NBC's UnderCovers Kinda Sucks

I take my television shows very seriously. So seriously, that I print a schedule out before the Fall premieres so I can remind myself when my fave shows are premiering and so I can decide which new shows I'm going to invest in.

This year, I added UnderCovers to my Wednesday lineup. The show is about a husband and wife (Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha - Raw). They used to be CIA agents and are reactivated after being retired for an ambiguous number of years. So we have an interesting story, gorgeous actors and J.J. Abrams as the creator. How can this show fail?

Well, I'll tell you.

Awful writing, overacting, unrealistic everything.

After the first episode, I was dissapointed but optimistic. This is J.J. Abrams. He's never done me wrong, never. After the third episode, I accepted the fact that Abrams had a flaw and UnderCovers was it. Still, I watch the show. Why? Because I still believe beyond all logic that it will find it's groove and get better. Or because I want to support a mainstream series with characters of color in the lead roles. It's not like that happens every day. But I don't know if I can watch it anymore. It sucks.

Richard Lawson, Gawker.com's hilarious writer, made a comment about the show I took very seriously "Abrams's oddly unwatchable spy show (I think it's the tone? Y'know, is it thriller? Comedy? It needs to be frothier or grittier, the in-between just isn't working)".

Yes, yes and yes. The show is like an awkward teenager who doesn't know whether to spend adolescence with a sense of humor or all angst-ridden. Are you a comedy or an action thriller? The characters either need to head over to Chuck or they need Sydney Bristow to slap the smiles off their faces. Being a government agent is serious stuff!

Luckily for the people depending on this show for a paycheck, four more scripts have been ordered.

So UnderCovers, make up your damn mind. Nobody wants to wait around while a show figures things out.