The Worst Episodes of Quantum Leap

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Worst Episode
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   4.8/10(5 votes)

   #1 - Southern Comforts

   S3:E164/3/1991

   August 4, 1961: It's the best little cathouse in New Orleans. No, it's the Gilbert Labonte Sewin' & Quiltin' Academy. As the proprietor of this worthy establishment, Sam must prevent the mysterious death of a resident who doesn't belong there.

   Director:Chris Ruppenthal

   Writer:Tommy Thompson

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   Director:Chris Ruppenthal

   Writer:Tommy Thompson
2. 

   5.0/10(6 votes)

   #2 - Running for Honor

   S4:E121/15/1992

   June 11, 1964: As a track star in a Navy college, Sam must prevent the death of his ex- roommate, who was expelled because he was gay, and who is slated to die at the hands of a group of bigoted cadets.

   Director:Bob Hulme

   Writer:Bobby Duncan

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   Director:Bob Hulme

   Writer:Bobby Duncan
3. 

   5.3/10(6 votes)

   #3 - Private Dancer

   S3:E143/20/1991

   October 6, 1979: An aspiring dancer working as a waitress in a strip club is in danger of being led into a life of prostitution unless Sam, as "Rod the Bod," can convince her to audition for a spot in a professional dance group. But, since she's deaf, the choreographer doesn't believe she has the time to give the young lady the attention she'll need.

   Director:Debbie Allen

   Writer:Paul Brown

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   Director:Debbie Allen

   Writer:Paul Brown
4. 

   5.3/10(6 votes)

   #4 - Killin' Time

   S5:E510/20/1992

   June 18, 1958: Sam leaps into a tricky situation as an escaped killer holed up in a house with a mother and daughter as hostages. Escape isn't going to be easy for either Sam or his hostages, when the real killer breaks out of the waiting room, stranding Sam in the past, destined to die at the hands of a vengeful sheriff.

   Director:Michael W. Watkins

   Writer:Tommy Thompson

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   Director:Michael W. Watkins

   Writer:Tommy Thompson
5. 

   5.4/10(14 votes)

   #5 - What Price Gloria?

   S2:E410/25/1989

   October 16, 1961: Sam is shocked when he learns he's leaped into a woman, Samantha Stormer. As a gorgeous secretary for an automobile company, Sam has to cope with sexual harassment by the boss, a suicide attempt by a roommate, and the effect his looks have on Al's lecherous tendencies.

   Director:Alan J. Levi

   Writer:Deborah Pratt

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   Director:Alan J. Levi

   Writer:Deborah Pratt
6. 

   5.5/10(6 votes)

   #6 - The Play's the Thing

   S4:E111/8/1992

   September 9, 1969: May meets December when Sam leaps into a young actor in love with an older woman, who is also an aspiring singer. If he can't boost her confidence and help her get her career on track, she will face a "fate worse than death," returning with her son to Cleveland.

   Director:Eric Laneuville

   Writer:Beverly Bridges

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   Director:Eric Laneuville

   Writer:Beverly Bridges
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7. 

   5.8/10(12 votes)

   #7 - Good Night, Dear Heart

   S2:E173/7/1990

   November 9, 1957: Rather than saving the damsel of the episode, who supposedly committed suicide, Sam is the coroner trying to prove that she was murdered, and find out by whom.

   Director:Christopher T. Welch

   Writer:Paul Brown

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   Director:Christopher T. Welch

   Writer:Paul Brown
8. 

   6.0/10(12 votes)

   #8 - Maybe Baby

   S2:E204/4/1990

   March 11, 1963: Babysitting a kidnapped tot and a flaky, compulsively lying stripper keeps Sam busy as they cross Texas, on the run from the legal father and a squad of cops.

   Director:Michael Zinberg

   Writers:Paul Brown, Julie Brown

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   Director:Michael Zinberg

   Writers:Paul Brown, Julie Brown
9. 

