‘Quantum Leap’: How Will ‘The 100’s’ Eliza Taylor Figure Into Mind-Blowing Season 2?

Eliza Taylor in 'Quantum Leap' - Season 2
Preview
NBC

Quantum Leap wouldn’t be Quantum Leap without Dr. Ben Song (Raymond Lee) jumping into other people’s bodies in various time periods. So, you guessed it, things didn’t go as planned after that Season 1 cliffhanger of the revival of the 1989-1993 series (which starred Scott Bakula) when his team — Addison (Caitlin Bassett), Ian (Mason Alexander Park), Jenn (Nanrisa Lee) and Magic (Ernie Hudson) — were left waiting for Ben to finally come home.

Alas, we’ll find out what happened in the October 4 Season 2 premiere when we find Ben on a plane that crash-lands in 1978 Russia (the episode guest stars Manifest‘s Melissa Roxburgh).

“We’ve opened up the world” for Season 2, says executive producer and director Chris Grismer. Valiant Ben investigates the Salem Witch Trials in 1692, UFOs in 1949 New Mexico, the 1992 Los Angeles riots, and “Hitchcockian” goings-on in a 1961-set hour that was actually filmed in Egypt. (“We got to shoot where most people don’t get to go!” Grismer says.) All this leaping means Ben and stoic fiancée-colleague Addison have “even more obstacles to overcome, and it’s a really interesting story to watch unfold,” he cryptically adds.

One of the advantages we’ll see in Season 2 besides more focus on Ben’s leaps is some new faces, as we’ll meet grounded Army Intelligence officer Tom Westfall (Peter Gadiot) and the complex Hannah Carson (The 100’s Eliza Taylor), who is more than she seems. “It’s always interesting to bring new characters in, and it really freshens up the storytelling and also pushes the actors themselves in great new directions, gives them other people to work with and sort of lean on,” Grismer says.

In other words, keep an eye on the new characters coming in. “Some of the stories that the [new additions] are a part of in the new season are going to blow people’s minds. A lot of the stories that Eliza’s a part of have been some of my favorite stories that I’ve been a part of,” the EP adds. Consider us tuning in to find out more!

Quantum Leap, Season 2 Premiere, Wednesday, October 4, 8/7c, NBC

This is an expanded excerpt from TV Guide Magazine’s 2023 Returning Favorites issue. For more first looks at fall’s returning shows, pick up the issue, on newsstands now.