With the success of shows like Alias and 24, television shows centered around espionage became popular beginning in the early 2000’s. Debuting in 2010, on the USA Network, Covert Affairs was created by the team of Matt Corman and Chris Ord (Daredevil: Born Again) and executive produced by Doug Liman, director of The Bourne Trilogy. Covert Affairs ran for five seasons and seventy-five episodes, all included across nineteen discs on Universal Studios’ recent release of the Complete Series on Blu-ray.
Annie Walker (Piper Perabo) is a CIA trainee who suddenly finds herself promoted to the agency’s Domestic Protection Division (or DPD), where she is put in high-risk situations at the command of Joan Campbell (Kari Matchett) whose husband Arthur Campbell (Peter Gallagher) is Director of the National Clandestine Service. Through it all, Annie is guided by her handler August “Auggie” Anderson (Christopher Gorham) a military intelligence/special ops officer, who was blinded while on a special forces mission in Iraq. The sexual tension between the two keeps things interesting.
While earlier episodes are self-contained (occasionally they bleed into the following episode), there are a few recurring characters, including Annie’s former boyfriend Ben Mercer (Eion Bailey), who has his own, complicated relationship with the CIA, and Eyal Lavin (Oded Fehr) a Mussad operative who occasionally works with Annie on missions.
Annie’s confidence grows week after week, as she gathers intelligence, deals with spies, double agents, rescue missions, extractions, and more. All the while, putting her life at risk and trying (and often failing) to balance a personal life. The first three seasons are the series’ best. Annie lives in the guest house at her older sister Danielle’s (Anne Dudek), who’s married with two kids. They serve to ground Annie a bit, and the episodic nature of the show lets the other characters interact and shine, particularly Peter Gallagher’s Arthur Campbell.
Season four and five, see the jettisoning of Danielle, in favor of a more serialized, action-packed approach that quickly becomes tiring. There are some ridiculous plotlines—one involving Henry Wilcox (Gregory Itzin), former Director of the National Clandestine Service drags on far too long, and Annie gets herself in increasingly difficult situations that seem unrealistic, and convoluted.
Largely known for her role in Coyote Ugly before this (and more recently, Yellowstone), Piper Perabo does an excellent job as Annie Walker, balancing a tough exterior with a soft heart for those she cares about. Kari Matchett excels as Joan Campbell, who struggles to balance her personal and professional life, working in the same building as her husband. Fan favorite Christopher Gorham is wonderful as Auggie, the calm in the storm for a group of people whose lives are anything but ordinary.
Presented in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio, Covert Affairs looks great on Blu-ray. The image is clean and crisp throughout, with a nice level of clarity. Colors are bright, and blacks are inky. Comparing season one on Blu-ray with the DVD, the high-definition transfer has more life, instead of the occasionally flat look of standard definition discs. There are no scratches or other anomalies present.
Featuring a 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio track across all five seasons, Covert Affairs sounds like the action-packed series it is. Moderate use of the surrounds turns up when Annie is out in the field, giving life to various ambient sound effects, and musical cues. Well mixed, dialogue is clean, clear, and concise throughout. Hisses and other anomalies are absent.
English SDH subtitles are included.
The extras appear to be the same as those available on previous DVD releases:
Season One:
- “Pilot” Audio Commentary with Piper Perabo, Christopher Gorham, Executive Producer Doug Liman, and Creator/Writers Matt Corman and Chris Ord
- “Communication Breakdown” Audio Commentary with Piper Perabo, Christopher Gorham, Executive Producers Doug Liman and Dave Bartis, and Creators Matt Corman and Chris Ord
- Deleted Scenes
- Gag Reel
- Welcome to the Farm
- Blind Insight
- Set Tour
- Celebrate the ADA
Season Two:
- “When the Levee Breaks” Audio Commentary with Piper Perabo, Christopher Gorham, Executive Producer Dave Bartis, and Creators/Writers Matt Corman and Chris Ord
- Deleted Scenes
- Gag Reel
- Piper Perabo Comic-Con Intro
- Covert Affairs on Location
Season Three:
- Deleted Scenes
- Sights Unseen: A Covert Affairs Prequel
Season Four:
- Deleted Scenes
- Gag Reel
- Action Reel
- Sights Unseen: Auggie Undercover – A Covert Affairs Prequel
Season Five:
- Deleted Scenes
- Gag Reel
