TV Review: Chuck

Reading about this fall's television lineup, one often finds a phrase akin to "the geeks shall inherit the earth."  With new shows like NBC's Chuck airing this fall, it's not hard to see this statement coming true. 

NBC, having achieved success last season with Heroes and it's breakout character, the nerdy Hiro, is trying to duplicate the results in several new shows.  One of them comes from creators Josh Schwartz (The O.C.) and Chris Fedak and is the tale of Chuck (Zachary Levi).  This nerd, who prefers that to geek, works for an electronics retailer and ends up with all of the intelligence secrets of the United States in his brain when he opens an e-mail sent by an ex-roommate. 

This prompts the CIA and NSA to launch separate investigations into Chuck's life, attempting to determine whether he is working for an enemy of the country.  The CIA sends Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski), who seduces Chuck in order to find out more about him.  The NSA sends John Casey (Adam Baldwin), who takes a more lethal approach.

The show is fast-paced, foolish, and a lot of fun to watch.  The basic concept is, of course, completely outlandish and so the show requires, more than some others, much suspension of disbelief.  In order to watch the show one first has to either accept or get past the fact that simply by watching an e-mail that contained hours and hours of still images changing on a computer screen at a phenomenally high rate of speed that Chuck can remember them all.  And, not only does Chuck have to remember them, he has the ability to associate the image with what it actually represents, as these images are, according to the show, how the United States stores all of its intelligence data.  Happily, the pilot does manage to gloss over the absolute foolishness of this conceit relatively quickly and get back to having fun, which is something it excels at. 

However, still always at the back of one's mind is the idea that everything on screen is built off this ridiculous state secrets concept. Thus, even when Sarah is dancing with Chuck, and, unbeknownst to him, waylaying members of the NSA with throwing knives, the viewer never quite escapes the idea that the basic notion of the show is silly.

Article Author: Josh Lasser

Josh Lasser, formerly known as "TV and Film Guy," and complete with a Masters Degree in Critical Studies in said areas, gives his opinions on TV, Film, and Entertainment in general. All of which he does in a shameless attempt to try to get paid to do the exact same thing. …

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