J.J. Abrams is probably best known as the guy who helped create Lost. Before that, though, he created Alias. He also was behind Fringe and the newest Star Trek movie. All of that means that Abrams basically gets any show that he comes up with on television sooner or later.
Here is the synopsis of Undercovers straight from NBC:
“Undercovers is a sexy, fun, action-packed spy drama that proves once and for all that marriage is still the world’s most dangerous partnership. Outwardly, Steven Bloom (Boris Kodjoe, “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion,” “Soul Food,” “Resident Evil: Afterlife”) and his wife, Samantha (Gugu Mbatha-Raw, “Doctor Who,” “Bonekickers”), are a typical married couple who own a small catering company in Los Angeles and are helped by Samantha’s easily frazzled younger sister, Lizzy (Jessica Parker Kennedy, “Smallville”). Secretly, the duo were two of the CIA’s best spies until they fell in love on the job five years ago and retired. When fellow spy and friend Nash (Carter MacIntyre, “American Heiress”) goes missing while on the trail of a Russian arms dealer, the Blooms are reinstated by boss Carlton Shaw (Gerald McRaney, “Deadwood”) to locate and rescue Nash. The pair is thrust back into the world of espionage as they follow leads that span the globe — and Steven and Samantha realize that this supercharged, undercover lifestyle provides the excitement and romance that their marriage has been missing.”
My First 10 Thoughts on the “Pilot” Episode of Undercovers:
1. The first episode looks more like a big-budget action film.
2. It will be interesting to see if they can keep this same tone going throughout the series.
3. J.J. Abrams has a built-in audience and that means it will get a lot of viewers in the beginning.
4. It’s a little to similar to a TV version of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, though.
5. Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw are both relative unknowns, but they have great chemistry with each other.
6. It’s also refreshing to see an African-American couple as the stars of a show that is not targeted directly to the African-American audience.
7. Great to see Gerald McRaney back on television after appearing on Jericho a few years back.
8. Still not really that original of a premise.
9. The cast takes the generic basic plot and elevates it into the “entertaining” level, though.
10. This pilot was action-packed, and the cast was likable, but it hasn’t really separated itself from other spy shows just yet. Another wait and see show.
