Episode Transcript
Sam Fain They Them (00:45.726)
Hello, welcome, Leapers and fellow travelers to Fates Wide Wheel. I'm your host, Sam. I am flying solo this week. Dennis is unable to make it. There's just been a lot of prior engagements, I think, for both of us recently, lots of work stuff and otherwise. So.
Sam Fain They Them (01:29.526)
Hello, Leapers and fellow travelers. Welcome to Fates Wide Wheel, a quantum leap podcast. I am your host, Sam Fain, and I'm flying solo this week. Dennis could not make it. There's been lots of personal and professional obligations, both of our ends recently, so we've not been able to really arrange times for both of us to get together, and we haven't necessarily had a whole lot of content to bring you. There are certainly some things that we really want to do. Obviously, wanna kinda do a season overview, wanna talk about favorite episodes, get some guests back in here and do some fun.
you know, commentary type stuff, that sort of thing. Maybe even dive a little deeper if it's at all possible into some of the episodes. And definitely want to get back to our revisited series as well so we can talk about the classic series alongside the new series. But there were a couple of things that we wanted to address and so with Dennis's blessing, I decided to kind of hop into the accelerator solo and deliver some new stuff that might not be entirely new because it's certainly things that we've addressed on social media channels.
It's things that the writers and producers have also addressed a little bit here and there on social media channels. But I just wanted to try to get everything together in one place. So if you had questions, certainly as it pertains to the writer's strike or as it pertains to what's going to happen for the following season, that I could hopefully clear a little bit of that up. As far as I can, some of the things that have been said, I will just be completely honest that you've been off the record. So I'm...
Sam Fain They Them (02:56.990)
at Liberty to discuss everything, but I can certainly talk a little bit here and there or talk around some things just to give a little bit of a clearer picture on the current state of the show heading into season two in the midst of this summer break. But before I do that, I just want to take a moment to say welcome. Welcome to the studio. It is slowly but surely coming together. I've got some stuff set up here and there.
Sam Fain They Them (03:26.998)
Ben Sisko hanging out behind me. Also have some of my, you know, movie collection. And I just wanted to point out this sign right here that says, you are magic. And that was something that my spouse, Jessica, got for me as a sort of a housewarming gift, if you will, which was incredibly sweet of her. And when I opened it,
she said, do you get the reference? And of course, the first thing I thought of was let them play, in which during the living portraits, the father says, you know, trans kids are magic. And I thought that that's what it meant, but I didn't necessarily want to assume that she had actually done that. Although she did watch that episode with me, she didn't get to see all the episodes with me, unfortunately, this past season, although that's something we look forward to.
Sam Fain They Them (04:26.734)
changing over the summer. But she had seen that episode and obviously she'd heard a lot about it, we talked a lot about it. And of course it had a lot of meaning for me. And so in giving that to me, I mean, it just put a huge smile on my face to say the very least. And I think the other thing is that she mentioned.
Sam Fain They Them (04:51.434)
is that as much as it was of course for me to say like, you're magic, it was also embracing the idea that I've really been exploring options for different forms of advocacy and trying to help and support trans youth as much as I possibly can. And so it's not just a message for me, it's also a message for them, which I just love even more. And it's the reason why she's just been absolutely incredible always. So...
I want to thank her for that. I did get the opportunity to share that with Shakina and she thought it was pretty spectacular as well. So it holds a lot of meaning for me and though it might not necessarily appear at first glance to hold a lot of meaning for Fates Wide Wheel and Quantum Leap, it certainly does. So big shout out to Jessica for getting that for me.
Sam Fain They Them (05:49.034)
You know, onto kind of another personal note, I mentioned on our Twitter account last week that things had been a little rough and had certainly been impeding, I think, the ability to do some of what we normally do. And part of it, of course, is that, you know, the show is not currently on the air. And taking a break, I think, is something that a lot of the other places covering the show have done anyway. So it was an opportunity to take a step back just because the show wasn't on the air.
Sam Fain They Them (06:18.950)
After my father passed, it became, I think, a little bit more of a necessity for me to really kind of just try and focus as best I could on...
Sam Fain They Them (06:32.226)
grieving and it takes time and it takes space and in some ways it takes solitude and you know you need community and ritual as well and the truth of the matter is just due to the nature of him that community and ritual has certainly been something that's been a bit lacking and I mentioned this that in some ways his death has lacked substance and meaning. My grandmother died about three years ago.
that occurred, I grieved, I was sad, but there was there I found so much meaning and I and I found so much direction and hope in her legacy and the way that she had impacted me and I'm having a little difficulty doing that with my dad which to be completely blunt just fucking sucks and it's certainly given me a lot of
thoughts and feelings that I did not expect. It's been confusing and there have been just a lot of high highs and low lows, peaks and valleys. And finding a way to be healthy, be good to myself, be kind to myself. Also, of course, being a parent and being a spouse has been challenging and...
