TV Jots

All About Annie

Coyote Ugly star Piper Perabo headlines USA Network’s latest original series, the spy drama Covert Affairs, which kicks off tonight, July 13, at 10pm ET with a 75-minute, limited-commercial premiere.

The actress plays young, green and very eager CIA trainee Annie Walker, who suddenly finds her rank bumped up a notch or two when she’s assigned as a field operative before even completing training. Annie does her best to rise to the occasion, helped largely by her handler Auggie Anderson, a blind military intelligence agent and tech specialist played by Ugly Betty veteran Christopher Gorham. However, what Annie doesn’t realize is that her swift career advancement may be due to her past more than her impressive linguistic skills, which includes speaking six languages. As the season unfolds, I guess we’ll learn just what’s so special about her and her background.

Covert Affairs‘ principal cast members include Peter Gallagher (The O.C.) as CIA Clandestine Services Director Arthur Campbell; Kari Matchett (Invasion) as Arthur’s wife and colleague Joan Campbell, the director of the CIA Domestic Protection Division Director; and Anne Dudek (House) as Annie’s older married sister Danielle, who has no idea her sibling is a spook. Heroes alum Sendhil Ramamurthy also joins the lineup in the second episode as CIA agent Jai Wilcox.

The pilot, which I had the chance to preview, does all of the usual things viewers expect a series premiere to do. We meet the main characters (save Jai), learn a bit about their function in the series, and get a taste of what the show hopes to accomplish story-wise. So far, it seems Covert Affairs aims to establish Annie as a rookie who’s smart and tough enough to wise up and figure out what’s really going on, whatever that may be. Since the character is generally dedicated and good-natured, viewers will probably like her and root for her to succeed.

Even so, I found the first installment of the series less interesting and entertaining than I had hoped it would be. The dramatic tone is too weak and lighthearted for the subject matter, which is supposed to suggest ever-imminent danger and intrigue à la the Bourne trilogy from series executive producer Doug Liman, making the overall feel of the show not nearly as intense as the best spy dramas (think Alias, MI-5, and even Burn Notice, for example). To the series’ credit, however, the pilot does end with a satisfying encounter that hopefully is a sign of better things to come. Fingers crossed.

Get a quick taste of Covert Affairs in the promo below before tuning in to the premiere.