NBC’s rookie hit Quantum Leap is a series with history and a fresh-faced cast.
With a back order of six episodes already secured, it has capitalized on the nostalgia of the original 1990s Scott Bakula/Dean Stockwell-anchored series while successfully introducing a new team to support Raymond Lee’s leaper, Dr. Ben Song.
Pivotal to Ben’s chances of returning safely is Ben’s fiancée and project partner, Addison Augustine.
As described officially, Addison is an ex-Army intelligence Officer who works in the Quantum Leap program. She is Ben Song’s guide in the past and, during his leaps, appears in a hologram that only he can see and hear.
Speaking with TV Fanatic over Zoom from Los Angeles, Caitlin Bassett describes how she’s found her way with the show and her love for the cast and production.
With her own extensive background in the U.S. military, one almost wonders if Addison Augustine was written with Bassett in mind. But even with that connection to Addison, was it hard to “leap” into the character?
“Yes, I mean, it was very intimidating to come into this role. Not only just a big role – being number two on a call sheet – in general, but also to be coming into a series that had a predecessor, that had a Dean Stockwell come before you. He was Oscar-nominated before he got the job.
“So there’s a lot of pressure there. Honestly, the fact that I knew my background matched hers and that they were hiring me because of an authenticity that I brought to her — they’ve been so kind and supportive that when they saw my tape, they were like, ‘Oh, that’s Addison. That’s right.’ — is maybe the only thing that gave me enough confidence to do this because I was absolutely terrified.
“Not because I thought somebody was going to mean to me but just because I didn’t want to let the show down, and I didn’t want to let this fanbase down. That meant a lot to me.
“I had to rely on the fact that everybody saw it, so if they all thought it was right and they all thought I could do it, then who was I to say I couldn’t? So might as well try.”
It’s been over thirty years since the original series premiered. Like much of the cast, it predates Bassett’s era of television watching.
“I missed it live. My dad and my older siblings were big fans, but by the time I was watching television, it was done. It was the next show, JAG, that was a big staple in my house [by then].
“And I went on to the military and went on to law school, so apparently, JAG affected me very deeply. It was later on, after I got the job that I started to watch Quantum Leap, and I was like, ‘Oh, this is fantastic. This is such a good show.”
Quantum Leap is Bassett’s professional acting debut. Veteran actor and colleague Ernie Hudson praised the cast and crew’s professionalism and diligence when he spoke with us before the premiere. Bassett’s perspective on the production as a newcomer supports that impression.
“All I knew was that everybody was so nice, and luckily, I have mentors and friends to talk me through like, ‘Okay, if actors are like this, that’s okay.’
“Most people know that there are many more great, wonderful, warm, generous actors and directors and crew members than there are not. But the intense ones do tend to stick out.
“I didn’t know what I was walking into, but then I met everybody, and, from the top down, everybody was kind and welcoming.
“I was always so impressed with Ray because [he] could’ve been not so happy that he was saddled with a rookie as his number two, and he never was.
“He was always just so excited. He was in my chemistry read. From the moment I met him, he was like, ‘Oh yeah, you were it. You were right.’
“That has been so encouraging. I can’t say enough that I’m the luckiest person, and it’s the best show.”
One of the major complications in the show since its premiere has been Ben’s amnesia, which wiped his memory of his life before his first leap, including his relationship with Addison.
In the final moments of Quantum Leap Season 1 Episode 4, he finally remembers her and their relationship. It’s a powerful moment the show’s been building to for weeks. For Bassett, it was an equally extraordinary moment.
“It was such a release. Not only as the character but, honestly, as actors. It was these actors that had been working around the truth for quite a while.
“For the first time, we got to just release it. And we didn’t even rehearse it. We blocked it out, and we’re like, ‘Let’s just roll cameras,’ because Ray and I knew what we needed to do, and Ben and Addison knew what was going to happen.
“We just let it live… yeah, in the relationship, but in the genuine friendship. I think the Ben and Addison relationship is based as much on friendship as it is on romance. And I love that Ray and I are genuinely good friends at this point, and we just let it be truthful. I think that’s the best kind of acting.”
While acting as Ben’s guide, Addison has been torn between her love for him and her orders from the team leader, Hudson’s “Magic” Williams. Bassett knows that it’s a conflict, but she also knows where Addison would stand if pushed to choose between Ben and the project.
“I think she’s struggling with it. But I don’t see a world where Addison wouldn’t burn it down for Ben. It’s for him.”
A key element to the new series is the alleged long-arc villain, Janis Calavicci, the now-grown daughter of Dean Stockwell’s Al Calavicci. She is the key to knowing why Ben took his unauthorized leap on Quantum Leap Season 1 Episode 1, tearing him away from Addison and all their plans.
Bassett recognizes that a confrontation between Addison and Janis is crucial to resolving the mystery of Ben’s leap.
“I think Addison would love to have a few words, privately, with Janis. There has to be a time, eventually. There’s gotta be something. Because Janis holds the answers to this equation, and there’s no way Addison doesn’t find them.”
With an eighteen-episode premiere season guaranteed, can Bassett see the show running for at least as long as the original?
“Of course! And I think Deborah Pratt, the creator, deserves that because she’s built such a wonderful show that’s so full of heart and kindness.
“Quantum Leap could be huge. There are a million ways you could be jumping through time. It doesn’t necessarily just need to be two people. I know there are other operators out there anyway. There were in the original series.
“I think it can be as big as it wants to be if people are along for the ride, which is exciting.”
New episodes of Quantum Leap air on NBC Mondays at 10/9c and stream the next day on Peacock.
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Diana Keng is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
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