J.J. Abrams' 'Undercovers' gets an early NBC pickup

Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw star in the spy action-comedy

By HitFix Staff Monday, May 3, 2010 2:57 PM

Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw of 'Undercovers'

Credit: NBC

NBC has ordered J.J. Abrams' "Undercovers" to series, making it the first pilot of this development season to earn a fall pickup.

"Undercovers" stars Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Steven and Samantha Bloom, a married couple who run a Los Angeles catering company. Five years earlier, though, they were a pair of the CIA's best spies. Now, when their old espionage buddy goes missing, they're reactivated by their boss Carlton Shaw (Gerald McRaney) and thrown back into the field. Not surprisingly, they discover they missed The Life.

Abrams wrote the "Undercovers" pilot with Josh Reims and also directed, making this the first pilot he's helmed since "Lost." The Bonanza, Bad Robot and Warner Brothers TV drama will be executive produced by Abrams, Reims and Bryan Burk.

"We have tremendous confidence in this promising series and feel this is a great way to kick off our upcoming Upfront development announcements," Jeff Gaspin, Chairman, NBC Universal Television Entertainment. "J.J. has delivered another signature series along with our partners at Warner Bros and we couldn't be happier."

If your next question is, "What does this early order mean for the fate of NBC bubble shows?" we're going to assume you're really asking about "Chuck" and the answer is "Absolutely nothing."

The network has been publicly enthusiastic about the project since its earliest script acquisition last fall.

"Having J.J. on our creative team is a great reason for celebration," adds NBC Primetime Entertainment President Angela Bromstad. "In 'Undercovers,' J.J. and Josh have found a breakout couple that is rich in character and brimming with romance and action. We feel he’s found the perfect cast.”

It was previously reported that NBC ordered Dick Wolf's "Law & Order: Los Angeles" to series for the fall, but the same site that reported that order also called "Undercovers" the first scripted series pickup for the 2010-11 season, so you can't have it both ways.