I caught the trailer for USA's Covert Affairs over the weekend, and it looks extremely promising:
I have loved Peter Gallagher pretty much forever. I'm glad to see Christopher Gorham, henpecked and hidden behind nerd glasses on Ugly Betty (and lord did I hate how that show treated Jayma Mays, who deserves all the sugar she's getting on Glee) come out from behind them and get to be the hot handler. My one misgiving? That Anne Dudek, who has a lead role on the show but isn't featured in the promo, doesn't have the lead role that instead has gone to Piper Perabo. I'm not a big Perabo fan: she was annoying in Coyote Ugly, itself saying something considering how bad that movie is, sickly sweet and not very smart in newlywed-discovers-she's-a-lesbian flick Imagine Me and You, and so forgettable in The Prestige that I didn't even remember she'd been in it.
Dudek, in contrast, is memorable every time she steps onto the screen. Dr. Amber Volakis on House was one of the smartest, toughest, most textured female characters to show up on network television in a long time. From what I saw of her on Mad Men, she was delightfully tart. Why she hasn't gotten some of the love Alison Brie has is a bit of a mystery to me. As the lead in this CIA-recruit-with-a-troublesome-boyfriend show, she'd be less of a coquette, and flintier than Perabo will probably be. I'll watch the show anyway. But I'll certainly wonder what could have been.