make themselves appear supernatural, but they are planning to kill and drink their guest's blood. Fortunately Sam is able to beat up the guy leading the ritual and get the police involved.

* BittersweetEnding: "Mirror Image" and the series as a whole. [[spoiler:Sam ensures that Beth never remarries, which leads to her and Al being happily married and having four daughters. On the other hand, the last scene was a simple line of text which read "Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home."]].

* PantyShot: Teresa in "Double Identity."

* AndNowForSomethingCompletelyDifferent: Sam sometimes leaping into the bodies of women is strange enough, but what takes the cake was at one point he leapt into the body of a ''monkey'' which was part of a space program. Another time, he leapt into a real life vampire.

* CannotHoldHisDrink: Sam isn't a big drinker and usually refuses alcohol. On two occasions when he doesn't (the first time he was [[DrowningMySorrows drowning his sorrows]], the second trying not to break character when leaping into a boozy old raconteur) he doesn't know his limits, and gets ''absolutely hammered''. At least he avoids the first hangover by leaping...

** Given a GenderFlip in "Play Ball", with the MerryWidow owner of the baseball team expecting Sam's ageing pitcher to sleep with her. It's implied that he manages to make excuses this time, but Sam confesses to Al that he thinks his leapee is only pitching this leap-critical game (with a scout watching) because "he slept his way" into her good graces.

%%* UnstuckInTime

** In "It's a Wonderful Leap," Sam leaps into Max, a cab driver who's to be murdered on Christmas Eve, 1958. He runs into Angelita, a woman claiming to be an angel. Naturally, Sam and Al think she's a nutcase, especially as she can see and hear Al (which crazy people can do). At the end, after Sam saves Max from his fate, Angelita says her job is done and once she's gone, everyone in this time will forget she was ever here. She surprises both men by calling "Max" Sam and "who do you think I was here to help?" As she walks off, Al presses Sam to go after her. "After who?" Sam asks, and Al is stunned to realize that Sam suddenly has no idea who Angelita is.

** The episode "Thou Shalt Not.." is ''Film/OrdinaryPeople'' in a [[YouHaveToHaveJews Jewish]] family.

* SignificantReferenceDate: In "The Leap Back," Al mentions that when he entered the imaging chamber it was Sept 18th, 1999. The episode originally aired on Sept 18th, 1991.

* HollywoodOld: A mild example. Based on the info that we're given, Sam is 46 when he first steps into the chamber. Scott Bakula was 35 when the series first aired.[[note]]Granted, the "1999" setting for the present wasn't actually determined until late in the series, so this trope likely wasn't intentional when Bakula was first cast.[[/note]] It helps, though, that Bakula's always had a rather distinguished look, and looked pretty much exactly the same when he actually ''did'' turn 46.

* GlamourFailure: Sam's true form can be seen by little children, animals and psychics ("Temptation Eyes").

''Quantum Leap'' (1989-1993) is a Creator/{{NBC}} CultClassic series. It's about a scientist, Dr. Sam Beckett (Creator/ScottBakula), caught in a malfunctioning TimeTravel experiment that bounces him back and forth into the roles of different people in the past. The only way for him to move on from any time period he lands in is to change the lives of people there for the better. Reluctant at the role thrust upon him, Sam assumes the role of {{the Drifter}}.

* TimeTravel: This is what Sam does.

* *{{Robinsonade}}: "Sea Bride" has Sam dealing with the aftermath of his host having apparently spent three years stuck on an island, and "Leaping of the Shrew" opens with him being stuck on an island with his host's love interest, where he has to ensure they remain and fall in love before being rescued nine years later.