''Covert Affairs'' is an American
action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
television series filmed in Toronto, Canada, starring
Piper Perabo
Piper Lisa Perabo () (born October 31, 1976) is an American actress. Following her breakthrough in the comedy-drama film '' Coyote Ugly'' (2000), she starred in ''The Prestige'' (2006), ''Angel Has Fallen'' (2019), and as CIA agent Annie Walke ...
and
Christopher Gorham that premiered on Tuesday, July 13, 2010.
On January 6, 2015, USA Network canceled ''Covert Affairs'' after five seasons.
Plot overview
A young
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
trainee, Annie Walker, is sent to work in the Domestic Protection Division (DPD) as a field agent. August "Auggie" Anderson, a blind tech operative, is Annie's guide in her new life. In the beginning, Annie's cover story is that she works in Acquisitions at the
Smithsonian Museum but she is later let go. As of the fourth season, her new cover is that of a glamorous and well-connected importer/exporter, with expensive tastes and dealings that may not always be legal. The series traces Annie's evolution from a wide-eyed young operative who fetches coffee for her co-workers to a hardened spy who does not balk at enhanced interrogation. This change in tone is also seen in the opening credits, which used
chick lit
Chick lit is a term used to describe a type of popular fiction targeted at younger women. Widely used in the 1990s and 2000s, the term has fallen out of fashion with publishers while writers and critics have rejected its inherent sexism. Novels id ...
–style graphics in the early seasons. The cartoons, like the focus on Annie's home life with her sister, were gone in the fourth and fifth seasons.
Cast and characters
Main cast
*
Piper Perabo
Piper Lisa Perabo () (born October 31, 1976) is an American actress. Following her breakthrough in the comedy-drama film '' Coyote Ugly'' (2000), she starred in ''The Prestige'' (2006), ''Angel Has Fallen'' (2019), and as CIA agent Annie Walke ...
as Anne Catherine "Annie" Walker: a
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
trainee who is suddenly promoted to
field operative In espionage, a field agent is an agent who works in the field as opposed to one who operates at the office or headquarters. A field agent can work alone or in a group but usually has a case officer who is in charge.
Field agents can be undercover ...
. In addition to English, she speaks seven languages fluently and several other languages with various skill levels.
*
Christopher Gorham as August "Auggie" Anderson: Annie's handler. Auggie is a CIA
military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist commanders in their decisions. This aim is achieved by providing an assessment of data from a ...
/
special ops
Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...
officer who was blinded while on a mission in Iraq where he served in an Army Special Forces unit.
*
Kari Matchett
Kari Matchett is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Colleen Blessed on ''Power Play'', as Joan Campbell on ''Covert Affairs'' and as Kate Filmore in the science fiction movie '' Cube 2: Hypercube''. She has also appeared in films ...
as Joan Campbell: a senior officer who heads the Domestic Protection Division (DPD); she is Annie's supervisor and a skilled
spymaster
A spymaster is the person that leads a spy ring, or a secret service (such as an intelligence agency).
Historical spymasters
See also
*List of American spies
*List of British spies
* List of German spies
*List of fictional spymasters
This ...
who was quite talented in her field days. She attended Pennsylvania State University, and her cover is that of an executive at the World Bank.
*
Anne Dudek as Danielle Brooks (seasons 1–2, main; 3, recurring): Annie's older sister, who is married with two children; Annie lives in her guest house. Initially she is unaware of Annie's real career, knowing only Annie's cover, that she works in Acquisitions at the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
. Annie is forced to reveal her CIA employment in season 2 when her Chinese defector is poisoned by radiation; she is possibly radioactive and the CIA has to sweep her house. This forces her to tell her sister to go elsewhere for the night which causes a rift between them. Fortunately, the two manage to mend fences before Danielle and her family move to California.
*
Sendhil Ramamurthy as Jai Wilcox (seasons 1–3): CIA officer assigned to the DPD by Arthur Campbell. His family has a difficult history with the CIA; his father, Henry Wilcox, was formerly the CIA
Director of the National Clandestine Service
The deputy director of the CIA for operations is a senior United States government official in the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency who serves as head of the Directorate of Operations. The position was established December 1, 1950 and from Janu ...
(D/NCS). He is killed by a car bomb at the beginning of the third season.
*
Peter Gallagher
Peter Killian Gallagher (born August 19, 1955) is an American actor. Since 1980, he has played roles in numerous Hollywood films. He is best known for starring as Sandy Cohen in the television drama series '' The O.C.'' from 2003 to 2007, recu ...
as Arthur Campbell (seasons 2–5, main; 1, recurring): D/NCS. During his time as a field operative in the late eighties, he posed as a student in
East Berlin to gather intel on the
Stasi.
