I Knew Quantum Leap Fans Were Mad About The Cancellation, But One Complaint From The ‘90s Was Wild

It is always disappointing when a show is cancelled, something most of us have experienced countless times over the years. When our beloved long-running series gets sent out to pasture, or an up-and-coming show meets an early demise, it’s not rare for fans to take to social media to air out their grievances and drum up support for the recently departed. But what did fans do when back in the day, before social media was a thing, and when the internet was still in its infancy?

I recently picked up a 1993 edition of Starlog magazine at a comic book store, and the “Communications” section was full of Quantum Leap fans complaining about its cancellation, the show’s final episode, and other aspects of the series. Being the son of a father obsessed with the show and having paid attention to discourse over the years, I knew fans were mad. I just didn’t know they were this mad.

One Fan Called The Cancellation A ‘Horrendous Travesty’ And Organized A Write-In Campaign

I’m going to leave out the names of the fine folks who wrote into Starlog back in the summer of ‘93, but there were some choice comments about all matters of nerdom. From offering support for Space Rangers, to yelling about the Sci-Fi Channel not being pure science fiction (I wonder what they think of the channel now), and some bickering about spaceship design on Star Trek: The Next Generation, there was so much.

None comes close to the anger and pure bitterness of one fan who wrote a pointed missive laying out his complaints, not with the show, but the “horrendous travesty” of NBC pulling the plug:

The fan would go on to point out an issue that has long impacted shows, and continues to today on the 2026 TV schedule: the shuffling of timeslots. He would go on about networks, making it difficult for fans to find the programs they like by moving them around or putting them up against a rival network’s top show. So, what did he want other Quantum Leap fans to do about this? Well, a letter campaign, duh:

Before the days of social media, a letter campaign was the way to go. Too bad it didn’t persuade NBC to reverse course, though the network later rebooted the series before also cancelling it after two seasons.

Another Couple Asked For Help With Their Questions And Theories

There was another comment further down in the “Communications” section where a couple wrote in asking for help with their questions and theories following the Quantum Leap finale, “Mirror Image.” Unlike today, where you can immediately turn to the internet for clarification or conversations about something, it was a different story in 1993, as they wrote:

Most of these theories dealt with Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) either dying or changing the past so much that he ended up not being born, Al Calavicci (the late Dean Stockwell) never joining the project, or the Bartender (played by Bruce McGill) being God. They never got those answers…

I really wonder what these people are up to 33 years after sending some very passionate letters to Starlog. Now I need to go back to that shop and see if I can track down the next issue. Until then…