J. J. Abrams' Canceled Spy TV Show Is Nearly Impossible To Watch Today

J.J. Abrams is one of the most successful television creators/producers of his generation, but he doesn't always connect with viewers. Take, for instance, 2010's "Undercovers," a light, fizzy, action-packed spy series that boasted two wildly appealing leads in Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Boris Kodjoe. They played married CIA agents Samantha and Steven Bloom, who've left the agency to open a catering business. When they're pulled back into the spy biz to tackle assignments deemed too dangerous or complex for regular agents, they find themselves learning new things about each other's pasts (which they've sworn to never discuss).

This is hardly a novel premise, but Abrams, who created "Undercovers" with Josh Reims, was on a television winning streak at the time via "Felicity," "Alias," the hugely influential "Lost" and "Fringe." Everyone just assumed this would be a success, too.

"Undercovers" wound up getting canceled two months into its first season due to middling reviews and low ratings, and is currently unavailable to stream anywhere. Had critics dug the series (which holds a 39% Tomatometer rating at Rotten Tomatoes), NBC might've given it time to find its footing (like they did with "Parks and Recreation"). While some reviewers thought the show had promise, most were turned off by the low-stakes nature of the Blooms' missions, as well as the strained rom-com elements.

How did Abrams take his first major TV failure?

In a 2011 interview with Collider, Abrams was asked why he thought "Undercovers" was a wipeout with critics and viewers. After taking full blame for the show's failure, he addressed what he believed to be its biggest issues. Per Abrams:

"The conceit of the show was to do a much more frivolous, fun show, but ultimately, I think it was just too frivolous and too simple, and we didn't go deep enough. We were really desperately trying to stay away from mythology and complexity and intensity and too much serious, dark storytelling and, ultimately, that's not necessarily what I do best. I think audiences felt that it was a little bit lacking. I see that and completely take responsibility for its failing."

I'm not a huge Abrams fan (though I'm in the minority), but the pairing of Raw and Kodjoe was simply too tempting. I gave "Undercovers" two episodes, and checked out. It felt like Abrams and Reims were attempting to work a high-style riff on Josh Schwartz's and Chris Fedak's "Chuck," which was odd given that "Chuck" was an NBC show and still very much on the air. Raw and Kodjoe did the best they could with the weak material, but there was no salvaging the show the way it was constructed.

Had NBC stuck with "Undercovers," and respected critics signaled a turnaround in quality, I might've given it another shot. Unfortunately, if you're curious to see how a series with these ultra-talented stars could go so wrong, you'll have to wait until it re-surfaces on streaming (keep an eye out for it on Tubi, which previously had the rights). You can, however, watch Abrams' recently canceled action series Duster on HBO Max.