J.J. Abrams was at Monday night’s Fox All-Star Party for the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour on behalf of his sophomore television Fringe. But, with so many things on his plate, like the final season of Lost, his new pilot for the NBC spy series Undercovers and the 2012 sequel for Star Trek, Abrams had plenty to talk about and was more than happy to do so.
During an informal chat with Collider.com, the director/writer/producer talked about his preparation to direct the pilot for Undercovers.
How far are you into the development stage of your new NBC pilot, “Undercovers”?
JJ: We start shooting on Monday. So, we’re farther ahead than I even feel like we are.
Is that another sci-fi project?
JJ: No. It’s a romantic show that’s a comedy-drama about a couple who are spies.
But, you will be directing on your new show?
JJ: I’m doing the pilot of “Undercovers,” yeah.
Does NBC suddenly seem like it’s a welcoming place for scripted drama, now that they’re going to free up the 10 o’clock hour again?
JJ: They were a welcoming place when they bought the pilot, so I’m thrilled to be there. There’s suddenly more hours available per week, which is good, but it doesn’t make it any more or less welcoming. The people at NBC have been extraordinarily nice and really supportive of this pilot. It’s the beginning of a relationship. It’s a weird thing. When you do a pilot with a new network, or even with a familiar one, with actors you haven’t worked with, it’s always a leap of faith. You’re rushing into a marriage with people that you believe will be great partners, but you just don’t know for sure. All you can do is, day-to-day, go “How is it? This feels good. That bugs me, so let’s talk about it.” It’s literally like being in a relationship. So far, we’ve had no fights. We’re still in the honeymoon period.
Do you know when you’ll have an idea of who the female lead is in “Undercovers”?
JJ: If it’s not in the next 24 hours, I’m going to kill myself.
With terrorists around the world and wars going on, can you do serious dramas about terrorism and fear, or is it better to do something lighter?
JJ: One of the fun things about this new series that we’re doing is that it’s much more fun, light and escapist than heavy, intricately complex drama. For me, the idea of grappling with anything that feels like real terrorism, that’s not what I want to be watching, at the moment. I’m not saying that it’s not something that I wouldn’t watch, if someone else did it, but it’s something that I’m not focusing on right now.
Is it a bigger gamble to try something like that, with the way the world is now?
JJ: In terms of what people have gone to see at the movies, at least, it’s been harder to do stories that are war-centric. But, one of the great things that TV allows is a chance, not only to learn the news and what’s happening right now, anywhere in the world, but also escape from that. Getting a dose of wish fulfillment, escapist fun is something that, as a fan of television, I can understand, now more than ever.
Do you find it hard to go from the sci-fi drama to a lighter show?
JJ: No, it’s always a relief to jump from one genre to another because, no matter what, as much fun as you’re having or as well as it might work, after you work on one thing for a little while, it’s a breath of fresh air to work on something that has another point of view, another approach and another genre.
How hands-on will you be with the new show? Are you going to launch it, like with “Lost” and “Fringe,” and then trust your team, or are you going to be more day-to-day with your involvement?
JJ: My guess is that, in the beginning, I’ll be more day-to-day with the show. I’m directing the pilot, but then my guess is that Josh Reims, with whom I’ve worked on “Felicity” with before, will be running the show more day-to-day. But, it was important to me that we set the tone, and get the right energy and dynamic with the characters.