There's been some anger mixed with the sadness and impatience mixed with it as well. And anyone who's gone through this, anyone who's grieved before, I'm sure has felt similar things. And certainly if you've had a challenging relationship with a relative who passed, I think you probably know exactly the type of things that I'm talking about. And in the midst of all of this, there's been kind of this constant worry about falling off the wagon.
Sam Fain They Them (08:24.050)
And it's not, I don't think been a reality. I don't find myself staring at a bottle or wanting to go into a bar or whatnot, but there seems to be this looming threat. And so I've just tried to be as aware of that as possible. And it's...
Sam Fain They Them (08:50.622)
it's added a new layer of confusion, I think, to all of this, and anger as well, and sadness, and confusion. So it's been a very challenging time in a lot of ways, and I think part of it's been a little bit unexpected. I've spent time in therapy and really just doing as much healing as I can and trying to be a cycle breaker and just break the chains of the intergenerational trauma that was certainly thrust upon myself. And...
doing all that work I think has prepared me well in a lot of ways, and yet no matter how much you prepare, I think this is something that gives you a mountain. It gives you a challenge that you cannot be equipped all the way for. So you have to use the tools that you have and rely on love and hope.
Sam Fain They Them (09:49.902)
Hopefully you have good people in your life that are willing to check in on you or give you space. And again, you know, just going back to Jess, I mean, that's something that she's provided obviously an incredible amount of. And it's hard because sometimes you feel guilty. I've felt guilty about taking advantage of that, taking too much space, taking too much time. And part of that is
this concern, this worry, this fear that I'm going to use up everyone else's empathy or compassion and quite frankly, as silly as this might sound, that includes you, that includes the listeners and the viewers because I feel this worry, this concern that people are going to just kind of say, hey, we've all got our own stuff and, you know, get over it, deal with it. And of course, at every turn, those fears are completely assuaged by
the comments, the kindness, the love, the compassion, the empathy that you all do continue to show. And for that, I'm really grateful. And I mean that, I genuinely mean that. There's a sincere sense of gratitude. And it's something that I try to express as often as possible just for the fact that you're even listening or watching this podcast, but in this specific instance, the fact that you're taking the time to let me know that it's okay to not be okay has been incredible. And it's one of the reasons why I will continue to put myself out there. It's one of the reasons why I'll continue to
Sam Fain They Them (11:13.186)
check in and use this particular platform to hopefully also let other people know that yeah, it's okay to not be okay and that there are people out there in the most surprising quarters that will offer you that little ray of sunshine that you might need in order to just feel a little bit better. So thank you for that. I really appreciate it. And I'll keep you updated.
Sam Fain They Them (11:38.718)
So let's talk a little bit about Quantum Leap. Now, obviously right now the WGA is striking and that has meant that all writing has ceased on television, film, et cetera. There's no writing going on at all. And that also includes that fact that writers cannot be present on set during filming, that writers are unable to offer any kind of input whatsoever on production. They can write.
Sam Fain They Them (12:06.850)
but they cannot show that to anyone in a professional capacity. They cannot share that with an agent, a manager, et cetera, et cetera. If they're doing it, they're basically just doing it for themselves, banking it, saving it for later. Now, of course, there are other things, other avenues that they can pursue. Shakina, for instance, being an example, she has been working on a musical adaptation of Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, which, if you're not familiar with, was actually a play in the 70s and then a movie.
I believe in the early 80s, might have been late 70s. Don't hold me to that one. But actually it was a platform, early platform, if you were for Kathy Bates, the film was. And one of the things that was also, or the play, one of the things that was also great about that play is that it included a trans character. And the fact that, you know, this show in the 70s,
Sam Fain They Them (13:03.526)
was shedding a little light on a trans character in Texas nonetheless, I think was was pretty groundbreaking for for the time. And so I'm really, you know, thrilled that she's working on this and actually posted some snippets from some of the songs just yesterday or day before yesterday on Twitter. So find her Twitter account and you'll be able to see some of the stuff that she's been working on. Quick theatrical tangent, Mason Alexander Park, of course, is currently in London getting ready to.
play the MC on the West End in the production of Cabaret. I wish I could be there so much. That sounds like it is going to just be amazing. I cannot even put into words how badly I wish I could be there. I saw a production of Cabaret in Studio 54 in New York City about 20 years ago, and I just love that show so much. And I love this opportunity for them. And I really, really wish I could see them in that role because I think they're gonna knock it out of the park. It's going to be fantastic.
