Matt Buckler: NBC is taking a 'Leap' of faith for the fall

May 6—TV Guides can be useful for bringing back old viewers and interesting new ones — sooner or later everything comes back in style.

Shows that were on the schedule 20 or 30 years ago are back on the schedule today, just revitalized to bring in old viewers and interest new ones.

NBC has came up with the latest comeback story. The network has ordered a pilot of "Quantum Leap" — a reboot of the 1989-93 series that sent Scott Bakula hurtling through time taking on the persona of many different people. NBC will place the new series on its fall schedule.

It won't be Bakula moving through the time zones this time, however. It will be Raymond Lee, an actor who NBC thinks has the potential to be a major star.

NBC has a lot of faith in the new "Quantum Leap." It's the only pilot NBC has ordered this year.

"Leap" was very successful the first time around. We'll quickly find out if NBC still knows what it's doing.

'Survivor' strikes

Every year before a season of "Survivor" gets under way, the words "new and improved" come to mind.

There are always new wrinkles and new rules designed to make the game more competitive and more interesting. "Survivor" never sits still.

That's why CBS always can count on "Survivor" to deliver healthy ratings. The Jeff Probst-hosted series led the way with 5.516 million viewers, not bad for a show that has more than a few grey hairs.

The show is coming through again this year. "Survivor" was the most-watched network show Wednesday for the third straight week.

Once again the show did have some help from NBC. The network's three "Chicago" shows, which normally control the top of the ratings chart, were in rerun mode.

"Survivor," which never is in repeats, was able to take advantage of that.

There are two dramas, however, which seem to be on the verge of falling off a network cliff. "A Million Little Things" is averaging less than 2 million viewers per episode and looks like it will fall by the wayside next season, and CBS's "The Good Sam," which has struggled since it hit the air, is still struggling. Chances are, it won't be struggling much longer.

It was a typical Wednesday in the cable world. The top 11 rated shows were either sports, wrestling, or news. The top entertainment show Wednesday was TLC's "My Feet Are Killing Me," which was No. 12.

Apparently there must have been a lot of people watching Wednesday with sore feet.

More L.A. hoops drama

HBO Max's "Winning Time," the dramatization of the Los Angeles Lakers' 1980's dynasty, isn't the only L.A. basketball saga that's ripe for the television series treatment.

According to Deadline TV, actor Ed O'Neill will star as Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling in the FX limited series "The Sterling Affairs."

O'Neill — of "Modern Family" and "Married With Children" fame — will play the title role in the six-episode series about the downfall of Sterling amid the team's attempt to win a championship under coach Doc Rivers, played by Lawrence Fishburne.

Sterling's racist behavior came to light in 2014 amid turmoil between his wife Shelly Sterling and his mistress, V. Stiviano.

Let's hope "The Sterling Affairs" is more historically accurate than "Winning Time."

Follow Matt Buckler for more television, radio, and sports coverage on the JI's Twitter @journalinquirer, and see his articles on the Journal Inquirer Facebook page.