KOOL TV BABE OF THE WEEK: "UNDERCOVERS" GUGU MBATHA-RAW

Undercover delight! Gugu Mbatha-Raw as sexy spy/wife Samantha Bloom in UNDERCOVERS. Image: ULIKE.

A love of catering and saving the world may seem like an unusual and possibly lethal combination for most people, but its all in a days work for the lovely ex-agent Samantha Bloom, now re-activated for assignments alongside her newly partnered adoring husband Steven (played by Boris Kodjoe) in the J.J. Abrams romantic action series UNDERCOVERS (finally and exclusively showing on the UK's WARNER BROTHERS CABLE CHANNEL, via VIRGIN TV ON DEMAND, this month).

Clips/behind the scenes: YouTube - NBC Undercovers Primetime Preview HD

The stylish three poster campaign for the series by NBC.

This one season running NBC series, which was a combination of TRUE LIES and ALIAS, with more than an attempt to replicate that hint of charm and repartee seen in past shows like MOONLIGHTING, had all the trademarks elements that writer/creator J.J. Abrams had shown and used within all his other successful film and TV projects, but, despite such talents (alongside a glamorous lead couple, stylish direction, cool action sequences and neat music from LOST's Michael Giacchino), this one didn't quite make the grade and only reached thirteen episodes. Perhaps it may have been a little bit too light and frothy for audience tastes, and made at the wrong time in TV history, in a period where US TV audiences are still used to the frenetic energies of series like 24. Still, despite the series premature end, anything by J.J. Abrams is always worth checking out, and actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw, better known in the UK as Martha Jone's sister Tish in the modern day David Tennant DOCTOR WHO series, is both bright, gorgeous, talented and very sexy as the series co-lead. She'll surely become a big star very rapidly-look out for her in Tom Hanks upcoming directing/lead movie LARRY CROWNE (also featuring Julia Roberts).