Scott Bakula is celebrating his 72nd birthday with another possible television chapter already taking shape. Decades after Quantum Leap, Star Trek: Enterprise, and NCIS: New Orleans made him a familiar face on TV; the veteran actor could soon return to CBS.
According to Deadline, CBS currently has a new detective drama starring Scott Bakula in early development. He would also executive produce the project, which could bring him back to the network where he spent seven seasons leading NCIS: New Orleans.
Scott Bakula Could Be Heading Back to CBS at 72
The untitled high-concept detective procedural will take place in Los Angeles. Dean Devlin’s Electric Entertainment is developing the project, while Perception co-creator Michael Sussman will write and executive produce. Sussman and Bakula already share some television history, as Sussman previously worked as a writer-producer on Star Trek: Enterprise.
So far, the team has shared few details about Bakula’s new character. However, Deadline reports that the role would represent quite a “leap” from Dwayne Pride, the character he played on NCIS: New Orleans. The wording also offers a fun callback to Quantum Leap, one of his most famous series.
Another Chapter in a Decades-Long Television Career
At 72, Scott Bakula already has a television résumé stretching across several generations of viewers. His performance on Quantum Leap earned him four Emmy nominations before he moved on to Star Trek: Enterprise, Men of a Certain Age, and later NCIS: New Orleans, where he played Dwayne Pride from 2014 until the series ended in 2021.
Bakula also has another project ahead in Netflix’s hockey drama The Sticks. Meanwhile, CBS has not yet ordered the detective drama to series, so his return remains in the development stage. Still, turning 72 with one new role ahead and another potential network series taking shape makes this birthday feel less like a retrospective and more like the start of his next move.