Undercovers

(Note: this review is of the pilot episode only.)

Zzzz. Was there anything in the pilot we hadn't seen dozens of times before? Has JJ Abrams been watching too many 1970s TV reruns? The plot is old, the main characters are more glitzy than interesting, the dialog is boring....

I think we're supposed to give the show high marks because the main characters are a black married couple, which is on the original side. But that's not enough. They have no deeper motivation than they miss the excitement of being heroes. But a good hero has vulnerabilities and obstacles. He/she is not perfect. He has a back story, often involving the loss of a family member, that makes him sympathetic to the viewer. I can only hope that will show up in the episodes after the pilot, because, right now, the best thing that could happen to the show is if Boris gets killed and Gugu has to carry on without him.

And what's with the characters names? Samantha Bloom was a character on VR.5,whose sister and star was named Sydney. JJ Abrams already had a series with a Sydney, so now...? Maybe halfway through the series, Abrams will reveal this is all happening in virtual reality or a parallel universe. Now that would be interesting. :-)

"Undercovers" is first and foremost entertainment. The program is framed in such a way as to present a myriad of possible directions. Each character has so much potential for back story and fore shadowing. I was impressed with the casting of veteran performers and fresh new talent. Much is made of the degree of "Blackness" of the principal characters. I believe the creators of the show made and brilliant move in casting. The characters have the flexibility in appearance to have a viable presence in the environments of the script. I enjoy the pace of the show and the fact that the couple is in a loving and supportive relationship. I look forward to potential situations ahead and I will be sure to GuGu every Wednesday.

I enjoyed this new show immensely. It's nice to see two, intelligent characters who sincerely love each other. They enjoy their work and work hard, have a sense of commitment to marriage (wow!), and show loyalty to friends and country.

This new couple is fun to watch and Mr. Kodjoe is GREAT to look at (Gugu is pretty too).

Most TV isn't fun to watch anymore, i.e., cruel "reality" shows, twisted comedies with sick/demented characters, etc.

Watching Undercovers was fun and exciting. It's nice to see characters that have traits one would actually aspire to cultivating in oneself. Looking forward to more!

I soooo wanted to like ths show. Ive seen them both in other work, but playing 2 incredibly good lioking people for eye candy with saccharine sweet love scenes was vapid. Both are multi-lingual, so there's that, but it was under utilized. They needed a better script, a better back story, something to look forward to tune into, better co-stars, guest stars, less bedroom scenes, more ripped from the headline plots, something to make you think, something to make you feel, atear-jerker moment or 2, something to make you take a vested interest in the characters besides their looks, a big secret or 2 revealed along the way. I loved her in Touch, Belle, & other work. I loved him in The Gospel & Crossing Jordan. So it was not them.

Far less enjoyable than any of Abrams' other offerings. I wouldn't really be bothered making any comment at all except for the fact that he has shown that he has some good writing skills in the past. Hopefully there is some improvement in future episodes but this pilot episode just seemed like any other generic spy/detective show I've seen in the past. Furthermore, the actors so far haven't shown anything above average, jokes, lines and delivery all seem pretty smug.

I might give this show one more chance just because JJ has shown merit in the past but if the next episode is the same quality as this one then I won't bother giving it anymore attention.