Legends

Sean Bean lands a lead role where he just might be safe from getting killed in TNT's upcoming Legends.

Martin Odum (Bean) is a deep cover operative for the FBI. Legends are what they call the identities created by and for these operatives. Odum transforms himself into these covers to infiltrate terrorist organizations and perform other jobs. The pilot episode introduces us to Lincoln Dittmann, a disgruntled unemployed construction worker with a victim complex. Dittmann has been working his way toward the Founding Fathers, a group that views America as having become corrupt and that violent action is needed to steer her back to the correct path. Dittmann is a Legend, and one that Odum sometimes finds it hard to shake. He comes in from cover to see his ex-wife and son, and writes her a check which he signs as Dittmann.

Living multiple lives, it seems, is wearing Martin thin. Or is it? A mysterious stranger appears and tells Odum that he isn't who he thinks he is, that Odum himself is a Legend. Is Martin Odum actually the cover, the Legend, for another operative? Who is he really? And what is his mission? He'll need to keep up with his job while he also tries to unravel the mystery of his own identity.

Sean Bean gets to stretch his acting legs here as he floats in and out of different characters, with different accents and mannerisms. He's backed up aptly by Ali Larter as Crystal McGuire, a fellow operative and his team leader; Tina Majorino as Maggie Harris, Odum's field support who gets him the real world data to back up the legends he crafts; Steve Harris as Nelson Gates, the director of the DCO (Deep Cover Operations) who is willing to overlook the risks Odum takes because of the results Odum gets. Morris Chestnut also stars as Tony Rice, another DCO agent. And Amber Valletta is Sonya Odum, Martin's ex-wife.

I was given the first two episodes to review and found them both to be quite excellent. Legends has already made my must watch list.