The Worst Episodes of Quantum Leap

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Worst Episode
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   6.1/10(438 votes)

   #1 - Blood Moon

   S5:E152/9/1993

   March 10, 1975: As an eccentric, possibly vampiric, artist just outside of London, Sam must bear with Al's superstitions, while trying to prevent the death of his host's young wife, at the hands of a couple who are taking a sacrificial ceremony in honor of the "blood moon."

   Director:Alan J. Levi

   Writer:Tommy Thompson

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   Director:Alan J. Levi

   Writer:Tommy Thompson
2. 

   6.7/10(444 votes)

   #2 - Stand Up

   S4:E215/13/1992

   April 30, 1959: Sam, as the singing half of a comedy team, soon finds that trying to convince two people that they're truly in love is no laughing matter, especially when one of them is the object of a sleazy casino owner's desire.

   Director:Michael Zinberg

   Writer:Deborah Pratt

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   Director:Michael Zinberg

   Writer:Deborah Pratt
3. 

   6.8/10(425 votes)

   #3 - Moments to Live

   S4:E194/8/1992

   May 4, 1985: Sam is a soap opera heart surgeon and the obsession of a love-struck, if somewhat deranged fan. He must escape from the woman and her husband who kidnap him for reproductive purposes

   Director:Joe Napolitano

   Writer:Tommy Thompson

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   Director:Joe Napolitano

   Writer:Tommy Thompson
4. 

   6.8/10(398 votes)

   #4 - 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
5. 

   6.9/10(594 votes)

   #5 - 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
6. 

   6.9/10(433 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. 

   6.9/10(401 votes)

   #7 - A Tale of Two Sweeties

   S5:E121/5/1993

   February 25, 1958: As a horse-playing, traveling brush salesman, Sam finds himself with two wives and two families. Although Ziggy predicts that Sam's mission is to choose between the two lives, the choice is made more difficult by the fact that there's only a 50/50 chance that he'll choose the right one. As if things weren't bad enough, Sam finds that his penniless host owes a pair of bookies some big bucks.

   Director:Christopher Hibler

   Writer:Robin Bernheim Burger

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   Director:Christopher Hibler

   Writer:Robin Bernheim Burger
8. 

   6.9/10(416 votes)

   #8 - 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
9. 

   7.0/10(488 votes)

   #9 - 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
10. 

    7.0/10(438 votes)

    #10 - Heart of a Champion

    S3:E205/8/1991

    July 23, 1955: The heart of a champion belongs to Ronnie, a professional wrestler, who will die if he competes in the title match. Sam, as his brother and new partner Terry, must convince him of his hidden health problem, while avoiding his own health problem - the jealous wrestler-husband of a woman who has taken an amorous interest in Sam.

    Director:Joe Napolitano

    Writer:Tommy Thompson

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    Director:Joe Napolitano

    Writer:Tommy Thompson
11. 

    7.0/10(420 votes)

    #11 - The Last Gunfighter

    S4:E141/29/1992

    November 28, 1957: Sam finds himself in the life of Tyler Meanes, a teller of tall tales who faces death at the hand of an old friend in a shootout at high noon.

    Director:Joe Napolitano

    Writers:Chris Ruppenthal, Sam Rolfe

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    Director:Joe Napolitano

    Writers:Chris Ruppenthal, Sam Rolfe
12. 

    7.0/10(369 votes)

    #12 - The Beast Within

    S5:E193/16/1993

    November 6, 1972: Sam leaps into Henry Adams, one of a trio of friends who fought in Vietnam and came home each with their own personal scars and the memory of a lost buddy. He has to save the life of a friend, Roy, as well as of a young boy, Daniel, who ventures into the woods of Washington looking for proof of Bigfoot.

    Director:Gus Trikonis

    Writer:John D'Aquino

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    Director:Gus Trikonis

    Writer:John D'Aquino
13. 

    7.1/10(867 votes)

    #13 - 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
14. 

    7.1/10(533 votes)

    #14 - Her Charm

    S2:E152/7/1990

    September 26, 1973: Protecting a female member of the witness protection program from a mafia hitman proves difficult for Sam, since the FBI appears to have an informant confounding his attempts to hide her.