Sam Fain They Them (14:02.026)
Anyway, back to the writers. So obviously this has a huge impact on Quantum Leap because, and this is true for most shows, but the producers are writers. The writers are producers in almost every instance. And in some cases have also gotten behind the camera in a directorial capacity. So for Quantum Leap in particular,
this basically means that any input that any of the writers have been able to have has ceased. And I think that we've been able to illustrate on the show before that the writers have been incredibly important to the production of these episodes, that things have changed during the production of the episode, that things have changed, you know, even basically, like after things were finished, right? And so I think that it's, it's
Sam Fain They Them (14:55.358)
It's concerning in some fashion because it means that a lot of that valuable work cannot happen. And it means that until the strike is resolved, there are, you know, no new episodes can be written or put in front of a camera. However, and this is the big, you know, key to all of this. They're they are in production right now, currently, I believe, on episode eight. I'm I believe it will be wrapping.
very soon. In fact, it could wrap within the next day or two. By the time you're listening to this, it could be wrapped. I had heard that that was the plan was to do eight episodes to get those eight done and then take a break, which is the reason why, for instance, Mason is in London right now. They're not needed on set. They're not needed because next week they're not going to be shooting a new episode. They're not going to be shooting episode nine. Unfortunately, this means that episode eight was shot without the writer around.
Sam Fain They Them (15:55.926)
And again, based off of conversations that we've had on this podcast with writers and producers, we know how valuable that input can be. Now that's not to say that, you know, the episodes in shambles, they have to get it in front of a camera before they can fix it up and make it great. That's not the case at all. Certainly, you know, quality episodes can be can be shot just with the shooting script and no changes made. That's, you know, I'm not trying to imply that, you know, it's necessary for that to take place, although it's certainly important.
Um, so I think that with episode eight, that advantage is not there. However, the first seven episodes of season two already filmed writers on set. Um, I, you know, I'd even heard from one of the writer producers that, you know, that they were there and basically wrapped their episode. And then a couple of days later, it's strike time, you know, so it's kind of interesting the way that the process has.
Sam Fain They Them (16:52.382)
altered a little bit over this past week, and yet it did not have an impact in the way that the episodes were filmed or written or that input could take place. It certainly had an impact on people. I think that there was probably some stress and anxiety surrounding that, and that can certainly impact creativity. However, again, these are professionals, these are talented people, these artists bring their A game. And I think that those first seven episodes...
Sam Fain They Them (17:19.790)
you could pretty much say are not impacted by, excuse me, not impacted by the writer's strike. If episode eight ends up being impacted by the writer's strike, we don't know, we'll see. It's not out of the question for them to make changes to the episode prior to airing if the strike is resolved before that. Which sort of leads me to the next point, because with eight episodes, if we do in October premiere, late September, early October premiere, that can easily get you into the December, you know, kind of holiday hiatus.
Sam Fain They Them (17:49.118)
Initially, I believe based off of some stuff that I heard the plan was to do these eight bank them start airing them I don't know exactly when but but I'm assuming late September early October and then take that break with the episodes filming I believe was going to resume in November so We're talking like six months That they were going to take this break anyway
And obviously you want to have a little prep time, you want to have a little lead time. I don't know if episode nine was written. I can assume it might've been partially written or at least they'd broken the story, but maybe it was written in full, I don't know. That said, if the strike is resolved in time, you know, for them to shoot in November, then I think we're fine. I think season two will go off without a hitch. It will be.
you know, the full episode order that NBC initially ordered and everything will be okay. That of course leads to the fact that it got a change in when it's airing. It's now airing Tuesdays at 10, nine central. This is not a cause for concern. If anything, I think this is actually a cause for celebration in a way, because that is a really good spot based off of, you know, what NBC.
Sam Fain They Them (19:06.246)
usually offers, you know, some of the shows that they've had there prior to that, they've shown a strong commitment to This Is Us, Parenthood, you know, those sorts of shows. I think that again, based off of some of what I've heard, there is a strong commitment to Quantum Leap that season two, it really ups the ante in so many ways. And I think that the what we're in store for in season two, it has the potential to really blow you away.
