Undercovers

Spy dramas sometimes get too enamored of their own twists, subplots and dark details, but this one never becomes impenetrable.

When I write that "Undercovers is basically a slicker, more expensive, less geeky version of 'Chuck,'" that's not quite meant as an insult. I prefer "Chuck," but the pilot for Undercovers is stylish, sexy and, at its best, quite fun.

The writers seem so concerned with ensuring that their characters are preternaturally decent and likable that they go for sunny skies when there should be storm clouds....But Kodjoe and Mbatha-Raw are so energetic and appealing that it's hard to take your eyes off them long enough to worry about such matters, and they both seem up to just about anything.

Undercovers [is]quite possibly one of the best meldings of the two sides of Abrams thus far: the action-adventure guy and the seriously modern romantic.

The guy who brought you "Alias," "Fringe," and the not-so-successful but interesting "Dollhouse," so, of course, the expectations are high. No, Undercovers isn't as good as those shows, but it is still a lot of fun.

If anyone has the potential to be the next "Hart to Hart," it's Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw....It's co-created by J.J. Abrams ("Alias"), so expect plenty of fast action, fun and costume changes

This doesn't have the stiletto kick of the CW's Nikita, but it's frothy, sexy, relaxed--a brief, all-expense-paid vacation. [27 Sep 2010, p.55]

Absent the bizarre, centuries-old conspiracy plot, this show looks a lot like Alias, and it should, since that show's daddy, savvy J.J. Abrams, works behind the scenes.

Lighter than "Alias" but not nearly as much fun as "Chuck," it's serving up a couple who are maybe a little too good to be true, whether they're freeing a fellow spy or heating things up in the bedroom.

It's a fetching enough prospect and Kudjoe and Mbatha-Raw do a fine job bringing the Blooms alive as a bourgeois couple sharing the joy of feeling really alive again. I also suspect that they could do a fine job with even more.

It's like the biggest-budget USA Network show you ever saw, fun to watch but rather forgettable, because the stakes just don't feel all that high. Still, for those who've had their fill of dark drama, Undercovers may be just the ticket for a good snuggle.

The whole point of the show is to display super sexy spies having cool adventures and getting to know each other again as they try to put the spark back into their marriage. There's nothing necessarily objectionable about that, but forgive me if I expect more from a series that J.J. Abrams is involved in. Having said all that, Undercovers is not a chore to watch.

The pilot episode isn't a total knockout, coming off as a tad bland and safe. Although Abrams does enough to hold our interest, it feels like he's let up on the gas pedal.

The sets and costumes are lovely to look at. The two stars--British import Gugu Mbatha-Raw and German import Boris Kodjoe--are about as attractive as people get....Now if only their show didn't feel so flat.

He's dashing, she's beautiful, and the show is fairly entertaining. But Undercovers adds nothing to the spy show genre.

At times witty and always good-looking, Undercovers needs to figure out how to balance its serious, silly, and gimmicky inclinations.

Undercovers is watchable only because of its stars, whose chemistry recalls the fonder days of "Hart to Hart"-style high jinks.

Maybe Abrams just ran out of energy drinks that week. This is a poor caper show that doesn't even deliver half the surprises of TNT's "Leverage."

The banter between the Blooms is so full of cloying sugar substitutes and so devoid of any real tension that there is no voyeuristic thrill to be had even from their--I'm just going to say it, because the show does--"sexpionage."

Undercovers has its moments, but the show itself in some respects mirrors the initial problem with the central duo's relationship--comfortable, perhaps, but failing to spark the kind of passion necessary to elicit fidelity from viewers.

The characters are gently sarcastic with one another, clearly in love, and exhibit great respect for their unique skills. What's missing is a stronger supporting cast and the right narrative vehicle for their adventures.

It's light but predictable fun.

"Undercovers" is so content to lapse into genre conventions, that it feels complacent and banal. Worse, Kodjoe and Mbatha-Raw have such minimal chemistry that they seem to be shadowboxing most of the time.

The efficiency and charisma of these two, enhanced by the haute couture and clichéd exotic locales, makes watching Undercovers really fun-but not very believable as a spy drama. It is all a little too casual and humorous to be convincing.

The light-hearted international espionage series is predictable, pointless, and, worst of all, cutesy.