    Director:Christopher T. Welch

    Writers:Donald P. Bellisario, Deborah Pratt

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    Director:Christopher T. Welch

    Writers:Donald P. Bellisario, Deborah Pratt
15. 

    7.1/10(527 votes)

    #15 - Leaping in Without a Net

    S2:E193/28/1990

    November 18, 1958: Sam remembers he's afraid of heights when he leaps into a trapeze artist, whose sister wants him to catch her as she does a triple without a net. Dad is less than pleased, since his wife died a few years earlier while attempting the same stunt.

    Director:Christopher T. Welch

    Writer:Tommy Thompson

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    Director:Christopher T. Welch

    Writer:Tommy Thompson
16. 

    7.1/10(517 votes)

    #16 - 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
17. 

    7.1/10(518 votes)

    #17 - 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
18. 

    7.1/10(496 votes)

    #18 - Piano Man

    S3:E153/27/1991

    November 10, 1985: Joey Dinardo is a lounge lizard on the run from mob hitmen. When Sam leaps in, his ex-girlfriend, and former musical partner have found him, and now both are on a run for their lives from a killer who seems to know their every move.

    Director:James Whitmore Jr.

    Writer:Ed Scharlach

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    Director:James Whitmore Jr.

    Writer:Ed Scharlach
19. 

    7.1/10(457 votes)

    #19 - Dreams

    S4:E811/13/1991

    February 28, 1979: It's more like a nightmare when Sam leaps into a detective, investigating a gruesome murder. He may be next if he doesn't find out who eviscerated the victim and his only hope is the victim's catatonic son and her husband's psychiatrist. The horrific flashbacks he's experiencing don't help matters much either.

    Director:Anita W. Addison

    Writer:Deborah Pratt

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    Director:Anita W. Addison

    Writer:Deborah Pratt
20. 

    7.1/10(449 votes)

    #20 - A Song for the Soul

    S4:E152/26/1992

    April 7, 1963: As a backup singer in a black, amateur girl group Sam finds between the fifteen year-old lead singer and her father as he attempts to rescue the girl from a sleazy night club owner's clutches.

    Director:Michael W. Watkins

    Writer:Deborah Pratt

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    Director:Michael W. Watkins

    Writer:Deborah Pratt
21. 

    7.2/10(800 votes)

    #21 - Double Identity

    S1:E54/21/1989

    November 8, 1965: Sam becomes a hit man in 1965 whose romance with the godfather's girlfriend places him in danger.

    Director:Aaron Lipstadt

    Writer:Donald P. Bellisario

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    Director:Aaron Lipstadt

    Writer:Donald P. Bellisario
22. 

    7.2/10(596 votes)

    #22 - Thou Shalt Not...

    S2:E711/15/1989

    February 2, 1974: Sam's task as a rabbi is to keep his sister-in-law from falling for a sleazy author and ruining her life. In the process he also helps the family recover from the year-old death of their son.

    Director:Randy Roberts

    Writer:Tammy Ader

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    Director:Randy Roberts

    Writer:Tammy Ader
23. 

    7.2/10(565 votes)

    #23 - 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
24. 

    7.2/10(536 votes)

    #24 - All-Americans

    S2:E141/17/1990

    November 6, 1962: Keeping his best friend from throwing the high school championship football game, costing both of them their scholarship offers, Sam must also get their families to consolidate.

    Director:John Cullum

    Writers:Donald P. Bellisario, Paul Brown

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    Director:John Cullum

    Writers:Donald P. Bellisario, Paul Brown
25. 

    7.2/10(500 votes)

    #25 - Leap of Faith

    S3:E310/12/1990

    August 19, 1963: Sam finds himself in one holy mess as a priest in Philadelphia, trying to help an alcoholic priest deal with a killer and the death of a young parishioner.

    Director:James Whitmore Jr.

    Writer:Tommy Thompson

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    Director:James Whitmore Jr.

    Writer:Tommy Thompson