UC: Undercover Information

UC: Undercover is an action-thriller television series that focuses on the secret lives and private demons of an elite Justice Department crime-fighting unit that confronts the country's deadliest, most untouchable lawbreakers by going undercover to bust them. The series was broadcast from 2001 to 2002.

The stories were written by Shane Salerno. James Bond composer David Arnold wrote the main title theme and scored the pilot episode. Salerno said the show would be a "very music driven series." UC: Undercover was a production of NBC Studios in association with Jersey Films, Chasing Time Pictures, Regency Television, and 20th Century Fox Television. Its short but popular run ended when it was canceled by the network.

The show developed a passionate following overseas and continues to run on FX International.

Cast

• Oded Fehr as Frank Donovan
• Jon Seda as Jake Shaw
• Vera Farmiga as Alex Cross
• Bruklin Harris as Monica Davis
• Jarrad Paul as Cody
• William Forsythe as Sonny Walker

Synopsis

The unit is headed by authoritative Frank Donovan (Oded Fehr), with undercover agents Jake Shaw (Jon Seda) and Alex Cross (Vera Farmiga), psychological profiler Monica Davis (Bruklin Harris), and young techno-wizard Cody (Jarrad Paul), who runs all of the high-tech surveillance operations.

As a federal team, the group responds to emergencies all over the country: taking down elite bank robbers, drug kingpins, domestic terrorists, spies, jewel thieves, and corrupt cops. The drama's character-driven storylines emphasize the taut, cat-and-mouse game played by the undercover agents as they attempt to infiltrate the lives of a gallery of criminals, including murderous master thief Jack "Sonny" Walker (William Forsythe) and imprisoned drug lord Carlos Cortez (Steven Bauer, in a recurring role).

The series also explores the psychological toll undercover work takes on the agents who play this deadly game of false identities and who commit treachery as a daily profession for the greater good.

The team often butts heads with Paul Bloom (Brian Markinson), their obstructive and fiercely ambitious Justice Department boss.

Reception

The New York Times called it a "fast paced, good-looking series" and Variety wrote that series lead Oded Fehr is a "commanding and interesting addition to television." Variety added that "technical credits are comparable to theatrical quality" which led the series winning awards for cinematography and sound. The show received a high 7.3 out of 10 from viewers on TV.Com. USA Today's Robert Bianco gave it one star and said it was "Pretentious, incoherent and so visually hyper it borders on nauseating."

Episode list

1. Life on the Wire
2. Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
3. Of Fathers and Sons
4. Once Upon a Time...in the Hood
5. Honor Among Thieves
6. Nobody Rides for Free (a.k.a. Blowback)
7. City on Fire (a.k.a. Crash)
8. The Siege (a.k.a. Prison Riot)
9. Zero Option
10. Hunting Armando
11. Teddy C
12. Manhunt
13. The Sins of Sonny Walker