While their time-travelling sci-fi series may have ended prematurely, the team behind NBC’sQuantum Leapreboot are headed to ABC for a new police procedural series. The sequel to the 1989 classic series was developed by Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt and followed the adventures ofBen Song in his attempts to get back to the presentafter being stuck in the past.
Though developing a solid fanbase in its run,Quantum Leapfailed to impressin its ratings, particularly as season 2 saw its time slot shifted twice from its original Wednesday night spot, leading to it being cancelled two months after the season 2 finale. Now, however, the creative team behind the series have lined up something new.
As reported byVariety,ABC has picked upKiller Classto develop into a new police procedural series. Co-created byQuantum Leapduo Lilien and Wynbrandt, as well as Joe Webb, the series is inspired by Keith Sharon’s article of the same name fromThe Tennesseean, which told the story of a high school forensics club who, with the help of their teacher, solve cold cases.
Lilien and Wynbrandt are set to beKiller Class' showrunners ane executive producers, with Webb co-producing alongside In Cahoots' Ken Kwapis, who will direct the pilot, and Alex Beattie, and Reynolds Anderson co-executive producing.La Breaalum Rachel Kaplan from Abescon Entertainment is also executive producing, with Kwapis writing of the show in the following statement:
The fact that these kids and their teacher were able to solve cases that had been cold for decades blew me away. I thought: Breakfast Club meets true crime.
What Killer Class Means For ABC
While once a home to the genre with the likes ofNathan Fillion’sCastleandNYPD Blue,ABC notably began minimizing their crime procedural output in the mid 2010s. The network instead continued their focus on the shows that were working while occasionally launching new ones, likeHow to Get Away with Murder, and the comedy and medical genres, as with theGrey’s Anatomyfranchise.
However,Killer Class' development comes at an interesting time for the networkas it continues to grow its roster of police procedurals, includingThe Rookieand its short-lived spinoff,Feds, as well asthe first-responder drama9-1-1, which they picked up from Fox. ABC is even gearing up for the premiere of the second spinoff of the latter franchise,Nashville, in October.
What makesKiller Class' acquisition so specifically interesting is thatthe network is supporting unique twists on the genre. The more notable are that ofRamón Rodríguez’sWill Trent,bringing the mix of comedy and drama from its books, andHigh Potential,maintaining the same intriguing concept of its French original while using Kaitlin Olson’s comedy background to sharp effect.
Our Take On Killer Class' Development
Between its unique,Veronica Mars-like concept of teenagers investigating cases, in this instance, cold cases, and the overall high school setting,Killer Classsounds like one of the most promising procedurals yet. I’ve personally missed shows exploring forgotten crimes sinceCold Case’s great seven-season runon CBS, and titles likeBallardandBoschhave shown how to modernize the formula.
Should Lilien and Wynbrandt take the right lessons from these prior shows forKiller Class, I think it will find a similar following to ABC’s other police procedurals and become a hit. Not to mention, with the network’s past of family-friendly fare, it’d be interesting to see the writers room develop coming-of-age arcs that can make it accessible to more than just mystery-loving adults.
Quantum Leap
Cast
Set thirty years after the events of the original television series; Quantum Leap is a sci-fi adventure that follows Dr. Ben Song, the new lead physicist who leads the government project known as “Quantum Leap.” Following in the footsteps of Dr. Sam Beckett, Sam hopes to figure out why the original creator disappeared - but along the way, he is met by a hologram of a Dr. Addison, who reveals to him the secrets of how to leap. As Ben jumps from host to host, trying to correct wayward events, his team works tirelessly to bring him home.
