Covert Affairs
Encyclopedia
Covert Affairs is a USA Network
television series starring Piper Perabo
and Christopher Gorham
. The one-hour drama premiered on Tuesday, July 13, 2010. The show concluded its first season on September 14, 2010 and was renewed for a second season on August 19, 2010. The second season began airing on June 7, 2011, and a DVD set of the first season was released on May 17, 2011. The series was renewed for a third season by USA Network on September 15, 2011.
trainee, Annie Walker, is sent out into the field to work at the Domestic Protection Division (DPD). August "Auggie" Anderson, a blind tech operative, is Annie's guide in her new life. Annie's cover story is that she works in Acquisitions at the Smithsonian Museum.
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 announcement that the pilot had been green-lighted by USA Network.
In early August 2009, Tim Matheson
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
was cast as a fellow CIA officer as a peer of Perabo's character, and Eion Bailey was cast in a recurring role as Perabo's ex-boyfriend. The pilot began filming in Toronto
in September 2009.
In January 2010, the Covert Affairs pilot received a 10 episode order. Sendhil Ramamurthy was added to the cast as a CIA officer, replacing Lively's character, along with Emmanuelle Vaugier
in a recurring role as a journalist.
The series executive producers are Doug Liman
and David Bartis and the co-executive producer is Jonathan Glassner
. Production of the series is based at a studio in Toronto
, Ontario, where the primary static sets are housed, as well as at "stock" shooting locations throughout the local area. This footage is combined with material filmed at the various international locations in which the series' episodes are set, such as Washington, D.C.
; capturing geographically unique elements of these places. In some cases, the series producers may decide to use a stand-in location for shots that cannot be filmed either in the Toronto area, or at the location where the story is set; for example, if the costs or logistics of the shoot would be impractical, or if the location specified is fictional.
The second season began filming in March, 2011.
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
television series starring Piper Perabo
Piper Perabo
Piper Lisa Perabo is a Golden Globe Award nominated American stage, film and television actress.-Early life:Perabo was born in Dallas, Texas and grew up in Toms River, New Jersey, the daughter of Mary Charlotte , a physical therapist, and George William Perabo, a professor of poetry at Ocean...
and Christopher Gorham
Christopher Gorham
Christopher David Gorham is an American actor.- Early life :Gorham was born in Fresno, California to David Gorham, a certified public accountant and Cathryn Gorham, a school nurse. He attended high school at Roosevelt School of the Arts and graduated from UCLA with a BA in Film & Theater Arts...
. The one-hour drama premiered on Tuesday, July 13, 2010. The show concluded its first season on September 14, 2010 and was renewed for a second season on August 19, 2010. The second season began airing on June 7, 2011, and a DVD set of the first season was released on May 17, 2011. The series was renewed for a third season by USA Network on September 15, 2011.
Overview
A young CIACentral Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
trainee, Annie Walker, is sent out into the field to work at the Domestic Protection Division (DPD). August "Auggie" Anderson, a blind tech operative, is Annie's guide in her new life. Annie's cover story is that she works in Acquisitions at the Smithsonian Museum.
Main cast
- Piper PeraboPiper PeraboPiper Lisa Perabo is a Golden Globe Award nominated American stage, film and television actress.-Early life:Perabo was born in Dallas, Texas and grew up in Toms River, New Jersey, the daughter of Mary Charlotte , a physical therapist, and George William Perabo, a professor of poetry at Ocean...
as Anne Catherine "Annie" Walker: a 28-year-old CIA trainee who is suddenly promoted to field operative in order to help capture her ex-boyfriend, but the cause of her promotion is unknown to her. In addition to English, she speaks seven languages fluently, including ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, RussianRussian languageRussian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, FarsiPersian languagePersian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, and PortuguesePortuguese languagePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, which she says is her favorite. She also speaks several other languages with varied skill levels, including, HebrewHebrew languageHebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, EstonianEstonian languageEstonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia and tens of thousands in various émigré communities...
