.com

Piper Perabo is glamorous--but she's not afraid to break a sweat. Perabo, as Annie Walker, is the perfectly cast centerpiece of the USA Network's smashing series Covert Affairs, sort of like Alias meets Sex and the City with a dash of The Closer, but skewing younger. Perabo's Annie is a surprisingly three-dimensional TV CIA agent trainee--vulnerable, smart but green, ambitious but sensible, romantic, confident, and just a little klutzy. Annie's career--and life--take a giant turn when the agency moves her from her training to a super-secret mission--one that involves some person or people from her past. So plucky Annie is in danger, yet her wits seem to serve her well. And the beauty of Covert Affairs is that, as with The Closer, the supporting cast and its chemistry are as divine as its heroine. Christopher Gorham plays the blind agent Auggie, whom Annie assists in a series of ever more complex assignments. Sendhil Ramamurthy (Heroes), Anne Dudek (House), and the always-watchable Peter Gallagher round out the ensemble. Annie, like most of the USA Network's series stars, is likable, complex enough to be engaging, but light enough to make for a breezy viewing experience. Which is great praise for Covert Affairs--it's immersive and compulsively watchable. The boxed set contains loads of great extras, including a gag reel, a "blind tour" feature that shows the set from the perspective of the blind Auggie, a great feature about creating the CIA offices, and illuminating commentaries from the cast and crew. Annie, get your gun, indeed. --A.T. Hurley