"I watch Spooks and I know a lot of people are sad that it's ending, so in a way it's the perfect time for our show to come to the UK," says Covert Affairs star Piper Perabo.
"It's not as dark as Spooks though. It's more like James Bond," explains the actress, who's best known for her roles in Coyote Ugly and Cheaper By The Dozen.
In her latest role, Perabo plays the part of a multilingual CIA operations officer.
The 35-year-old, described as "the most beautiful spy on television" by TVFanatic.com, explains she's been "looking for a strong female role on TV for a while".
The Huffington Post UK spoke to the star, along with her on-screen Covert Affairs love interest Christopher Gorham, better known for his turn as Henry in Ugly Betty, at the UK launch of the spy drama.
The show has proved a hit in the US, where it is now on its third series.
But will it prove popular in the UK where audiences are more used to surly, slightly over-weight, balding men playing the on-screen intelligence officers?
Gorham thinks so, though he admits his character is an "incredibly capable, good-looking guy".
"The show is a bit like Spooks but the tone of it is uplifting. It's basically a glamourised version of the CIA, but all the writers have been to Langley [CIA HQ] and done their research."
Gorham's role as a blind war veteran, now serving as the head of Technical Operations Department at the CIA, also involved plenty of research.
"The physicality of playing a blind veteran is very different to anything else I’ve done," he said. "I had a shortened version of the training people who lose their sight get. It was fascinating to learn things like how they dream."
Perabo also spent time at Langley preparing for her role as CIA agent Annie Walker. She said:
"I wanted to know what cars they drive and all the things that make it authentic. I'd say, if you're a spy who's your boyfriend in real life? What kind of car do you drive?
"People think they drive nice cars because of James Bond, but they’d tell me ,'I'm on a government salary.' Some of their husbands didn't even know where they work."
Perabo might be acting like an ass-kicking agent at the moment, but that doesn't mean she's said goodbye to her Coyote Ugly days completely. We'll soon see her on the big screen starring alongside Bruce Willis, Joseph-Gordon Levitt and Emily Blunt in Looper, playing a "whore burlesque dancer".
The UK Premiere of Covert Affairs, exclusive to Really, is on Monday 7th November at 9pm (Sky 248, Virgin 267, Freeview 20).