, and Sinhalese. - Christopher GorhamChristopher GorhamChristopher David Gorham is an American actor.- Early life :Gorham was born in Fresno, California to David Gorham, a certified public accountant and Cathryn Gorham, a school nurse. He attended high school at Roosevelt School of the Arts and graduated from UCLA with a BA in Film & Theater Arts...
as August "Auggie" Anderson: a CIA military intelligenceMilitary intelligenceMilitary intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
/special opsSpecial operationsSpecial operations are military operations that are considered "special" .Special operations are typically performed independently or in conjunction with conventional military operations. The primary goal is to achieve a political or military objective where a conventional force requirement does...
officer who was blinded while on a mission in Iraq where he served in an Army Special Forces unit. Even though he is still grieving about his injury, he frequently lightens the mood by cracking jokes about his disability. He guides Annie through the paces of her new job. Auggie is an exceptional athlete, winning two high school state championships in wrestling. He has four older brothers and is an Eagle ScoutEagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America . A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men...
. - Kari MatchettKari MatchettKari Matchett is a Canadian television and film actress. She played Mariel Underlay in Invasion, Lisa Miller in 24, and Kate Filmore in the cult favorite science fiction movie Cube 2: Hypercube. She currently appears in the USA television series Covert Affairs.-Early years:Matchett was born in...
as Joan Campbell: a senior officer who heads the Domestic Protection Division (DPD); Annie's supervisor and Arthur Campbell's wife. In the first few episodes of the series, she suspects Arthur is cheating. She is also has shown to have difficulty separating work from her personal life as shown in the couple's therapy sessions. She attended Pennsylvania State University. - Anne DudekAnne DudekAnne Louise Dudek is an American actress, known for her role as Dr. Amber Volakis on the television show House and her leading role on UK television series The Book Group as well as playing Francine Hanson in the series Mad Men...
as Danielle Brooks: Annie's older sister, who is married and has two children, and in whose guest house Annie lives. She is unaware of Annie's real career, knowing only Annie's cover—that she works in acquisitions at the Smithsonian Museum. In season 2, episode 10, Annie tells Danielle the truth about her job and Danielle, upset over being lied to all this time, demands Annie move out. - Sendhil RamamurthySendhil RamamurthySendhil Ramamurthy is an American actor. He is best known for the role as geneticist Mohinder Suresh in the NBC drama Heroes.-Personal life:...
as Jai Wilcox: a CIA officer assigned to DPD by Arthur Campbell. His family has a long history with the CIA; his father Henry was formerly the D/NCS. He's always bickering with his infamous father, Henry Wilcox, trying relentlessly to outlive his nefarious shadow. - Peter GallagherPeter GallagherPeter Killian Gallagher is an American actor, musician and writer. Since 1980, Gallagher has played many roles in numerous Hollywood films. He starred as Sandy Cohen in the television drama series The O.C. from 2003 to 2007...
as Arthur Campbell (Season 2+, recurring previously): the CIA Director of the National Clandestine ServiceDirector of the National Clandestine ServiceThe Director of the National Clandestine Service is a senior United States government official in the U.S...
(D/NCS); Joan Campbell's husband. He attended the United States Naval Academy.
Recurring cast
- Eion BaileyEion BaileyEion Francis Hamilton Bailey is an American actor, perhaps best known for appearing in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers as Pvt. David Kenyon Webster and in the films Fight Club, Center Stage, Mindhunters and Sexual Life...
as Ben Mercer: Annie's ex-boyfriend, who is being targeted by the CIA. - Gregory ItzinGregory ItzinGregory Martin Itzin is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as disgraced U.S. President Charles Logan in the television series 24.-Early life:...
as Henry Wilcox: the former CIA Director of the National Clandestine Service; Jai Wilcox's father. - Oded FehrOded FehrOded Fehr is an Israeli film and television actor now 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 Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Resident Evil: Extinction and Resident Evil:...
as Eyal Lavin: a MossadMossadThe Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
operative who occasionally works with Annie on her missions. - Emmanuelle VaugierEmmanuelle VaugierEmmanuelle Vaugier is a Canadian film actress, singer, songwriter and television actress who has had recurring roles as Detective Jessica Angell on CSI: NY, Mia on Two and a Half Men, Dr. Helen Bryce on Smallville, and FBI Special Agent Emma Barnes on Human Target...
as Liza Hearn: a journalistJournalistA journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
with a mysterious source inside the CIA, who hopes to publish a series of damaging articles about the Agency. - Evan Sabba as Michael Brooks: Danielle's husband and Annie's brother-in-law.
