Thirty years ago, a group of prisoners and guards disappeared from Alcatraz. Now, they’ve shown back up, and the FBI is on the case.

It sounds super-low-concept, extremely accessible, and not at all leading toward a complex mythology that demands you watch every single episode without fail.

(Or not.)

Now, I am all for this. I have, at times (when I saw the trailer for Super 8, the first time Jack and Kate kissed), considered changing my Religious Views on Facebook to “JJ Abrams.” The only thing he’s ever invented that I’ve not liked is James Ford, and even that sonofabitch grew on me once he dequadrangulated himself. I’m excited about this pilot–I like the premise, I like the cast, and Elizabeth Sarnoff is

What I will not accept is the cancellation of Fringe at the benefit of a series like this.

Because while the series that Jabrams shepherds are inventive and brilliant and (often) romantic … they’re not for everyone. Yes, in my dream world, everyone likes science fiction and country music, but that’s just not the case in real life. Parks and Recreation? Friday Night Lights? I think everyone can (and should) like those. But these high-concept, densely mythological series just don’t attract and retain the same kind of viewers–and they shouldn’t be expected to.

Alias never brought in humongous ratings. Even Lost, the jewel of the Jabrams crown, survived for six seasons on the coattails of a stellar, Emmy-winning first year. Over the course of six seasons, Lost dropped from 15th place on the charts to 31st. While I have nothing but high hopes for Alcatraz, I have to imagine that, three years down the road, it’ll be facing the same challenges that Fringe is. So it boggles my brain that Fringe, which I believe is the most creative and thrilling show on television, is considered a teetering bubble show when THIS is what the network is keen to pick up for the fall. (Not sure if this is confirmed or not, but there was a rumor that Fox had already greenlit the front thirteen.)

Now, I was going to make a threat that if Fox cancels Fringe, I’ll boycott the network for five years, but I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep, and you never know. Glee could get really good again. But I will come up with my personal retribution that’s way worse than five years of hatred. (Suggestions welcome.)

Well, it may have taken almost three years, but between Peter and Olivia’s tiny-hands-in-a-snowy-tulip-field introduction do-over and Anna Torv’s pitch-perfect performance in those final moments of “Os,” but my perspective has obviously changed completely.

But while I was going through all that old news, I was reminded that Joshua Jackson was actually supposed to do a long-term guest run on Grey’s Anatomy before the writers’ strike hit. The papers were all signed for Jackson’s first post-Creek commitment, but during the strike, he made plans for Fringe, and the Grey’s episodes never materialized.

At the time, I was DEVASTATED. See, I was hosting Pacey-Cons at my house long before Jackson got in on that action. And at the time, Grey’s was The Place to Be, so it was a pretty big deal in Allietown.

Obviously, things worked out the way they were supposed to. (And Jabrams HAS to be a way better boss than Shonda Rhimes.) But I can’t help but wonder … what would have happened?

For starters, let’s state the obvious. Jackson is immensely likable, and could have fit in well in the world of Seattle Grace. Rumor had it at the time that he would have been a love interest for Cristina, suggesting that his character was probably one that ended up being reimagined as Owen Hunt, who was introduced shortly after.

Personally, I would have imagined him as the only guy who could snap Izzie out of that whole George situation, if only so that Jackson and Katherine Heigl could’ve spent time together reminiscing about the old WB days. And while it would’ve been fun to see him as a trauma surgeon, I just don’t see him having a whole lot of chemistry with Sandra Oh.

Of course, that’s what I said about Josh & Anna three years ago…

So when Undercovers was getting ready to premiere, and he kept talking about how it wasn’t going to have an ongoing mythology, I just winked back. Okay, JJ. Whatever you say. But now that three episodes have aired, I’m starting to realize that, holy crap, he was telling the truth.

Undercovers is fun, sexy, and it finishes the story by the closing credits. And while I’m sure this is exactly what they were going for, it’s hard not to feel like it’s missing something. It doesn’t need the complicated mythology of Lost or Alias or even Fringe, but what it does need is a recurring villain, an overall mission, an ongoing conspiracy. It needs an Arvin Sloane, a Cigarette-Smoking Man–hell, I’d take a Gormogon. This show needs an anchor and it needs higher stakes. At the end of every episode, the Blooms could quit spying and Major Dad could just find some other folks to go on these missions. They need a long-term assignment.

It’s hard not to draw comparisons to Alias, but this scene, from the first post-pilot episode, is great. When Vaughn rips out a map of SD-6 to show Sydney just how far it reaches, she realizes (as do we) that this isn’t going to take two months–this is going to take until May sweeps at least. “This isn’t about cutting off an arm of the monster–this is about killing the monster,” he says. And right now, Undercovers is just lobbing the arms off of a bunch of different monsters.