Sam Fain They Them (19:35.922)
I don't know anything about what they're doing, where it's headed, but I have certainly heard murmurings that there's a lot of excitement surrounding the quality, surrounding the direction, and I think that the network is really behind the show. I think that regardless of what happens with the writer's strike, I think we're gonna see some really cool promotion of the show, and not necessarily cool as far as like innovative, but just in general, we're going to see some promotion of the show,
cool thing. And I would not be surprised if, you know, we don't hear much over the next month or two, depending on how the writer's strike goes. But I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere in July we start hearing some new stuff and things really start maybe picking up late August, early September, leading us into that late September, early October premiere date. Everything I've just said pretty much though is in flux as far as dates go. I don't know for sure what's going to happen with any of that. And it's entirely possible.
even likely that if the writer's strike goes on too much longer, not too much longer, I mean, it hasn't necessarily gone on that long already, but I'm just saying if it goes on longer than six months, let's say that could change a lot of things. We could see decisions made to shorten seasons of shows. We could see decisions made to break up what they do have, maybe air four in the fall, four in late winter, early spring.
Sam Fain They Them (21:03.102)
And this is all speculation on my part. I don't have any insider knowledge on that at all. So it's really hard to tell exactly what could happen should the strike go be prolonged. And I just think that at this particular point in time, we should.
Sam Fain They Them (21:21.142)
support the writers and also have faith in the fact that we have eight episodes filmed before camera and those eight episodes will likely air in the fall. And what happens after that? We just can't tell at this point. I think we're in for a treat either way. I think obviously it would suck if there's only eight episodes in season two.
Sam Fain They Them (21:46.458)
It would be really difficult, I think, for everyone involved if that were the case. I'm certainly hoping that it's not. I'm loving the fact, of course, that we've seen so much solidarity with the writers, the actors, the production crew, people really just kind of coming together because the strike is important. And I think that first and foremost, as much as we're talking about this entertainment, and maybe I should have said this upfront, quite frankly, but first and foremost,
is that I firmly believe in what the writers are doing. I believe that the artists need to be recognized and paid fairly for their work. I think that it's very easy to look at the money that they might make or that might be on a paycheck and just be like, oh wow, well, I mean, how can you complain about that? But the fact of the matter is, is so much of that money goes other places, you know, agents, managers.
Sam Fain They Them (22:40.538)
union dues, fees for guilds, et cetera, all that sort of stuff. And then you look at things like, you know, health insurance, medical bills, you look at the rent out there, you know, you start, you start kind of piecing all this together and you realize, wow, that's not actually very much money at all. And then, of course, when you contrast that with what these companies are actually making with what these CEOs are making, you start to see the disparity. And it's, it's, it's kind of heartbreaking because the fact is, these, these people, these creative engines.
Sam Fain They Them (23:09.190)
are giving it their all and they're putting work together that we are all enamored with and they're not getting remunerated the way that they should be for it. And I think that it's incredibly important to also recognize the fact that most artists have this this big problem and it's called passion and that passion means they would do it for free. But they can't and they shouldn't
And so many times we sell ourselves short. So many times we will absolutely take the first number that's thrown out at us because no one's ever given us the opportunity to say, no, you're worth this. And it's...
Sam Fain They Them (23:55.582)
It's hard to explain sometimes to people that aren't involved in the arts or that don't have an appreciation for the arts because It's just much more than than punching a clock, although that's a part of it. And I think that that's the thing that's, you know, that's kind of that dichotomy that sometimes just gets lost, not only for for people on the outside looking in, but for the artists themselves as well. Because, you know, if you don't look at it like a business, if you don't say this is a business and I have to do what's best, you know, for business.
and that business just happens to be me. I have to bet on myself, I have to invest in myself, et cetera, then yeah, you can get taken advantage of. And the truth of the matter is, is because of the way that the business often works, the people that try their best to look out for themselves, try their best to make sure that they're being done right by, are still getting taken advantage of. And I think that no matter which way you slice it, no matter what interests they might have at heart, that so many of these studios and so many of these CEOs are indeed taking advantage of the artists.
and they're profiting off of the artist while not necessarily giving the artist what they deserve. It takes a village, it takes a team, collaboration is incredibly important. When you look at the money that goes into a show or goes into a film, you can look at that money and you can kind of say like, oh, well, that's a lot of money. And it is, and everyone deserves to be paid fairly for that. And sometimes I think with the world that we live in, especially over these past few years and seeing inflation, it's like, well, people need to make more. No one should be basically having to live paycheck to paycheck.
if they're working on a show that's bringing in millions and millions of dollars, or a film that's bringing in potentially a billion dollars. So again, I just think that that's the most important thing to remember. And I think that showing solidarity with the writers, doing whatever we can to support them, it counts. It really does. I mean, people see these things on social media, people react to these things on social media at all levels, and they care about appearances.
You know, if everybody came out on their Twitter and said, I support the writers and, and I'm going to cancel my, you know, my, my peacock or cancel my Netflix or cancel the, you know, do all this sort of stuff. I mean, people do notice that they don't want to look bad and they don't want to lose money. And so the more we can do to kind of help and show that solidarity that I think the better, and you might not think that it matters, but it really, it genuinely does. And I know that so, so many of you have already done that. I mean, I've, I've seen it and I appreciate it. So.
