Undercovers

[Allyn Gibson]

Tonight, J.J. Abrams' new series Undercovers debuts on NBC. And it stars Tish Jones herself, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, from the third season of the new series.

Anyone besides me planning to check the series out, in spite of the pretty bad reviews it's getting, solely for the Tish Jones factor?

 

[The]

Nope, sorry.

 

[OmahaStar]

Nope. I'm watching it for the hot dude that was in Resident Evil. Boris something or other. But if there's a DW connection, I can use that excuse.

 

[Worf2DS9]

Tonight, J.J. Abrams' new series Undercovers debuts on NBC. And it stars Tish Jones herself, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, from the third season of the new series.

Anyone besides me planning to check the series out, in spite of the pretty bad reviews it's getting, solely for the Tish Jones factor?

I won't be watching it live, but I'll time-shift it and tape it later in the night, just to give it a look; mainly for Gugu, since even with the J.J. pedigree, the premise feels a little too been-there-seen-that.

 

[Jack Bauer]

I know she stars in it but I'm watching more because of JJ Abrams. This is the first pilot he's directed since Lost's pilot. She's a definite plus for sure though.

 

[Starbreaker]

This pilot is blowing the rest out of the water so far. Absolutely charming cast, easy to follow, and fun!

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Okay, I enjoyed that a lot more than I thought I would. It was funny and it was cute.

And Gugu in a strapless bra and panties certainly didn't hurt.

 

[Samurai8472]

At least this Doctor Who actor got their NBC show greenlit

 

[Jack Bauer]

Gugu Mbatha-Raw is one gorgeous woman! The show was pretty good but it was a little flat for a JJ Abrams directed pilot...needs more energy.

 

[Starkers]

Meanwhile I'm enjoying Casualty more at the moment cos it now has Sally Hawkins in it (Kathy Nightingale from Blink)

 

[Cyke101]

At least this Doctor Who actor got their NBC show greenlit

Oh, that's such a low blow.

(but funny, though. That's always important!)

 

[watermelony2k]

this is a show that features two minority leads that makes no reference to their race or background and it is of no importance -- that's pretty progressive for network television.

 

[wamdue]

Meanwhile I'm enjoying Casualty more at the moment cos it now has Sally Hawkins in it (Kathy Nightingale from Blink)

you cant help but feel a bit sorry for her.

For one her charcters is largely forgetten about when people think about Blink, and what must kill her is that whilst she is a regular on Casualty her Blink co-star is the toast of Hollywood.

A bit like the cast of the first series of Skins, and the guy who went on to star in Slumdog Millionaire.

 

[Samurai8472]

At least this Doctor Who actor got their NBC show greenlit

Oh, that's such a low blow.

(but funny, though. That's always important!)

But we can take comfort that he'll be starring with Anton Yelchin and Colin Farrel

 

[Sci]

If I had known that Gugu was in it, I would have tuned in.

 

[DarKush]

I watched it. I liked it. It was different from Alias. It had a lighter tone, but I enjoyed the leads for the most part, though sometimes Boris Kodjoe's delivery didn't work for me, like he was a bit too in on a joke or something. However, he's got suave down pat. I thought Gugu M. Raw (sp) was mesmerizing as his wife Samantha. She was extremely hot. The actress who played her sister wasn't hard on the eyes either. Gerald McRaney added some grit and humor as their CIA contact.

The villains weren't well defined, and I was hoping they would have more weight. Alias did a real good job, even in making their one-shot villains memorable. Also Leo, the suspected rogue agent the Blooms were activated to retrieve came off as a bit too jokey and lightweight IMO. Undercovers needs work in that department and they need to find the right mix between serious and fun. I like the breezy change of pace from Alias, but I don't want it to be so breezy that it seems inconsequential or lacking substance.

One thing I did like though was Boris's Steven Bloom wasn't a killing machine. He had to really fight to win his fight with a bad guy on a roof and I thought that was refreshing. Sometimes, these type shows or movies make the heroes too unstoppable. Bloom handled himself well, but he had to work at it.

I read that the series will consist of a lot of self-contained episodes so it should be easy to jump in, if interested, especially since its only episode two coming up.

As I was watching Undercovers I couldn't help but wish they could merge this show with CW's Nikita. I think Nikita has relatively heavier weight villains, but is lacking style and flair. I don't think Nikita's showrunners know quite what to do with Maggie Q. Undercovers needs better heavies, but has style and flair, and more likable characters. Also, the dashing around the world added a sense of glamour, adventure, and worldliness that the drab, generic cities on Nikita don't provide. Man, if they could put Nikita and the head of Division as bad guys on Undercovers, we could have a really good show.

 

[Starkers]

Meanwhile I'm enjoying Casualty more at the moment cos it now has Sally Hawkins in it (Kathy Nightingale from Blink)

you cant help but feel a bit sorry for her.

For one her charcters is largely forgetten about when people think about Blink, and what must kill her is that whilst she is a regular on Casualty her Blink co-star is the toast of Hollywood.

A bit like the cast of the first series of Skins, and the guy who went on to star in Slumdog Millionaire.

Well it might bother her, it might not. I think it's a fallacy to imagine every British actor has to crack Hollywood, besides she's getting rave reviews for her role in Made in Dagenham which has just come out.

Anyone know if/when Undercovers might hit the UK?

 

[Sparky]

If I had known that Gugu was in it, I would have tuned in.

You didn't miss much.

Absolutely terrible. I will donate 1 more hour of my life to this garbage and watch the next episode. Just in case it can rise above pure shit, and give me a glimmer of hope for a decent show.

 

[Starkers]

On the subject of Who aumuni in other settings, it's worth mentioning that the girl in the fireplace is now the girl in Spooks!

 

[23skidoo]

I enjoyed Undercovers quite a lot. It was a nice throwback to the old style of spy shows where the story wasn't always about conspiracies and all that. Gugu and Boris have great chemistry, and there were some great moments in the first episode. And, hell - Gerald McRaney! That's all you need to know.

I don't really care that it feels a bit like Alias. Frankly I was missing Alias, so that's good. I personally see no reason why a show can't follow the same lines as, say Danger Man or I Spy. Not every show needs to be top-heavy with conspiracies and darkness. It's one of the reasons, frankly, that Doctor Who is doing so well. It's the perfect antidote to Battlestar Galactica.

I'll even let slide that the premise and title are a bit too similar to the Linda Purl spy series Undercover from 1990-91 (the series that was infamously killed by the network because of the first Gulf War breaking out the week the series was going to run an episode about an attack on Iraq). The show was well handled, and between it, the excellent Nikita sequel, the half-decent revival of Hawaii Five-O with Grace Park, and ongoing greatness with Fringe, I'm actually watching network TV more this season than anytime in the last 3 years.

Alex