(Side note: How much does Sydney Bristow randomly remind you of Rachel Berry in that scene?)

I think this show has a lot of potential, and the episodes are entertaining, but for me to commit to this as an ongoing series, I need a promise that this is going to be more than just CIA-style fancy COPS.

I really am AMAZED that what started out as some kidding-around on the set of LOST has turned into a network TV reality! I’m still reeling from this sudden turn of events. I’m an actor who has never even succeeded in testing for a pilot and here I find myself involved in a project custom-built for Terry and me! Can’t tell you how thrilling it is to be part of the Bad Robot family and enter into this exciting collaboration with Warner Brothers and NBC! Have we ARRIVED or what?! But best of all will be that day when Terry and I show up on the set of a brand new show, look around, shrug our shoulders and say “Let’s get started!” My fingers are crossed! (Did I use enough exclamation points? Ha!)

SO many exclamation points!

Whatever the premise of this show turns out to be–rumor still has it that it’s about ex-black ops agents–I wonder if we can expect any meta references or throwbacks to Lost. If the show continues, I’d expect to see guest appearances from other former castaways, like the Jennifer Aniston/Lisa Kudrow cameos on Cougar Town. Except, you know, more badass.

On a more serious note, Jabrams officially has projects in development at CBS, NBC, and Fox. Assuming these all get pushed through the development process (I’d guess at least two will), can America handle three new Jabrams series at the same time? Can he effectively promote three pilots? And if, by some chance, these all make it to series, that’d theoretically be five Abrams-produced shows on-air, assuming Undercovers and Fringe get another season. Look, I love him, but that’s a LOT of Bad Robot.

they will MESS YOU UP. and then make out. // nbc promotional photo

Six years ago today, Lost premiered.

Tonight marks the premiere of the first pilot J.J. Abrams has directed since that project, and I am super-stoked. Undercovers has been on this blog’s radar for over a year, and I could not be more excited to see the finished product. It looks smart, it looks sexy, and it looks funny. And how serendipitous that it’s premiering on Lost‘s birthday?

Undercovers premieres tonight at 8:00 on NBC.

Speaking of birthdays, this little nugget (my dog, Freckles) is two today. She’s requested a marathon of Evangeline Lilly’s best episodes and a trip to the park.

so much hotter than anything else on lost ever. // abc promotional photo

It was a big morning on the Twitter today, as news that JJ Abrams is pitching yet another new pilot hit the Web.

In addition to his Alcatraz pilot (Alcatraz, now at Fox) and his pilot with Jonah Nolan (Person of Interest, committed to CBS), it’s now apparent that, along with Alias grads Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec, he’s out pounding the pavement for the oft-discussed Michael Emerson/Terry O’Quinn reunion project. What’s interesting is that if this goes to ABC or NBC, then Jabrams could potentially have three different pilots air on three different networks. What a feat!

Anyway, rumor has it that Emerson and O’Quinn would be playing former black-ops agents. So now this show is notable in the Jabramsverse not just because the two co-starred on Lost together for five years, but also because Terry O’Quinn played a black-ops agent on Alias. He was a good guy, and he still captured Sydney Bristow, like, two or three times in four seasons.

It kind of sounds like it could be like non-sexy Undercovers. I know what you’re saying–there’s nothing NOT sexy about Terry O’Quinn and Michael Emerson. It would be like Undercovers except even SEXIER. Remember Sydney Bristow’s post-Super Bowl lingerie? WAY HOTTER. Remember that time those people on Lost had sex in a cage? Way, way, way hotter.

raise your hand if you're awesome.

It’s about an island.

Sold.

…

Oh, you wanted more information? With Elizabeth Sarnoff, a former Lost writer, JJ Abrams is executive producing a new pilot about Alcatraz. It’s officially being described as “a show about mysteries, secrets and the most infamous prison of all time: Alcatraz.”

Now sold to Fox, the idea definitely has me thinking. See, I’ve been to Alcatraz, and there’s nothing too mysterious going on right now–it’s pretty much all ferry rides and audio tours. Which makes me wonder … is this going to be a period series? Will it take place during the heyday of the prison? Or will it take place in modern day, investigating the mysteries and secrets of the gift shop after-hours?

Not like any of those choices would deter me from watching.

Also, just to get you all excited, Elizabeth Sarnoff wrote the much-beloved Lost episode “Stranger in a Strange Land.”

Sarcasm.

British actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw has been tapped to star in JJ Abrams’s upcoming Undercovers alongside Boris Kodjoe as married CIA operatives Samantha and Steven Bloom.  Perhaps best known (especially by me) as Martha Jones’s sister, Tish, in a smattering of Doctor Who episodes, Mbatha-Raw has more recently starred in other unknown-to-Americans film and TV projects, as well as portrayed the Ophelia to Jude Law’s Hamlet.