Great work. But all of that said, I do think that, especially for the first half of season two, we don't have anything to be worried about. We're going to get that. We're going to get it in some capacity. It seems like the network is very excited about it. And the whole creative team seems to be excited about it. So I'm really looking forward to seeing what they put together for us. I think that the little sizzle reel, if you will, that we got at the end of the finale was awesome and showed a lot more than I thought that it was going to.
Sam Fain They Them (26:44.058)
So it'll be really cool to see the direction that they take things. And I think that, you know, for all the questions that were left over after the finale, I think that there are definitely gonna be some answers along the way, but I don't think that that's what the season is going to be about. I think that the season is going to really embrace the episodic nature of the original in a lot of ways, while certainly still having, you know, through line. It's not like we're going to lose that, but I think it'll be less about
some sort of, as we said before, some sort of mystery box and certainly more about the characters evolving and growing and the stories that take place, the interpersonal dramas, I think, will be much more important going forward while also having a lot of focus on those leaps, which I know is something that a lot of people have wanted. So you're gonna get it, I think. I think, I don't know, I could be completely wrong. But anyway.
Sam Fain They Them (27:39.942)
The other thing that I wanted to kind of address real quick was the physical media aspect of Quantum Leap. We heard murmurings about a month ago, I want to say, about a DVD release of Season 1. We didn't really know what to expect from it. I think that there was definitely an element of
Sam Fain They Them (28:09.634)
There's not been a huge investment in physical media from a lot of networks. Certainly the prestige stations, the HBOs, they've invested I think heavily in the physical media. We've seen a 4K release of Game of Thrones for instance. Paramount.
has also invested a bit, especially when it comes to Star Trek. They know that Star Trek is something they can make money off. They know that Star Trek fans are going to want to have that physical media. They're releasing a 4K version of Strange New Worlds tomorrow, actually. I think I might pick it up. So so I think that it's a rarity to see networks in particular go all out for DVD releases or Blu-ray releases. And I don't think.
Other than again, other than Paramount doing the, the 4K version for the Star Trek shows, I don't think that any network has released a 4K. Most networks aren't even releasing Blu-rays of their shows. Some shows, yes, but they're far, far, far, far, far, and few between. Sometimes if a show has finished airing and they know it has a big enough following, we'll see a Blu-ray like, you know, The Office, or I think How I Met Your Mother, or Friends, stuff like that. But I mean, those were shows that were off the air by the time.
they got those Blu-ray releases. Although I do think that like The Office and maybe How I Met Your Mother had some as well. I know House maybe had a couple, but sometimes they weren't even finished all the way. Sometimes they didn't get single Blu-ray releases. They just got that whole series Blu-ray release at the end. So all that is to say that there was certainly a little bit of trepidation when the news broke because I think we wondered what exactly were we going to be getting.
Sam Fain They Them (29:59.102)
If I'm being honest, I don't want a DVD of Quantum Leap. I will buy it to support the show, to say like, hey, I support this show. I will do that, but I won't watch it. I'm sorry, I just won't. Because the quality of watching that DVD compared to what I could do if I just watched it on Peacock, it's not, I mean, it's not gonna be the same. We're talking about a 720 versus 1080.
Sam Fain They Them (30:28.162)
I don't believe Peacock streams in 4k. There was some question about the possibility of having the show in 4k. And I was gonna answer this on Twitter. I just kind of got very into some things and I never responded to it. But there was a comment about like, well, it's not broadcast in 4k. That might be true. Most networks don't broadcast in 4k. Some sporting events are, but usually that's, you have to pay for that. It's not even actually over the air. The ability to broadcast in 4k exists.
but it requires a special package and I don't know that all TVs have said package, so most networks aren't actually broadcasting in 4K yet. There are some local affiliates that broadcast in 4K, but I don't think, like nationally, I don't think it's a thing yet. That may have changed, feel free to correct me. What I will say, however, is that the show, as most shows these days are, is shot in 8K.
