Covert Affairs (2010)

Covert Affairs: Seasons 1-5 is a sweet spy series starring Piper Perabo as the newest (and hottest) CIA recruit. (She's promoted to field operations a month early for being the most competitive and capable trainee from "The Farm" who speaks six languages. It also helps the show's appeal that her lips and outfits look poured on.) Covert Affairs is the new Alias and as fun as Burn Notice. Her tough-as-nails immediate boss is Kari Matchett (Nate's ex Maggie in Leverage), who reports to Peter Gallagher as well as being his take-no-prisoners wife. After Piper's character Annie Walker, however, my favorite is her blind and whipsmart field-support agent Auggie Anderson, played by Christopher Gorham. Interesting subplots arise as we learn why Annie joined the CIA and how she relates to her sister (who thinks she works at the Smithsonian). This show has run for 5 seasons because it's fast-paced, intelligent, and a pleasure to watch. Episode 1: Pilot (Annie's first field contact gets ventilated and Russian agents threaten her life), 2: Walter's Walk (Annie protects a boy genius), 3: South Bound Suarez (Annie expatriates two Venezuelans), 4: No Quarter (Annie is stranded in Zurich with a Mossad agent who may be her contact or a killer), 5: In the Light (Annie tracks an arms shipment), 6: Houses of the Holy (Annie tracks a Senate leak), 7: Communication Breakdown (a hacker shuts down D.C. telecommunications), 8: What Is and What Never Should Be (Annie tracks a suspicious art auction sale), 9: Fool in the Rain (an Iranian trade delegate hopes to defect), 10: I Can't Quit You Baby (Annie poses as a diamond smuggling mark), 11: When the Levee Breaks (Annie's boyfriend returns to the CIA after going rogue, and agency politics get more complex). (This review will be updated as seasons are viewed.) 5 stars. (8-7-2010, updated 8-6-2016)