New J.J. Abrams spy series close to finding a network home

NBC is said to be close to landing a spy drama spec series written by J.J. Abrams and Josh Reims – who most recently worked on ABC’s Brothers & Sisters and Dirty Sexy Money – that sparked a bidding war when it entered the marketplace last week, according to THR, with ABC, NBC and CBS all in pursuit of the hot property.

The potential show revolves around a husband and wife pair of spies who work together.

The first project Abrams co-created under a deal with WBTV, the sci-fi drama Fringe, was also a spec script that sparked a bidding war in 2007 before landing at Fox with a big series commitment, and big ratings.

If the storyline holds, the new show sounds like a sequel to Abrams’ hit series Alias (total speculation), which ended with Jennifer Garner’s Sydney Bristow and Michael Vartan’s Michael Vaughn, married with a newborn child, getting a visit from Carl Lumbly’s character Marcus Dixon, where he attempts to persuade them to carry out a new Alias mission.