   6.7/10(13 votes)

   #9 - How the Tess Was Won

   S1:E44/14/1989

   August 5, 1956: Sam finds himself on a Texas ranch in 1956 as a submissive veterinarian in love with a tough rancher.

   Director:Ivan Dixon

   Writer:Deborah Arakelian

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   Director:Ivan Dixon

   Writer:Deborah Arakelian
10. 

    6.7/10(9 votes)

    #10 - Sea Bride

    S2:E215/2/1990

    June 3, 1954: Aboard an ocean liner, Sam must stop the marriage of a young man's ex-wife to a mobster. In the process, he finds himself in one heck of a mess in the ship's garbage compartment.

    Director:Joe Napolitano

    Writer:Deborah Pratt

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    Director:Joe Napolitano

    Writer:Deborah Pratt
11. 

    6.8/10(10 votes)

    #11 - Catch A Falling Star

    S2:E1012/6/1989

    May 21, 1979: Sam leaps into Ray Hutton, the understudy for the role of Cervantes just seconds before curtain time. His mission: prevent the drunken star from falling and seriously injuring himself during a benefit performance of "Man of La Mancha." Sam isn't helped by the presence of his former piano teacher, on whom he once had a crush, and who now appears to have caught the star's eye as well.

    Director:Donald P. Bellisario

    Writer:Paul Brown

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    Director:Donald P. Bellisario

    Writer:Paul Brown
12. 

    6.9/10(15 votes)

    #12 - Camikazi Kid

    S1:E75/10/1989

    June 6, 1961: Sam leaps into the life of a teen-age hot-rodder who must stop his sister from marrying a wealthy bully.

    Director:Alan J. Levi

    Writer:Paul Brown

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    Director:Alan J. Levi

    Writer:Paul Brown
13. 

    6.9/10(9 votes)

    #13 - Blind Faith

    S2:E511/1/1989

    February 6, 1964: Although the concert pianist he leaps into is blind, a fact, which bothers his girlfriend's disapproving mother, Sam can still see. At least until an exploding flashbulb blinds him at the crucial moment: when he must rescue his girlfriend from a serial killer.

    Director:David G. Phinney

    Writer:Scott Shepherd

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    Director:David G. Phinney

    Writer:Scott Shepherd
14. 

    6.9/10(10 votes)

    #14 - Good Morning, Peoria

    S2:E611/8/1989

    September 9, 1959: Rock 'n' roll is about to become big, but not in Peoria. That is, unless Sam, as DJ Howlin' Chick Howell, can manage to keep the radio station where he's employed from being shut down by overly conservative town elders.

    Director:Michael Zinberg

    Writers:Chris Ruppenthal, Michael Zinberg

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    Director:Michael Zinberg

    Writers:Chris Ruppenthal, Michael Zinberg
15. 

    6.9/10(10 votes)

    #15 - A Portrait for Troian

    S2:E1112/13/1989

    February 7, 1971: Sam leaps into a renowned parapsychologist where he must prevent a young widow from joining her husband at the bottom of a lake, while proving that she's not crazy, despite her claims of hearing her dead husband calling to her.

    Director:Michael Zinberg

    Writer:Unknown

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    Director:Michael Zinberg

    Writer:Unknown
16. 

    6.9/10(10 votes)

    #16 - Freedom

    S2:E162/14/1990

    November 22, 1970: Rather than saving his grandfather's life, Sam has to escape from jail and elude the police long enough to get them both to the reservation, where the old man can die in peace, at home.

    Director:Alan J. Levi

    Writer:Chris Ruppenthal

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    Director:Alan J. Levi

    Writer:Chris Ruppenthal
17. 

    7.0/10(13 votes)

    #17 - The Right Hand of God

    S1:E34/7/1989

    October 24, 1974: Sam lands in 1974 as a young boxer caught between fight-fixing gangsters and hopeful nuns who now own his contract.

    Director:Gilbert M. Shilton

    Writer:John Hill

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    Director:Gilbert M. Shilton

    Writer:John Hill
18. 