Sam Fain They Them (31:24.546)
So, and I'm getting into the technical weeds on this, so some of you might have already tuned out, I don't know. Maybe you find it as interesting as I do. But the show is shot at 8K resolution, which means that whether or not the final episode is produced in 8K resolution, the elements exist for it to be in up to an 8K resolution. Now,
8K televisions have just recently come on the market. It's not something that everybody owns. There are, you know, 8K players, all this super, super, super expensive, super high end stuff. There's hardly anything out there that you would need it for, want it for, et cetera. It's just upscaling. It's basically like when 4K stuff first came out, you were just upscaling your, your blue rays, which looked nice, but it was, there was not a discernible difference between just watching your blue ray normally. And then there wasn't watching it 4K. Then of course, when 4K started to become a little bit more standard,
Sam Fain They Them (32:16.610)
Now you can see things in 4K. Now you can stream things in 4K. Disney Plus is probably actually, believe it or not, one of the best streamers for 4K. They offer Dolby Vision on almost all of their films, which is, Dolby Vision is basically like the highest quality that we have right now. There's HDR, and then there's Dolby Vision, which is kind of like a notch above. Might not be, again, a great discernible difference, but for some eyes, it's important. Back to Quantum Leap, however.
Sam Fain They Them (32:46.586)
I don't know whether or not the show is produced at a 4k resolution meaning This is something actually oddly enough We're not a star trek podcast But that affects the remastering of deep space nine for instance deep space nine was filmed at a high resolution But then it was basically down converted for broadcast so
Sam Fain They Them (33:10.334)
It was basically a situation where I believe it was broadcast at like 480 or something like that. And even though it was shot, it might have been, it might've actually been shot at 1080. I'm not 100% sure, don't quote me on that. But I know that it was shot at a higher resolution than like the 480. So anyway, the problem with that is, is that they could not remaster the existing episodes because they only exist at a low resolution.
compared to what we have today. So in order to actually remaster Deep Space Nine, they would have to go back, pull all of the original footage as it was originally shot, re-edit the episodes together at the higher resolution. And that's a lot of work. To the point that they don't know if all of, like the production guides or whatever, I'm not sure what the real technical terminology is, but it's basically the book that would tell you
which cuts were used, which takes were used, which, you know, where things were cut, with how the episode was edited together. They don't know if all that exists. They don't even know if all the original footage exists. So it's the reason why we're not unfortunately likely to get a Deep Space Nine remaster, which really stinks. Anyway, as it pertains to Quantum Leap, I don't know what the episodes are actually handed in at. So if the episodes are handed in at 4K resolution, which they very well could be,
then that means that the edited episode as is that we see on air exists in a 4K resolution. We're not seeing it at a 4K resolution. We're certainly not seeing it at 4K on a DVD. And we're definitely not seeing it on a 4K at the Blu-ray because after the DVD was announced, a Blu-ray was announced and Blu-ray.com actually released a press release for the Blu-ray.
Sam Fain They Them (34:58.942)
Which kind of excited me because now all of a sudden I thought like, okay, like I'll definitely pick up a blu-ray Like I'll watch a blu-ray of the series because if the show is I don't know I'd have to check into this But I'm peacock if the show is streamed at 1080 for the blu-ray It's still gonna be better quality on the blu-ray than it would be on peacock now if it's streamed at 4k Then again, why do I need the blu-ray because I can watch it on peacock at a better resolution Now this is splitting hairs with some people some people literally don't care
Some people are happy watching their VHS, you know, taped off of USA copies of the classic series, right? But I think for those of us that are into physical media and those of us that want to see the show represented well on physical media, it's exciting that there's going to be a Blu-ray, it's disappointing in a way that there won't be a 4K, and it's definitely disappointed these seem to be, and here's the last point, budget releases.
Sam Fain They Them (35:55.562)
It does not seem to be the case that these will have special features or extra bells and whistles of any sort. It looks like it's just going to be the show, and that's that.
Sam Fain They Them (36:08.722)
I don't know, I could be wrong, but there's been no indication whatsoever that these are going to have any special features. Vanilla releases, budget releases. A lot of times with budget releases, not only do we not get special features, but we usually get pretty crappy transfers, high compression rates, you know, bad endcodes. I will say that Mill Creek did a really good job with the classic series as far as the endcodes and compression goes. It looks pretty damn good for a show that did not get like a full, you know,
remastering or whatever, as far as I'm aware. So I don't know what to expect, unfortunately. I can't give you more information. But what I can say is that pre-order if you want it, because this could be one of those things where it's hard to get because they don't make a lot of them. So pre-order it if you really want it. But buyer beware that it could just be a vanilla release.
and not necessarily even be the same quality that you would get from streaming it on Peacock. Again, it's important to support the show, it really is, but it's important to be smart with our wallets. And I think that if it's one thing to support the show, it's another thing to not be discerning about that support. So if NBC Universal
wants us to see this show as a potential franchise and wants us to see it in the same light as something like Star Trek, then they need to step up their game. And I will throw the gauntlet down. There are plenty of people out there, frankly myself included, that would be more than happy to work on putting those special features together. I know that so many of these shows and so many of these films have had fan driven
campaigns basically and fan driven special features to put things together to moderate commentaries or behind the scenes stuff like that. There are plenty of people out there that really do want it, that would support it, the people that watch the show do support physical media. I think, I really believe that just about anyone listening to this certainly and most of the people watching the show would buy this on physical media.