*
Hill Harper as Calder Michaels (seasons 4–5): CIA station chief based in
Medellin,
Colombia who is reassigned to Langley. Calder becomes the new head of the DPD after Joan is made D/NCS.
*
Nic Bishop as Ryan McQuaid (season 5): The owner of a private security firm for whom Arthur Campbell works, who finds himself working alongside Annie.
Recurring cast
*
Oded Fehr
Oded Fehr ( he, עודד פהר; born ) is an Israeli actor based in the United States. He is known for his appearance as Ardeth Bay in the 1999 remake of ''The Mummy'' and its sequel '' The Mummy Returns'', as well as Carlos Olivera in '' Resi ...
as Eyal Lavin (seasons 1–5): A
Mossad operative who occasionally works with Annie on her missions, and has become her confidante. The two are close, and turn to one another when in trouble.
*
Noam Jenkins
Noam Jenkins is a Canadian actor, voice actor, and television director. He is best known for his portrayal as Aiden Pearce in the 2014 video game ''Watch Dogs'', and Detective Jerry Barber on Global's ''Rookie Blue
''Rookie Blue'' is a Canad ...
as Vincent Rossabi (season 1–4): an FBI agent with whom Annie must occasionally work despite their antagonistic relationship.
*
Eion Bailey
Eion Francis Hamilton Bailey ( ; born June 8, 1976) is an American actor.
He stars as Jim Matthews in the epix horror series '' From''. He played Pvt. David Kenyon Webster in the HBO miniseries '' Band of Brothers'' and appeared in the films ...
as Ben Mercer (seasons 1–2): Annie's ex-boyfriend, who was being targeted by the CIA, before returning to the Agency. He is hired by Arthur as a "black ops" agent.
*
Gregory Itzin
Gregory Martin Itzin (April 20, 1948 – July 8, 2022) was an American character actor of film and television best known for his role as U.S. President Charles Logan in the action thriller series '' 24''.
Early life
Itzin was born in Washin ...
as Henry Wilcox (seasons 1–4): The former Director of the National Clandestine Service and Jai Wilcox's father.
*
Sarah Clarke
Sarah Clarke (born February 16, 1972) is an American actress, best known for her role as Nina Myers on '' 24'', and also for her roles as Renée Dwyer, Bella Swan's mother, in the 2008 film ''Twilight'', Erin McGuire on the short-lived TV sho ...
as Lena Smith (season 3): Annie's supervisor in another CIA division. Lena is not satisfied with Annie's performance and sends Annie back to the DPD. Lena believes in a more hands-on, direct action approach to espionage compared to Joan's by-the-book approach. Revealed as a mole for the FSB after she shoots Annie and sets her up to look like a traitor.
*
Emmanuelle Vaugier
Emmanuelle Frederique Vaugier (, ; born June 23, 1976) is a Canadian film and television actress. Vaugier has had recurring roles as Detective Jessica Angell on '' CSI: NY'', Mia on ''Two and a Half Men'', Dr. Helen Bryce on '' Smallville'', F ...
as Liza Hearn (seasons 1–2): A journalist with a mysterious source inside the CIA, who publishes a series of damaging articles about the Agency.
*
Richard Coyle
Richard Coyle is an English actor. He portrayed lead role of Father Faustus Blackwood in Netflix series '' Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'', and Jeff Murdock in the sitcom ''Coupling''.
Early and personal life
Coyle was born in Sheffield, En ...
as Simon Fischer (season 3): A venture capitalist and suspected
SVR spy, whom Annie is assigned to cultivate while working in Lena's division during season 3. They become both physically and emotionally involved, with serious consequences on both sides.
*
Perrey Reeves
Perrey Reeves (born ) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her recurring role as Melissa Gold on the television series ''Entourage'' from 2004 to 2011 and Frank the Tank's wife in the 2003 comedy '' Old School''.
E ...
as Caitlyn Cook (season 5): Ryan McQuaid's assistant.
*
Amy Jo Johnson
Amy Jo Johnson (born October 6, 1970) is an American actress, musician and filmmaker. As an actress, Johnson is known for her roles as Kimberly Hart on ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'', Julie Emrick on '' Felicity'', and Jules Callaghan on ' ...
as Hayley Price (season 5): An
NCTC official who is investigating the Chicago bombing and soon forms a relationship with Auggie.
*
Shailene Garnett
Shailene Garnett is a Canadian actress and filmmaker. She is known for starring in a variety of television series, including the CBC Television series '' Diggstown'' (2019–2022) and ''Murdoch Mysteries'' (2018–present), the Freeform series ...
as Joan's Assistant (season 5, episodes "Trigger Cut" and "Brink of the Clouds")
Development, casting, and production
''Covert Affairs'' first appeared on USA Network's development slate in July 2008.