    7.0/10(10 votes)

    #18 - Animal Frat

    S2:E121/3/1990

    October 19, 1967: Trapped in the body of Knut Wileton, better known as "Wild Thing," the typical frat jock, Sam must win the confidence of an attractive campus radical before she bombs the college's chemistry building as a protest against the war in Vietnam.

    Director:Gilbert M. Shilton

    Writer:Chris Ruppenthal

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    Director:Gilbert M. Shilton

    Writer:Chris Ruppenthal
19. 

    7.0/10(4 votes)

    #19 - One Strobe Over the Line

    S3:E410/19/1990

    June 15, 1965: Sam is a photographer who must protect a fashion model from a growing dependency on amphetamines and a predatory manager's ambitions.

    Director:Michael Zinberg

    Writer:Chris Ruppenthal

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    Director:Michael Zinberg

    Writer:Chris Ruppenthal
20. 

    7.0/10(4 votes)

    #20 - The Great Spontini

    S3:E811/16/1990

    May 9, 1974: Leaping into magician Harry Spontini, Sam has to prevent his estranged wife from taking their daughter away from him as she files for divorce, so she can marry her sleazy divorce attorney.

    Director:James Whitmore Jr.

    Writers:Beverly Bridges, Cristy Dawson

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    Director:James Whitmore Jr.

    Writers:Beverly Bridges, Cristy Dawson
21. 

    7.0/10(4 votes)

    #21 - Glitter Rock

    S3:E174/10/1991

    April 12, 1974: Sam is a glitter rock star in danger of being stabbed to death after a performance, unless Sam can determine who, from a growing list of people, the real killer is.

    Director:Andy Cadiff

    Writer:Chris Ruppenthal

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    Director:Andy Cadiff

    Writer:Chris Ruppenthal
22. 

    7.0/10(4 votes)

    #22 - Play Ball

    S4:E29/25/1991

    August 6, 1961: A pitcher on a minor league baseball team, Sam must decide if he's there to help a fellow team member, get his host back into the major leagues, or baby-sit the porcine team mascot, all while resisting the amorous advances of the women in his life.

    Director:Joe Napolitano

    Writer:Tommy Thompson

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    Director:Joe Napolitano

    Writer:Tommy Thompson
23. 

    7.0/10(4 votes)

    #23 - Liberation

    S5:E131/12/1993

    October 16, 1968: Leaping into a housewife and mother of two on the verge of women's lib, Sam must prevent the death of his daughter during a sit in, while convincing the girl's father that his marriage can survive a liberated wife and daughter.

    Director:Bob Hulme

    Writers:Chris Abbott, Deborah Pratt

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    Director:Bob Hulme

    Writers:Chris Abbott, Deborah Pratt
24. 

    7.0/10(4 votes)

    #24 - Dr. Ruth

    S5:E141/19/1993

    April 25, 1985: While Sam is in 1985, running her radio talk show, playing matchmaker to her producers, and trying to help a young secretary who's being sexually harassed by her boss, Dr. Ruth Westheimer spends her time in the Waiting Room, counseling Al on his feelings towards his five wives, as well as his relationship with Tina.

    Director:Stuart Margolin

    Writer:Robin Bernheim Burger

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    Director:Stuart Margolin

    Writer:Robin Bernheim Burger
25. 

    7.0/10(4 votes)

    #25 - Revenge of the Evil Leaper (2)

    S5:E172/23/1993

    September 16, 1987: Having simu-leaped, both Sam and Alia find themselves trapped in a women's prison, accused of murdering a fellow inmate. Their efforts to unmask the real killer are not their top priority as the two attempt to keep Alia's location hidden from her observer, Zoey, who leaps into the same place and time, determined to make Alia pay for her betrayal.

    Director:Debbie Allen

    Writer:Deborah Pratt

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    Director:Debbie Allen

    Writer:Deborah Pratt