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Timeslot (EST Eastern Standard Time Eastern Standard Time may refer to:*North American Eastern Time Zone, UTC-5*Australian Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10*An album by Hip Hop group Kooley High... ) |
Original Airing | Viewers (in millions) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Premiere | Season Finale | Season | ||||
| 1 | 11 | Tuesday 10:00 P.M. | 2010 2010 in American television The following is a list of events that affected American television in 2010, a year marked by the usual debuts, cancellations, and continuations of shows; the launches, closures, or rebrandings of channels; but also significant cable/satellite carriage disputes, as well as... |
6.69 | ||
| 2 | 16 | Tuesday 10:00 P.M. | 2011 2011 in American television The following is a list of events affecting American television in 2011. Events listed include television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and channel launches, closures and rebrandings, as well as information about controversies and carriage disputes.... |
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Awards
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | ||||
| Nominated | Golden Globe | Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Drama | Piper Perabo Piper Perabo Piper Lisa Perabo is a Golden Globe Award nominated American stage, film and television actress.-Early life:Perabo was born in Dallas, Texas and grew up in Toms River, New Jersey, the daughter of Mary Charlotte , a physical therapist, and George William Perabo, a professor of poetry at Ocean... |
DVD release
Season One of Covert Affairs was released on DVD on May 17, 2011 in region 1 and region 4 on June 2, 2011. The three disc set features all 11 episodes of Season One, commentary on the "Pilot" episode, "Communication Breakdown", and "When the Levee Breaks" outtakes, deleted scenes, Behind the Scenes featurettes entitled "Welcome to the Farm", "Blind Insight", a Set Tour, and "Celebrate the ADA" PSA. The DVD is also equipped with Descriptive Video Service, a feature that provides descriptive narration of key visual elements for the visually impaired.Development, casting, and production
Covert Affairs first appeared on USA Network's development slate in July 2008. The pilot episodeTelevision pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
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 announcement that the pilot had been green-lighted by USA Network.
In early August 2009, Tim Matheson
Tim Matheson
Tim Matheson is an American actor, director and producer. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the smooth-talking Eric 'Otter' Stratton in the 1978 comedy National Lampoon's Animal House and has had a variety of other well-known roles, including providing the voice of the lead character...
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 Lively
Eric Lawrence Lively is an American actor. He played the role Nick Larson in The Butterfly Effect 2.-Early life:Lively was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He has a sister, actress Blake Lively, half-sisters actresses Lori Lively and Robyn Lively and a half-brother, Jason Lively, who played Rusty in...
was cast as a fellow CIA officer as a peer of Perabo's character, and Eion Bailey was cast in a recurring role as Perabo's ex-boyfriend. The pilot began filming in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in September 2009.
In January 2010, the Covert Affairs pilot received a 10 episode order. Sendhil Ramamurthy was added to the cast as a CIA officer, replacing Lively's character, along with Emmanuelle Vaugier
Emmanuelle Vaugier
Emmanuelle Vaugier is a Canadian film actress, singer, songwriter and television actress who has had recurring roles as Detective Jessica Angell on CSI: NY, Mia on Two and a Half Men, Dr. Helen Bryce on Smallville, and FBI Special Agent Emma Barnes on Human Target...
in a recurring role as a journalist.
The series executive producers are Doug Liman
Doug Liman
Douglas Eric "Doug" Liman is an American film director and producer best known for Swingers , The Bourne Identity , Mr. & Mrs. Smith , Jumper , and Fair Game .-Early life:...
and David Bartis and the co-executive producer is Jonathan Glassner
Jonathan Glassner
Jonathan Glassner is a television writer, director, and producer. He is known for his involvement with Stargate SG-1 and The Outer Limits. Glassner was initially noticed as a writer for his work on Alfred Hitchcock Presents...
. Production of the series is based at a studio in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario, where the primary static sets are housed, as well as at "stock" shooting locations throughout the local area. This footage is combined with material filmed at the various international locations in which the series' episodes are set, such as Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
; capturing geographically unique elements of these places. In some cases, the series producers may decide to use a stand-in location for shots that cannot be filmed either in the Toronto area, or at the location where the story is set; for example, if the costs or logistics of the shoot would be impractical, or if the location specified is fictional.
The second season began filming in March, 2011.