I am, for what it is worth, a fairly unabashed J.J. Abrams fan. I think Alias was one of the better spy dramas on television ever, Fringe rocks, I loved little-watched shows What about Brian and Six Degrees, and thought Mission Impossible: 3 and Star Trek were outstanding. I’d probably deny ever having watched Felicity, but you know I’d be lying. However, I’ve been hearing very little about Undercovers that piqued my interest. Fortunately for you and me, I was smart enough not to judge a book by its inside cover jacket. I’ve seen the pilot, and it was a hell of a read (and there ends a metaphor that went one comment too long).
Like most of Abrams’ work, the cast is unknown. Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Doctor Who, MI-5) is a very pretty lady, and a star in the making. She plays Samantha “Sam” Bloom, wife of fellow caterer-owner Steven, played by Boris Kodjoe (Surrogates). The two are ex-CIA officers, brought back into the fold when an old friend falls off of the grid. After discovering how being in the field puts the spice back into their marriage, they sign up for good.
The supporting cast is solid, too … especially the always excellent Gerald McRaney (Jericho, Major Dad). His turn as the CIA brass representative Carlton Shaw is pitch perfect. He’s not happy about having to recruit two quitters, and makes sure they both know about it. His lack of enthusiasm is made up for by Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation, Mayne Street) as Bill Hoyt, the couple’s field support officer, who has just a little bit of a man crush on Steven. The cast is rounded out by Carter McIntyre (Trauma, American Heiress) as Leo Nash, the Blooms’ friend and fellow operative, and Mekia Cox (I Kissed a Vampire, 90210) as Lizzy Gilliam, Sam’s younger spaz of a younger sister.
As much as I love Covert Affairs (and I do love it, so hush!), Undercovers works in many ways that the USA drama does not (considering both this and Alias, I’d love to see his approach on a “rookie” agent). I guess the much bigger NBC budget has much to do with the polish here. I mean, we’ve got guns, car chases, bazookas … the whole nine yards.
Will Undercovers be a hit? This and Hawaii 5-0 are the two closest to sure things I’ve seen out of the 2010-2011 season. It has a fresh, killer new cast, and a fine pedigree. The directing was outstanding (Abrams always delivers when directing pilots), paced well, and has — forgive the cliche — the scope of a movie, not a television show. People are going to flock to Undercovers. Let’s just hope for all of our sakes that any potential Abrams crossovers are limited to “You All Everybody” or flying Oceanic, and avoid any potential Rambaldi entanglements.
Clacked by Ivey West 
on Aug 26, 2010 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
I am giving it a try because of GERALD MCRANEY.
I have loved him since SIMON & SIMON. :)
Oh, me too! Didn’t know he was in it until this review … I’ll give it a look b/c I did love Alias (until those last couple seasons that didn’t happen).
A Capital review!
This looks like a show worth looking into.
*POST AUTHOR*
Yeah, its weird. I wasn’t too terribly excited for it, but now I”m definitely tuning in :)
A red ball here or there, would be ok!
Alias fell apart because Abrams is a starter not a finisher. He handed Alias over to someone else and it got lame. Same with LOST. He left and it got tired. If Undercovers is good then enjoy its run because the end will be lame as well.
I really liked the leads, but the Hoyt character is so over-the-top annoying, I don’t think I can actually watch the show. I’ll give it a second chance to see if the writers tone the character down, but I spent most of the pilot hoping he would catch a stray bullet. It was that bad for me.