tek's rating: ¼

Undercovers, on NBC
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Samantha Bloom (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and her husband Steven run a catering company in L.A. Sam's sister, Lizzy Gilliam, works for them. We soon learn that Sam and Steven both used to work for the CIA (which Lizzy doesn't know), but they retired five years ago, to lead a more normal life together. Now, they're recruited by Carlton Shaw (Gerald McRaney) to go on a mission together (Sam and Steven had never actually worked together before, as spies). They're supposed to find and rescue another agent named Leo Nash, who disappeared while on a mission of his own. He had previously worked with both Sam and Steven, separately, so he's friends with both of them. But we also learn in the pilot that before Sam and Steven were married, Sam had dated Leo for several months, which Steven didn't know til now. Anyway, there's a bit of a twist in that Steven begins to think Leo might have gone rogue, though Sam doesn't want to believe it. It's not too much of a spoiler to say that she's right, and they do end up rescuing him. And at the end of the pilot, Shaw tells the Blooms that he may call on them occasionally to handle missions together. He's really not happy about this. He's... you know, gruff, and thinks they're rusty, and doesn't like the whole dynamic the two of them have. But he's amusingly sarcastic. And in the second episode, Leo ends up working with the two of them. He's a very um... casual, jokey kinda guy, who just likes to have fun. And sort of flirts with Sam. But he's also a really good agent, and more up to date with all the CIA gadgets and whatnot than the Blooms are. Assisting the team is another agent named Bill Hoyt, who kind of hero-worships Steven.

So, anyway, that's basically the premise. It's a spy/action show with a cool story each week, blended with romantic comedy. I really dug both aspects of the show while it lasted, though the tone did seem more heavily weighted toward comedy than action, or at least... the actual plots seemed more like filler, an excuse to watch this couple together, or whatever. Not that the spy stuff wasn't cool, it's just that it was... the less important aspect of the show. Not sure what else to say, but... it's just fun, and I wish it would've lasted a bit longer. But I suppose it's not something I'll miss too much....


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