Quantum Leap - The Pilot Episode
The only flaw with the release ofQuantum Leap's original pilot  (a.k.a. "Genesis") is that the end leaves you wanting another episode... at least. (The intelligent, funny, and often touching series aired five seasons between 1989 and 1993, and was later syndicated on the Sci-Fi Channel.) The pilot is a reminder of how entertaining television can be when the writing is smart and the right actors possess the charisma to carry a show from week to week. As Sam Beckett (get it?), a brilliant scientist who's caught in a time machine nightmare--he spent five seasons bouncing from body to body, righting many of history's mistakes and trying to get, er, back to the future--Scott Bakula blends just the right mixture of confusion, frustration, and heroic self-parody. Dean Stockwell, as Al, Sam's oversexed colleague who now appears as a hologram image and Sam's guiding spirit, is always fun to watch, especially when he lands such a juicy role as this. In this pilot, Sam first steps into the time machine in 1995 and suddenly awakes in 1956 as Tom Stratton, a married Air Force test pilot who's getting ready to break the Mach 3 barrier. As Sam tries to piece his memory back together, Al informs him that Tom originally perished during the experiment, and that to get back, he must make sure he breaks the barrier safely. The only catch is that Sam has never flown a plane before.Quantum Leap's climax is both surprising and moving--a testament, perhaps, to how the series managed to survive for so long without becoming stale. For those who've never seen the show, this is a perfect introduction.--Dave McCoy