Of course, this pairing is notable because both lead actors are people of color.  (Kodjoe is Austrian, the son of a German mother and a Ghanaian father; Mbatha-Raw is English, the daughter of a British mother and a South African father.)  While it is now commonplace to see racial and ethnic minorities on television, these characters are usually supporting.  Think about Grey’s Anatomy, a show which prides itself on its diversity; while the cast is populated by actors of different backgrounds, the central romance of the show is Derek and Meredith, who are both very, very white.

We still know very little about the show’s premise, other than that the series focuses on this decommissioned spy couple who run a catering company until their services are requested by the CIA.  Jabrams suggested that becoming spies again might help reignite the spark in their relationship–and, damn, if those two don’t look like they could be sparkalicious together onscreen.

I’m going to resist making any “TARDIS Landing at NBC” comments for the time being, but rest assured that if another Doctor Who cast member (regular or otherwise) pilots up at the peacock (in addition to Ten himself, David Tennant), we’ll consider it a quorum and I will have been practicing my material.  Speaking of NBC pilots, this is obviously going to be an interesting development season.  With five extra hours to fill during the week, and having squandered fit-for-10:00 shows like Southland, NBC’s going to be picking up a LOT of pilots.  (They’re working on a lot now, so there will still be disappointing cuts.)  Undercovers still seems like a safe bet for a spot on the 2010-2011 schedule, but it’s by no means a done deal.  (More after the jump.)

Rounding out the cast is Gerald McRaney, who you probably know as, “Oh, that guy,” as the CIA boss man, Carlton Shaw, an operative who recruited the lead characters to the agency and now serve’s as their liaison.  Scroll through his IMDb profile and you’ll likely recognize a couple of his credits–a West Wing episode here and there, and he was on Jericho.

But what I most recognize him for is his starring role in Major Dad, the turn-of-the-nineties sitcom about a Marine Corps Major who marries a liberal journalist and adopts her three CRAZY daughters.  (No, I didn’t remember all of these details; I Wikipediaed.)  It’s one of the earliest shows I actually remember watching, along with Coach and Hanging With Mr. Cooper.

Here are the opening credits.  They make me feel sad that this is what television used to be, sad that television ISN’T like this anymore, and also very, very old.

Five casting notices for Undercovers, J.J. Abrams’s married-spy series, are out on the internets, and here they are:

[STEVEN] Early to mid 30s. Handsome, charismatic leading man. Athletic and in great physical shape. Witty with a great sense of humor…SERIES REGULAR

[SAMANTHA] Early to mid-30s. Gorgeous, fit and in great shape, vibrant and highly intelligent. Strong, confident and quick-witted….SERIES REGULAR

[LIZZY] Early – mid 20s, adorable, well-meaning, but a handful. A bit scattered…SERIES REGULAR

[CARLTON SHAW] Late 40s – early 60s. A STRONG presence. Once rugged, now a bit cynical. Dry sense of humor. Highly perceptive…SERIES REGULAR

[BILL HOYT] 24, eager, fresh-faced, and always trying to please. A team player, but can be sycophantic…SERIES REGULAR

There’s really not much to go on here; one wonders if these are the only five regular cast members, or if there’s a larger ensemble with characters they’ve already cast.  Obviously, Steven and Samantha (is it wrong that I kind of hope those aren’t their real names?) are the lead characters and these descriptions sound exactly how you’d expect them to sound.  Nothing shocking there.

What really does intrigue me are the Lizzy and Bill characters, who definitely look like they might have some second-string ship potential (see: Hodgins/Angela on Bones, Monica/Chandler on Friends, Dwight/Angela on The Office…).  And Carlton Shaw (I really hope that is his real name) sounds pretty Agency-Boss-like to me.

Anything jumping out at you?

yes, but will they be as awesome as these guys? // abc promotional photo

So the most anticipated series of next fall (at least by me) is undoubtedly Undercovers, the pilot being produced and (likely) directed by JJ Abrams.  He told TV Guide Magazine yesterday:

We’re just casting now and it’s obviously really hard. We’re hoping to do a show that is a lighter and sort of more wish-fulfillment show. That’s not to say it’s fantasy or anything, but it’s got an energy that feels, again, like something that I would want to watch – but that doesn’t necessarily guarantee that anyone else will. But it’s something that for me feels like a fun look at a genre, the spy genre, that I’ve worked in before but in a way that while familiar in some ways feels very, very different.

Oh, Jabrams and your cryptic words.  How I’ve missed you so.  I have no idea what a “more wish-fulfillment show” means.  But I promise you I want to watch it.  That’s really all there is to say or analyze about what he’s saying, other than PLEASE CAST IT NOW PLEASE.