Sam Fain They Them (38:27.046)
It drives that, you know, it kind of drives that itch in the same way that Star Trek does. I know the fandom is much smaller. I know that I'm not, you know, I'm not harboring any illusions over, you know, the size of the fandom compared to Star Trek. However, I think that similarly to Star Trek, we would embrace a high quality physical media releases of the show with special features that include audio commentaries and documentaries. If I've been able to gather anything, these people would love to talk about the show.
So there's no reason why we can't have Raymond and Caitlin and Mason and Ernie and Nanrissa sitting down talking about the show on these commentaries, having Dean and having Drew and Alex and Benjamin and Derek and Shakina and Deborah and everyone involved with the show, having them sit down and talk about it because they definitely would and do it in a very interesting way. And I think that this podcast and the Quantum Leap podcast have proven that. And I would love to see
something official released so that fans of the show did not have to solely rely as much as I love that they do on Fates Wide Wheel and the Quantum Leap podcast for their behind-the-scenes information because as of right now, unless you're reading stuff on the internet, which is fine and certainly has its place, most of the good juicy behind-the-scenes stuff that has come out over the past year about this show has absolutely come from Fates Wide Wheel and the Quantum Leap podcast.
Sam Fain They Them (39:49.366)
That's it. Like, I mean, that is an absolute fact. And we've not seen things produced in an official capacity, as far as I'm concerned, that would match the quality and depth of interviews and conversations that have taken place with people who work on this show as they have in these two podcasts. So I would encourage NBC Universal to bet on the show, to bet on the fandom and to bet on that physical media, because I think that we would absolutely embrace it.
for the show and I think that it's the type of thing that could easily propel people into getting more involved with the show, more interested in the show, and give you the opportunity for those spin-offs, for those peacock specials or whatever else that you wanna do. And maybe I'm nuts and I could very well be tired. It's been a long day, it's been a long week, it's been a long month, but you know what? I love this show, I believe in this show and I want it to succeed on every level and on a selfish note, I totally wanna like...
throw in a 4K disc into my new player that I got and listen to them talk about the show and see all of these wonderful faces in 4K resolution and watch the show that we love so much. So we'll see, we'll see. I could be wrong, there could be some special features tucked away on there, but I don't think it's something that we should expect.
Sam Fain They Them (41:15.606)
And to be completely honest, there's still not an official pre-order page on Amazon for the blu-ray. So Will we get it? Will we not get it? I don't know. I think we will though I mean blu-ray comm is pretty reputable and if they if they got a notice about it There's been some sort of press release and I think that will definitely get the blu-ray The DVD does actually have a pre-order page for it though anyway
Sam Fain They Them (41:40.766)
So all of that being said, there's nothing really new to report for the show. Certainly nothing new to report for season two other than what's already been stated. And again, I know that some of the information I gave was not even necessarily new information as far as what was already out there in social media, but I just wanted to try to put it in one place.
and answer some questions that I have seen float around and just give people an idea of what I can say, hopefully, based off of some of the things that I know that I know might not be out there as wide. So I hope this has helped. I hope this has answered some questions about season two, what the writer's strike means, what we can expect, and also hopefully even giving you something to think about and chew on when it comes to that physical media release.
Sam Fain They Them (42:39.662)
Stay tuned to this spot, obviously. We will be back soon with some more content. Hopefully, again, getting back to our Classic Series Revisited, talking a little bit about Season One as it was, and certainly now that we've got a little distance and space from it, seeing how we feel. To be honest, my feelings haven't changed very much at all. If anything, certain episodes have grown in esteem for me. There are certain things that stand out to me even more.
kind of seen the whole picture. I kind of stand by just about everything I said about the quality of episodes. The episodes that I loved the most certainly still really really stand out as being you know the the best of the season, the high points of the season. So it'll be interesting to kind of catch up and see where we all stand after this. We'll certainly look into getting some some guests back on the show very soon. Not even necessarily guests from the show but just
Sam Fain They Them (43:38.038)
you know, see if we can't get Lauren back on the show, for instance. And I know that there's some other folks that we want to have on to talk about the show as well. But obviously, folks involved with the show, we certainly want to get on when we can. But I also want to be respectful because this is a difficult time. And this is a time when I think, you know, there's a lot of stress and anxiety and disappointment and frustration going around. And it's understandable. And I don't want to infringe upon.
any of those incredibly valid feelings by saying, hey, come be on my podcast. And certainly when it comes to like the cast and the crew that are certainly impacted heavily by this writer's strike are not necessarily currently striking. I also want to respect the fact that like, they just got done shooting a show for a lot longer, I think, than they thought that they were going to by doing these eight extra weeks, if you will.
