It would be easy to write off The CW’s “Nikita” as just another series about a butt-kicking female character.
But hold on a second before you go accusing it of being an “Alias” knock-off.
It is technically a knock-off, but its pedigree actually goes back much farther than that ABC show.
The series is based on the 1990 French film “La Femme Nikita,” which spawned both an American remake — 1993’s “Point of No Return,” starring Bridget Fonda and Gabriel Byrne — and a TV series that ran on the USA Network from 1997 to 2001 (I was totally obsessed with it then).
This latest entry has the same backstory: After going to prison for a murder she either did or didn’t commit, depending on which version you’re watching, Nikita is sprung by a secret government agency that trains her to be a spy and assassin.
But while the others focused on Nikita’s training and life as a killer-for-hire, this one takes place three years after she’s escaped the organization, here called the Division.
Operatives from the Division, led by the handsome Michael (Shane West, “ER”), have been searching for her ever since, hindered by the very training they gave her (spies know how to be invisible, you know).
Until now.
Nikita spent her time away planning revenge, and that’s where the series begins.
After one clunky scene in which she explains how she ended up with the Division in the first place, the rest of the pilot is action-packed and thoroughly entertaining.
Out to sabotage their missions and take down the organization, Nikita resurfaces with a bang, and to tell you much more than that would ruin all the fun.
The series also stars Lyndsy Fonseca (“Desperate Housewives”) as Alex, the Division’s newest recruit; Melinda Clarke (“The O.C.”) as Amanda, an operative who helps make the rough-around-the-edges recruits more presentable (think etiquette, make-up tips, etc); Xander Berkley (“24”) as Percy, the head of the Division; and Aaron Stanford (“X-Men: The Last Stand”) as Birkhoff, the organization’s tech expert.
“Nikita” premieres at 9 p.m. Thursday.
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