A primer for NBC's 'My Own Worst Enemy'

A brief download of intel from the TCA press tour panel for NBC’s spy drama My Own Worst Enemy, which stars Christian Slater. (We’ll try to keep the this-file-will-self-destruct-in-five-seconds jokes to a minimum.)

• Shooting on the pilot just wrapped on Friday, which means it’s not ready yet. However, a few clips were shown. There were explosions.  There was high production value. There was an identity crisis. There was Christian Slater, busting a spy move on someone’s neck. Verdict: Intriguing.

• A decent portion of the questions lobbed at the MOWE team involved clarification of the show’s premise. Here’s what you need to know: Slater plays an efficiency expert/family man named Henry. Slater also plays a badass operative named Edward. Henry and Edward are the same man, but Henry doesn’t know about the Edward side of himself. (This is made possible by some high-tech science at the covert organization where Edwards works. His boss: Alfre Woodard.) Alas, there seems to be a glitch in the program and Henry is starting to realize that something weird is going on as his worlds collide. Let’s just say that the producers have concocted a nice twist on the idea that Henry was a peaceful schlub leading a normal life before Edward entered the picture.

• For those worried about committing to a heavily-serialized show with a payoff down the road, series creator Jason Smilovic — exec producer of 2006′s heavily-serialized Kidnapped — assured that specific objectives will be resolved within each episode, and that the audience won’t just be left waiting for the endgame.

• Slater said that he was initially nervous about making the transition from movies to TV, but quite likes it. (No more sitting around in his trailer for seven hours, waiting for the next shot.) It was also revealed that he plays Henry on certain days of production, and Edward on others. And that Edward is left-handed while Henry is right-handed. And that Henry is allergic to strawberries, while Edward is not. Okay, we think Smilovic is making that one up. Or wait — maybe they’re making the whole thing up as part of some top-secret government plan to kill us all by tomorrow morning. In that case, well played, guys, well played.