Pick of the Week: An Idea Worth Revisiting

The CW rolls out two of its new shows this week and one of them is my Pick…

My Pick of the Week is “Nikita.”

When it was announced that The CW was updating the USA Network drama, “La Femme Nikita,” I was a little disappointed that the network seemed to be running out of ideas. But after seeing the premiere, I would say that it’s actually an idea that was worth revisiting.

Nikita (Maggie Q) was rescued from prison as a young woman by a secret government agency known as Division. They trained her to be an assassin. But Nikita escaped and after three years in hiding, she’s back to bring down the agency.

In the premiere, the hour is divided between Nikita’s story and the story of Division’s newest recruit, Alex (Lyndsy Fonseca), who is having trouble adjusting to her new life.

There’s just something about a sexy woman taking out the bad guys that just works. But this show also works because the butt-kicking woman is not the only appeal here. Q is great but she is surrounded by a first-rate supporting cast including Shane West (“ER”) as Michael, a recruit handler; Aaron Stanford (“Traveler”) as Birkhoff, Division’s computer expert; and the always welcome Melinda Clarke (“The O.C.”) as Amanda, a Division trainer; and Xander Berkeley (“24”), as Percy, Division’s director.

Although the comparison to “Alias” is obvious, I would say that it’s more like “Dark Angel” with Nikita trying to stay one step ahead of Division while also trying to expose its secrets. And although the show does have a certain mythology to it, it’s not nearly as complicated as “Alias” and the whole Rimbaldi thing.

Plus, there’s a great twist at the end of the hour that will absolutely have you wanting to come back for more to see where the show is headed. I know I will…

“Nikita” premieres Thursday, September 9th at 9 p.m. on The CW…

Photo Credit: Ben Mark Holzberg/CW