Lately I’ve been writing a lot about TV shows. Today will be no different (maybe it is because of sweeps … or maybe I just watch too much TV). Today I’m writing about one of my favorite shows on the air – Chuck. Chuck is in its sophomore season and has proven to be quite an enjoyable series. Sure it maintains a certain level of hi jinx, but it is all part of the fun of the show. Unfortunately this is yet another show that is inexplicably
on the bubble”.
If you are unfamiliar with this show, you are missing out. The basic premise is this: Chuck Bartowsky is a 20-something tech geek who, due to some unfortunate misunderstandings, was kicked out of Stanford and settled for a job as a member of Buy More’s Nerd Herd (parallel to Best Buy’s Geek Squad). He lives with his older sister and generally has floundered in getting out of his post-expulsion slump. Then one day a spy infiltrates a top-secret government compound and downloads the programming of a room-sized super-computer (similar to the room of the Architect in the second Matrix movie) called the Intersect and then destroys the room. When he is later shot down, he transmits the programming via email to none other than Chuck Bartowsky. Upon viewing the email, all of the information from the Intersect is flashed before his eyes and as such is embedded into his brain. So now whenever Chuck sees a known field agent or terrorist, he “flashes” and knows exactly who it is and what they have been up to. Some agents end up finding him and then get assigned to protect him until a new Intersect system can be setup.
Wow – that took longer to explain than I expected. Anyway, each week involves Chuck flashing on someone somewhere or him and his handlers being sent to deal with something relating to rogue groups who are trying to find him or build their own Intersect. And the awkward, reluctant hero that Chuck is is brilliantly pulled off by Zachary Levi. And this season they’ve introduced Scott Bakula as his long-missing (and somewhat nutty) father. With the way that the finale ended, it would be insane not to continue into another season. And this show is arguably better than a good number of shows out there today.
I’m not the only one heralding the cause to keep this on the air – some, such as as these guys, are also pleading the case and petitioning the powers-that-be. Hopefully there will be enough demand to keep the show on the air. Personally I’d vote to keep Chuck and pretty much anything that is on the bubble over Jay Leno occupying the 10 o’clock hour, but that’s me … well maybe it’s not just me. Feel free to weigh in if you feel similarly.