J.J. Abrams next series is Undercovers

Gugu Mbatha-Raw & Boris Kodjoe

Returning to the espionage terrain of Alias, J.J. Abrams has created a spy series for NBC called Undercovers. Warner Brothers has confirmed that a script obtained by Italian online magazine Il Post is the real deal, and though the leaked copy has been removed from that site, HuffPo transmits an intriguing intro from page one:

“The pace of this series is intended to be unusually, almost unspeakably, fast. Sure we won’t deny the script is long. But that’s only if you judge by something as arbitrary as page numbers. So when reading the script, assuming you get past this page, whether it’s an action sequence or just two people speaking, imagine scenes moving lighting fast. Then imagine them just the slightest bit faster. This will hopefully give you a sense of what we’re going for.”

The series appears to involve a couple of retired agents, Steven and Samantha [Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw], who run a catering service in LA. The husband and wife team are reactivated to rescue a missing friend in the pilot episode, and are then asked to rejoin the “Agency” when they succeed. (Might be even more fun if the couple were named Darrin and Samantha, but no doubt Abrams can supply enough magic without my advice.)