Each day the president is faced with dozens of life-and-death decisions, and to prioritize the biggest international crises facing the country, one top CIA analyst — Charleston Tucker (Katherine Heigl, “Grey’s Anatomy”) — assembles the President’s Daily Briefing (PDB). This list of the most vital security issues facing the nation brings with it moral and political judgment calls for Charleston and her trusted group of brilliant analysts at the agency. Aside from the political minefields she has to walk, Charlie has a close personal relationship with President Constance Payton (Alfre Woodard, “Desperate Housewives”) because she was once engaged to her son before a tragic terrorist attack took his life. Charlie survived that attack and is now determined to bring the perpetrators to justice. Navigating a complex personal life and a pressure-cooker profession is, of course, a challenge, and Charlie sometimes engages in boundary-pushing behavior to avoid facing her grief. But when the clock strikes 2 a.m., she is all about her job — protecting her nation, serving her president and still trying to get to the bottom of her fiancé’s murder that will reveal itself as a shocking mystery.

The cast also includes Adam Kaufman, Sheila Vand, Cliff Chamberlain, Tommy Savas and David Harbour.

Writer-director Joe Carnahan (“The Blacklist”) serves as Executive Producer.

I have seen the pilot, and I can say that this is definitely one you won’t want to miss.  If you’re a fan of “The Blacklist,” you’ll immediately recognize the extremely fast pace, the quick dialogue, and non-stop action every step of the way.  But we also get a very thorough introduction to the characters  which is actually rare for a pilot, and by the end of the hour, we know who these people really are. We know that Charleston is somewhat broken, being haunted by that day when her fiance was killed, trying to bury those memories with alcohol and cheap sex, and at the same time, still trying to do her job without those memories getting in the way. And, of course, the episode ends with a hell of a WTF moment that calls into question everything we learned and built on throughout the entire hour, which makes you want to tune in next week even more.  And, you should — I know I will.

State of Affairs  premieres tomorrow night at 10/9c on NBC.

MEET THE CAST

Katherine Heigl

Katherine Heigl plays Charleston Tucker. On television for six seasons, Heigl portrayed Dr. Isobel “Izzie” Stevens, the small-town girl constantly battling for respect amongst her peers, on ABC’s critically acclaimed drama “Grey’s Anatomy.” In 2007, Heigl earned an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe nomination for her performance

Alfre Woodard

Alfre Woodard plays President Constance Payton. Woodard’s illustrious work as an actor has earned her an Oscar nomination, four Emmy Awards, 17 Emmy nominations, three Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Golden Globe. Woodard’s four Emmys were won for her work on “Hill Street Blues” (supporting actress in a drama series), “L.A. Law” (guest performer in a drama series), “Miss Evers’ Boys” (lead actress in a miniseries or special) and “The Practice” (guest actress on a drama series). Woodward also won a SAG Award and Golden Globe Award for “Miss Evers’ Boys.” Her most recent Emmy nominations were for supporting actress in “Steel Magnolias” and guest actress on “True Blood.”

Adam Kaufman

Adam Kaufman plays Lucas Newsome.  Adam Kaufman is an American actor, who is best known for his roles as Charlie Keys in the Steven Spielberg produced mini-series “Taken,” Parker Abrams on “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” and Ethan on “Dawson’s Creek.” Kaufman’s other television credits include recurring and guest roles on “Without a Trace,” “NCIS,” “Melrose Place,” “Veronica Mars,” “Mad Men” and “The Client List.”

Tommy Savas

Tommy Savas plays Dashiell Gree.  Savas can currently be seen starring on “The Last Ship,” as Cossetti, a rookie sailor who is recruited to join the Navy Seal team aboard the ship. Savas was recently seen in the independent feature “The Moment,” starring Jennifer Jason Leigh which premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival.

Sheila Vand

Sheila Vand plays Maureen Jones. Vand is an American actress and performance artist who was born and raised in Palo Alto, California.  She eventually moved to Los Angeles to study acting and directing at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television where she graduated with top honors. In 2009, Vand originated the role of ‘Hadia’ in Rajiv Joseph’s “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo”, at the Kirk Douglas Theater in Los Angeles.  The critically acclaimed and successful play moved to Broadway in 2011 where the cast was joined by Robin Williams.  The play would go on to earn a Pulitzer nomination. Vand was next cast in the role of ‘Sahar’, the Iranian housekeeper, in Ben Affleck’s 2013 Oscar-winning film “Argo.” Her performance was highlighted in the LA Times article “Small Roles Powerful Performances.”  Vand also performed the opening narration of the film, and in 2013 received a Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Ensemble.

VIDEO

A First Look

Sneak Peek #1

Sneak Peek #2

Sneak Peek #3

Sneak Peek #4

Behind-The-Scenes Look #1

Behind-The-Scenes Look #2

Behind-The-Scenes Look #3

PHOTOS

All photos courtesy of Michael Parmelee and NBC

 

 

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