The network’s new show-within-a-show, titled The Big Leap, is about a diverse group of people in Detroit, including a former ballerina (Teri Polo), an unemployed autoworker (Jon Rudnitsky) and a former musical theater major (Piper Perabo), who all audition for a dance reality program that is (as one of the show’s judges puts it) “literally about second chances.” If you feel like falling in love with a new show this fall, The Big Leap is it: It’s got humor and heart, and uplifts and inspires without shying away from problems (like mental health, divorce and loneliness) that can throw a wrench into life’s big plans. Intrigued? Then keep reading for a preview of what happens in The Big Leap premiere—including a few spoilers!
What happens in The Big Leap’s premiere episode?
The Big Leap’s first episode introduces aspiring dancer Gabby Lewis (Simone Recasner) in a flashback from seven years ago. Gabby has a bright future ahead of her with a dance scholarship to NYU—until an unexpected and major life change puts her dreams on hold. Fast forward to the present day (which, yes, includes nods to the pandemic, racial injustice protests and more real-world headlines): Gabby, who works a dead-end office job, comes across an open casting call for The Big Leap. Feeling she’s living the wrong life, Gabby sees the reality show as a possibility for “a creative rebirth,” and encourages her former dance partner/ex-boyfriend-who-turned-out-to-be-gay, Justin (Raymond Cham Jr.), to audition alongside her.
The Big Leap premiere episode spoilers
Gabby’s dream seems over before it’s even begun when she falls flat (yeah, we mean that literally) during the auditions, resulting in only Justin advancing in the competition. While it seems like the end of the road for Gabby, she’s encouraged by her mom (NoraDunn) to go back and try for a second chance at her second chance. She gets one, but not quite the way she expects: She strikes a deal with the dance competition’s fast-talking producer, Nick Blackburn (Scott Foley), that she’ll only get a spot on the show if she can teach another contestant how to dance. Who’s her lucky student? Let’s just say it’s someone who a) doesn’t really want to do the show, b) needs to do the show to rehabilitate his tarnished public persona (because in the world of The Big Leap, he’s famous!) and c) winds up exhibiting some instant chemistry with Gabby. Nick—whose canniness and cunning make him a great reality TV producer—notices that spark between them and declares, “She’s our story… She’s gonna fall in love with him and he’s gonna break her heart.” That’s not The Big Leap’s only budding romance. Unemployed average-joe Mike Devries (Rudnitsky) is down in the dumps about his failed marriage, but he may find his next relationship in fellow contestant Paula Clark (Perabo) after the two dance an impromptu duet on a fire escape. Just when you’re ready for the mutual swooning to begin, though, someone important from Mike’s very recent past walks by (don’t you hate when that happens?) and derails their spark. And speaking of derailed spark, middle-aged mom Julia Perkins (Polo) is also struggling with her marriage outside of The Big Leap, dealing with a husband who is addicted to porn—and apparently, based on one of the first episode’s final shots, he’s a frequent client of another Big Leap hopeful whose career involves, let’s say, a different style of dance. Dancing into new chapters of their lives apparently won’t be smooth sailing for the reality show’s contestants. “All these people, they’re gonna have their lives turned upside down,” Foley’s character says in the pilot. “We’re gonna look for dirt and we’re gonna exploit it.”
How to watch The Big Leap
The Big Leap’s premiere episode debuts Monday, Sept. 20, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on FOX. Next, Get Ready for Fall TV With Our 2021 Schedule, Including the Full FOX, ABC, CBS and NBC Lineup
