The original Quantum Leap starring Scott Bakula and the late Dean Stockwell still has a strong following today. Featuring Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, the premise of the show has Sam leaping through time "from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong and hoping each time that his next leap would be the leap home." Unfortunately, according to the final episode, he never did make it back.
Come 2022, the revival series has Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Song make the leap -- except he runs into the same problems as Sam did: memory loss and disorientation. But like Sam, Ben has someone helping him: his fiancée and partner Addison, who fills the role that Stockwell's character Al Calavicci did in the original program. Both Al and Addison appear in the past as a hologram that only the leaper can see and hear. But unlike Al, Addison's clothing choice is very conservative -- which omits the true purpose of Al's wild outfits.
Aside from the aforementioned opening spiel, the first thing that most people recall when thinking of Quantum Leap is the wild outfits that Al wore. Eye-popping and occasionally eye-searing, Al's clothing very clearly said he was from a futuristic time and spoke to his eclectic taste. Even when glimpses of the future (the then-futuristic late 1990s) were shown, Al's wardrobe was anything but conservative compared to his contemporaries, which made him pop in a crowd shot.
This actually served an important purpose within the context of the series. Whenever he showed up, his outfits acted as visual cues for the audience. There was mistaking Al for a background character thanks to his clothing. This also acted as a visual aid for Sam; since leaping through time Swiss-cheesed Sam's brain, Al's clothing immediately identified him as someone who didn't belong in the current timeline and made him easier to locate.
Addison does not have this eclectic taste; in fact, her wardrobe choices work against this idea. Jeans and a blouse are a rather bland choice compared to Al's outfits -- although granted, most clothes are. But there's also nothing about the outfit that distinguishes her as being from the future or makes her stand out from the crowd. In the pilot episode of the reboot, which takes place in 1985, Addison's clothes are par for the course. She's not any different from the thieves when she stands near them or from the background characters moving around.
The color choice doesn't help either. Pale blues blend in with the background colors, further hiding someone who was previously a distinct character. There's nothing to make Addison stand out to the viewer or to Ben, nor does her wardrobe show anything of her personality. It's possible that the reboot scrapped the wardrobe-as-hint approach and wants Addison to fit in with the times, since she's not meant to be a direct copy of Al.
However, she currently comes across as blank as NBC's 10:00 p.m. time slot may be. That's problematic when the show needs viewers to connect with its characters and continue tuning in. It's hard to top Al's appearance -- nigh impossible, even -- but Addison's wardrobe does nothing for her and eliminates one of the best quirks of the original Quantum Leap.
Quantum Leap airs Mondays at 10:00 p.m. on NBC.