USA NETWORK ORDERS FIFTH SEASON OF ESPIONAGE DRAMA "COVERT AFFAIRS"

The Series Ranked As A Top 10 Cable Scripted Show of The Summer, Averaging Nearly 4 Million Total Viewers

Season Four Continues On Oct 17th

LOS ANGELES - October 3, 2013 - USA's hit original international spy drama series, COVERT AFFAIRS, has received a 16-episode fifth season renewal order. The series was one of summer's top 10 cable scripted shows, with nearly 4 million total viewers P2+ (3.955MM).

"No other series on television travels the globe to tell a story like COVERT AFFAIRS, and we are pleased to bring it back for another season" said Chris McCumber, President of USA Network. "With its intricate storytelling, diverse characters and authentic locations, the series continues to be a cornerstone in our line-up of USA's original signature dramas."

Season four of COVERT AFFAIRS continues on October 17 at 10/9c following the season premiere of WHITE COLLAR. The season finale is scheduled for Thursday, November 21.

The critically-acclaimed spy drama series stars Golden Globe-nominated Piper Perabo ("Coyote Ugly," "Beverly Hills Chihuahua"), as Annie Walker, a young CIA operative whose exceptional linguistic skills and killer instinct make her invaluable to the Agency. As the fourth season continues, we find an emboldened Annie Walker emerging from the life she once knew. Now, she's a spy operating off the grid without ties to her agency or the support of her beloved handler, Auggie (Christopher Gorham of "Ugly Betty," "Jake 2.0"). Annie knows that tying Henry Wilcox (guest star Gregory Itzin) to the disastrous attack in Copenhagen is the best way to bring him down and that's exactly what she aims to do. The series also stars Kari Matchett ("Invasion," "Leverage"), Peter Gallagher ("The O.C.," "American Beauty") and Hill Harper ("CSI:NY"). In addition to Michelle Ryan and Zuleikha Robinson, guest stars for the remainder of the season include Seeta Indrani, Richard Short, Mike Dopud, Jonathan Togo and Emma Fitzpatrick. International shooting locations this season have included Medellín, Rome, Vienna, Copenhagen, Hong Kong, Grand Bahama Island and Geneva. This season, Christopher Gorham will direct episode 414.

From Universal Cable Productions, COVERT AFFAIRS was created, written and executive produced by Matt Corman and Chris Ord, and is executive produced by Doug Liman (SUITS, the "Bourne" trilogy, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"), David Bartis (SUITS, "The O.C.") and Gene Klein (SUITS) through Hypnotic. Stephen Kay ("Sons of Anarchy") and Sean Ryerson ("Knight Rider") also serve as executive producers.

Leading up to the return of COVERT AFFAIRS, fans can watch the first ten episodes of the current season on VOD and use their mobile devices to access exclusive second screen content on USA Sync at sync.usanetwork.com. They can also join the immersive online adventure "Sights Unseen: Auggie Undercover." The series gives them a glimpse into Auggie's past, prior to losing his sight and explores his affair with Russian hacker Natasha (Liane Balaban). Fans can get started by logging on to sightsunseen.usanetwork.com via their desktop or tablet. After watching each of the webisodes, users can play a variety of mini-games designed to test their spy skills.

The #1 network in all of basic cable for six consecutive years and for an unprecedented seven straight summers, USA Network is seen in over 102 million U.S. homes. USA is a leader in scripted programming with a powerful stable of originals, spectacular live television and is home to the best in blockbuster theatrical films, a broad portfolio of acquired series and entertainment events. A trailblazer in digital innovation and storytelling, USA is defining, driving and setting the industry standard for Social TV. USA is a program service of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal. The award-winning website is located at http://www.usanetwork.com. Characters Welcome.

Universal Cable Productions creates innovative and critically acclaimed original scripted and digital content across multiple media platforms and outlets for domestic and international distribution. UCP produces "Covert Affairs," "Playing House," "Psych," "Royal Pains" and "Suits" for USA; "Defiance," and "Warehouse 13" for Syfy and "Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome" for distribution on Machinima Prime/YouTube, Syfy and DVD/Blu-Ray. Universal Cable Productions is a division of NBCUniversal.