With so much money spent on advertising since May and with some early reviews from TV critics giving the series a thumbs up, a lot is riding on Boris Kodjoe to deliver on his new TV gig, the NBC spy series 'Undercovers,' which pairs him with British actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
Of most of the new shows airing on TV, 'Undercovers' is the only series with African Americans in lead roles.
Not including the now-defunct UPN network which had numerous shows with African Americans in lead roles and unless it's a comedy series like ABC's 'My Wife and Kids,' which starred Damon Wayans and Tisha Campbell-Martin, or Fox's 'The Bernie Mac Show,' the last time a major network put so much investment in a series starring an African American was ABC's now-cancelled series, 'Daybreak,' which starred Taye Diggs. Airing in November 2006, the show was cancelled after six episodes.
During the 2000 season, CBS had a medical drama television series called 'City of Angels,' that starred Blair Underwood, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Warren, and Hill Harper. The series lasted two seasons.
Written by J.J Abrams ('Felicity,' 'Alias,' and 'Lost') and Josh Reims, 'Undercovers' is a series about a domesticated husband (played by Kodjoe) and wife (played by Mbatha-Raw) who are re-activated as CIA agents after years of retirement.
To put the spark back in their marriage, some couples take a tropical vacation. Not Steven (Kodjoe) and Samantha (Mbatha-Raw). They rejoin the CIA. Now they're discovering things about each other they never knew. Like which lock-picking technique each prefers and who killed who. As well as how well they work together in a hostile environment.
Gerald McRaney, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Carter MacIntyre and Ben Schwartz are featured in the series.
Premiering this week, NBC will air 'Undercovers' on Wednesdays at 8 p.m.