The pilot episode was written by Matt Corman and Chris Ord.
[ Casting was underway in June 2009, with the expectation that successful casting would lead to a production commitment. Piper Perabo was the first actress cast in early July 2009, as CIA officer Annie Walker. The casting of Christopher Gorham came in late July,] quickly followed by an announcement that the pilot had been green-light
To green-light is to give permission to proceed with a project. The term is a reference to the green traffic signal, indicating "go ahead".
Film industry
In the context of the film and television industries, to green-light something is to ...
ed by USA Network.
In early August 2009, Tim Matheson
Tim Matheson (born Timothy Lewis Matthieson; December 31, 1947) is an American actor and director. Some of his best-known acting roles include the title character of the 1960s animated '' Jonny Quest'' TV series, Eric "Otter" Stratton in the 19 ...
signed on to direct a 90-minute pilot. Further casting announcements included Anne Dudek in mid-August, followed by Kari Matchett and Peter Gallagher in early September. Eric Lively
Eric Lawrence Lively (né Brown; born July 31, 1981) is an American actor. He played the role of Andy Evans in '' Speak'' (2004), Carey Bell in ''So Weird'' (1999–2001), and Mark Wayland in ''The L Word'' (2005).
Early life
Eric Lawrence Liv ...
was cast as a fellow CIA officer and peer to Perabo's character, and Eion Bailey was cast in a recurring role as Annie Walker's ex-boyfriend.[ The pilot began filming in Toronto in September 2009.
In January 2010, the ''Covert Affairs'' pilot received a 10-episodes order.][ Sendhil Ramamurthy was added to the cast as a CIA officer, replacing Lively's character, along with ]Emmanuelle Vaugier
Emmanuelle Frederique Vaugier (, ; born June 23, 1976) is a Canadian film and television actress. Vaugier has had recurring roles as Detective Jessica Angell on '' CSI: NY'', Mia on ''Two and a Half Men'', Dr. Helen Bryce on '' Smallville'', F ...
in a recurring role as a journalist.
The series executive producers are Doug Liman
Douglas Eric Liman (; born July 24, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing the films '' Swingers'' (1996), '' Go'' (1999), '' The Bourne Identity'' (2002), '' Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' (2005), ''Jumper'' (2008), '' Ed ...
and David Bartis and the co-executive producer is Jonathan Glassner
Jonathan Glassner is a television writer, director, and producer. He is known for his involvement with ''Stargate SG-1'' (where he was executive producer for the first three seasons) and '' The Outer Limits''. Glassner was initially noticed as ...
.[ Production of the series takes place in ]Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, at primary static sets housed in a studio, as well as at "stock" shooting locations throughout the local area. This is combined with material filmed at various international locations in which the series' episodes are set, such as Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
,[ capturing geographically unique elements of these places. In some instances, the series' producers use a stand-in location for shots where the costs and logistics of the actual location shoot are impractical, or if the location specified is fictional.
]
Episodes
Reception
''Covert Affairs'' received positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
reports a 93% approval rating, while on Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, the first season of ''Covert Affairs'' received a score of 64 out of 100, based on 23 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". The second season received a score of 68, based on six reviews. At the 68th Golden Globe Awards, Piper Perabo
Piper Lisa Perabo () (born October 31, 1976) is an American actress. Following her breakthrough in the comedy-drama film '' Coyote Ugly'' (2000), she starred in ''The Prestige'' (2006), ''Angel Has Fallen'' (2019), and as CIA agent Annie Walke ...
was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series—Drama. She also won the award for Outstanding Female Actor in a Breakthrough Role at the Gracie Awards
The Gracie Awards are awards presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWM) in the United States, to celebrate and honor programming created for women, by women, and about women, as well as individuals who have made exemplary contr ...
in 2011. Christopher Gorham won the Seeing Beyond Vision Loss Special Achievement Award at the CNIB
The CNIB Foundation (french: Fondation INCA) is a volunteer agency and charitable organization dedicated to assisting Canadians who are blind or living with vision loss, and to provide information about vision health for all Canadians. Founded ...
Awards in 2013.
DVD releases
References
External links
*
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{{USANetwork Shows
2010s American drama television series
2010 American television series debuts
2014 American television series endings
American action television series
Television series about the Central Intelligence Agency
English-language television shows
Espionage television series
Television series by Universal Content Productions
Television shows filmed in Toronto
Television shows set in Washington, D.C.
USA Network original programming
Parkour in fiction
Fictional secret agents and spies