Small Glass Screen: "Undercovers", "Modern Family", "Cougar Town"

Undercovers: Pilot
Of all the pilots I've seen this week, count on J.J. Abrams to deliver the most spectacular, narratively coherent of them. From the man who backed such shows as Alias, Lost, and Fringe, Undercovers is for everybody who love those shows, but were too frustrated by the complex mythologies. This is the most enjoyable show that Abrams has brought us, because it isn't such a dramatically heavy show. It's a romantic-comedy set on the backdrop of an action film. I wouldn't expect any of the horrific character deaths that have plagued Fringe every week.

Michael Giacchino's score moves at as fast a pace as the show itself, evoking his fantastic work on Speed Racer more than anything else. My biggest disappointment with this episode was the lack of lens flares that Abrams is known for. The performances by the two leads definitely have chemistry, but are just below great. The episode kept juggling around the question of whether or not Leo Nash was a traitor in a way that kept me guessing. Ultimately, it's not Abrams' finest pilot, as it goes on more of a MI3 route, but I found it pretty fast and enjoyable. It's not going to win an Emmy next year, but it's not supposed to. It's a solid-B action series, which is something I've wanted to see for a while now. On a final note, the main villain looks a hell of a lot like James Cameron.

Modern Family: The Old Wagon
Admittedly, I didn't see the first season of the Emmy award winning comedy, so I thought I'd pick up the show for this fall season. There isn't really an overarching plot to the series, and I kind of liked that. It reminded me a bit of The Office, except it felt a lot less repetitive. It's just a half-hour comedy, so that definitely limits what you can show. I enjoyed it, but I'm not going to be in a rush to see it immediately. It's a show I'd gladly catch up with on Hulu.

Cougar Town: All Mixed Up
Compared to the previous half-hour comedy, this one is a lot more obviously funny and more accessible. I've been dying to see Jennifer Aniston and Coutney Cox onscreen together again, and this definitely offers Aniston her funniest performance in the past decade. I really liked the "drinking game" that permeated through the entire episode. Only complaint is that I wish there were more "Cougars" on this show. It's kind of like how "third-world country" lost it's meaning after the Cold War ended. In the end, this is a show I can keep permanently on my Wednesday schedule.