Sam Fain They Them (44:32.798)
you know, in order to get that first half of season two done. So I want to be respectful, again, of everyone's energy and efforts and time. And it's just such a gift to have them on the show in the first place. And so I'm grateful for everyone who has stopped by and who wants to stop by that hasn't had the chance to yet and that we certainly want to make happen when the time is right.
But in the meantime, I just want to say thank you to, again, to everyone working on the show and show my solidarity with the writers, my support for the writers. Just go back and take a look at some of the episodes throughout the season. Somebody up there likes Ben, you know, fellow travelers paging Dr. Song, let them play. Ben Song for the defense. I mean, there's just there's there's been so many great episodes throughout the course of the season.
Sam Fain They Them (45:25.498)
that I think that it's a testament to the quality and creativity of these writers. And again, I just think that they should be fairly compensated for their efforts because they give us a hell of a lot. And, you know, I just think it's
Sam Fain They Them (45:45.586)
It's one thing to be critical of something. It's another thing to be mean-spirited about it. And luckily I have not seen much, although I've seen a couple of comments that I thought were fairly mean-spirited when it came to the writers, just in general, not even necessarily on this show. And at a time like this, I just think that that's completely uncalled for. So all that said, I do wanna take a moment. I usually do this at the top of the show, but I just...
Dived right into everything. To thank all of our patrons. You all are awesome, just for listening to the show, downloading, liking, subscribing, et cetera. I cannot tell you how much we appreciate that. And if you are not a subscriber, please hit that subscribe button. Hit that like button on Apple Podcasts. And help this show be seen by more people because it obviously, yes, it benefits us, but we hope that it will benefit you as well as we can.
you know, reach a wider audience and do more with with what you've given us. And so for those that are actually reaching into their pockets and giving something to us, thank you so very much. Al's place, Leap fansite, Bourbon and Board Games, Carolyn Cosplay Dad, Joanne Bartlett, Dana Bias, Rich Bork, Chris, a.k.a. Brackmang, Kevin, Kevin Butcher, Carol Davis, Dan Tueig, Dex Lohr, Dermot Devlin, Barry Donovan, Brian Dreadful, Troy Evers, Larry Gany, Jason Geiss.
Kelly M. Michelle Hoffman, Amy Holtkamp, Lori Johnson, Bess A. Corey, Lady Eternal, Rob Nunn, oddly specific with Audra, Christopher Redmond, Adrienne Sal, Karen Saxon, Jerry Seward, Mike Stofer, Heather Strabiak, Damon Cugamelli, Larry Trujillo, Stuart Williams, Jill Wilson, and our anonymous patrons. Just thank you all so very much. I paused for a moment there to smile because I'm pretty sure I mispronounced Adrienne's last name again.
Uh, so I'm sorry about that, Adrian. But anyway, yeah, just thank you all so very much. It really means a lot. And at a time when we're not necessarily producing as much as we normally are giving you as much as we normally do, I really appreciate you all for hanging in there and helping to support the show because it does mean a lot and it allows us to do some cool things. Like for instance, I got a new webcam. Um, tell me if it helps. Uh, maybe it hurts. I don't know.
Anyway, we really appreciate all of that support. And as always, before you even think to give to us, take a look at your community, take a look at the world around you, and if there's something that you can do to help out in any way, please do, because there are a lot of rights that need, a lot of wrongs that need to be righted. There's a lot of rights that are being infringed. So let's write some wrongs and help the world at large. And I just cannot wait to see all the good.
that we might be able to do. And if after all that, of course, you still have a little something left and you wanna throw it our way, we will gladly accept it and try to do our best with it for you. So you can hit us up, of course, on our Patreon or buy me a cup of coffee. And you can find all of those links, of course, in the show notes. But in the meantime, I think it's time for me to get outta here.
Sam Fain They Them (48:59.490)
Thank you all. Thank you all again for your empathy, your compassion, your understanding. The sharing that has gone on, I'm grateful for that. And I think that there have been some just amazing displays of affection and gratitude on your part. And so I wanna make sure I take a moment to give my affection and gratitude to all of you. I really, really appreciate it. And I'm lucky to get the chance to...
Sam Fain They Them (49:29.802)
be a part of your entertainment, your watching, your listening. So thank you so much for that and thank you for all your kindness. So I'm gonna get outta here. In the meantime though, take care of yourselves, take care of one another, stay safe out there and remember, always leap responsibly.
