TV Review: Never Judge A Show By Its Pilot - Chuck

My first impression of the new NBC action comedy Chuck is that the premise - a computer geek who accidentally becomes the government's most vital secret agent - will burn out very fast. I also don’t buy Zachary Levi as a geek. Look at these Zachary Levi photos on IMDb. This guy looks like someone who beats up geeks. I think the part should have gone to a young Andy Dick type.

I watched the pilot. The episode opens on the night of Chuck’s birthday party. Chuck’s sister has invited lots of women for Chuck to meet but I don’t see this guy needing his sister’s help getting laid. I also don’t see this guy working as a member of Buy More’s Nerd Herd (a spoof of Best Buy’s Geek Squad).

Chuck receives an e-mail from his former college roommate. When he opens the e-mail, he unwittingly downloads sensitive government data in the form of pictures into his brain, in essence turning Chuck into a computer. Events begin to trigger the data in Chuck’s brain. Now agents from the CIA and NSA want that government data back. It turns out that Chuck’s old college roommate was a CIA agent who went rogue. With the data locked in his head Chuck must now use that knowledge along with his computer nerd skills to help the government stop the bad guys.

NSA agent John Casey (Adam Baldwin) is now working undercover as a Buy More trainee and CIA agent Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strzechowski) is working undercover as Chuck's girlfriend. I really like the action sequences. I also like Yvonne Strzechowski for many reasons, especially the scene when she gets ready for her date with Chuck then kicks butt on her date with Chuck. Even though there are elements that I like, I still feel that my first impressions are correct. The premise will burn out really fast. Zachary Levi is a very talented actor. I liked him on Less Than Perfect, but I don’t see him as a good fit for this show. Then again I might change my mind because I never judge a show by its pilot.

Article Author: Tony Figueroa

TONY FIGUEROA is a standup comedian, writer, actor and storyteller based in Los Angeles. A "day job" teaching comedy traffic school led to Tony cohosting and coproducing several radio shows. Tony’s CHILD OF TELEVISION Blog is an example of life imitating art. …

Visit Tony Figueroa's author page — Tony Figueroa's Blog