USA Network is about to stun its audiences with a show so powerfully enjoyable that I bet you can already taste the savory addiction. While it’s true that Covert Affairs has not yet aired on TV yet, I’ve managed to have a somewhat long journey alongside the show.

At first, there were the press releases sent out in January that I skimmed and shook my head at. Who were they kidding, trying to remake Alias? I figured it might be a cool show, but wasn’t certain. Who has time for sub-par TV? (Certainly not anyone who’s a full-time entertainment writer.) And then, I reached the point where I liked the show’s trailers but still kept accidentally typing it as “Covert Opps.” Professional, eh? (But it’s hard to fight word association!)

Next up, and prior to seeing any screener, I was lined up for a conference call with two of the shows stars – Piper Perabo and Christopher Gorham. And then that call got rescheduled. (But I was still tickled when Twitter-savvy Gorham RT’d me!)

So. That brings us to today. I’ve now seen the Covert Affairs pilot (twice) and tomorrow I’m in on a call with another of the shows stars – Peter Gallagher. And what do you suggest I ask? What do you ask anyone, seasoned actor or not, when you know they’re about to be on one of the most talked about TV shows on any network. I’m not sure. (Trust me though, I got it. I always prep about a mile of questions for whatever I’m doing. Why yes, I am a Capricorn.)

Let’s run down the Covert Affairs cast: Piper Perabo, Christopher Gorham, Eric Lively, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Anne Dudek, Kari Matchett, Eion Bailey (I heart this man), and Peter Gallagher.

Please add into this potent mixture of a cast worth adoring: some kick-ass music, solid action sequences, potential for a million different fun storylines to emerge, and a really cleverly-written pilot script.

Your main gal will be Perabo as Annie Walker, and she’s new to this CIA stuff. The Annie Walker character is funny, and while not entirely fearless – she’s brave in the way you hope you’d be should the occasion call for it. (If pirates captured me on the open waters I like to believe I’d think up a brilliant escape plan using only a cinnamon flavored tic tac and and some cheap earring from H&M.)

The pilot will get you into the story fast, and some of the flashback moments may seem quasi-cheesy to some viewers, but I think you appreciate how they push the episode steadily forward.

Invest in this show. Don’t you dare miss an episode. You’re not going to stop smiling. I already made a silly Wii Mii that I named “Annie, CIA”. (Because the only thing cooler than pretending to fly a plane is pretending you’re Annie Walker of the CIA while doing so.) This is the show that the bigger networks wanted to find as a replacement for Lost. Just looks like the USA Network found it first.

Covert Affairs official website

You’ll hear this song in the pilot:

Happiness hit her like a train on a track
Coming towards her stuck still no turning back

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming
So you better run
~ Florence and the Machine

And this one:

Say it’s over, say I’m dreaming,
Say I’m better than you left me
Say you’re sorry, I can take it
Say you’ll wait, say you won’t
Say you love me, say you don’t
I can make my own mistakes
Let it bend before it breaks

I’m all right. Don’t I seem to be?
Aren’t I swinging on the stars?
Don’t I wear them on my sleeve?
When you’re looking for a crossroads,
It happens every day
~ Brandi Carlile – Before it Breaks

Covert Affairs Pilot Pictures:

Photos by Steve Wilkie/USA Network

Go on and follow @SSScoop and @ThisJessicaRae on Twitter as well as  Small Screen Scoop on Facebook for your daily injection of what’s worth talking about in the TV world. The only biting comes from Damon on The Vampire Diaries.

Previously: Mary-Louise Parker went Red over her Weeds hiatus

Tagged: , , , , , , , ,