This article is the latest edition of "Second Chances," a recurring feature looking at TV shows that deserve a second chance from viewers. Their ratings may be low, but their quality is high, so if you tuned out early on, here's our case for why you should give each show another try. This time: "Chuck."
For "Chuck" fans, it's a good thing NBC is currently struggling: The spy action−comedy routinely averages less than a 2.0 rating — read: very low — in the all−important adults aged 18−49 demographic and has been on the bubble for renewal every year since it began. Basically, on any other Big Four network, it would have been a goner.
But on NBC, "Chuck" is no anomaly; it is merely a low−rated show among poor performers — "Chase" and the now−canceled "Undercovers" have even lower numbers. Miraculously, it is now in its fourth season, and a fifth is not out of the question. The show right now is probably as secure as it will ever be, so why not join in the fun?
The series follows titular hero Chuck Bartowski as he transforms from a nerdy underachiever to a still−nerdy spy when he unexpectedly downloads a government supercomputer into his head. At first, this computer — the Intersect — just gives Chuck access to government secrets, making him an asset to be protected. When he downloads version 2.0 at the end of season two, though, he gains the ability to "flash" on more than just intel — he can now download skills, chief among them being kung fu.
If the premise sounds a bit hokey, well, it is. But once you accept it for what it is, "Chuck" is a pleasure, a deft mix of action and comedy with a full range of fun characters.
Zachary Levi brings a fun, goofy energy to Chuck that has nicely evolved over the years. Levi is still not the most physically skilled actor — although he manages to make his fight scenes believable — but he does very well with the comedy. He also has great chemistry with the rest of the cast, particularly Yvonne Strahovski.
Strahovski plays Agent Sarah Walker, Chuck's CIA handler and now−girlfriend. Their relationship has been the romantic through−line of the series, with the will−they−or−won't−they tension reaching ridiculous levels at times, but once they got together, the show proved it could still be the same "Chuck," even without the relationship problems. Strahovski has also proven her comedic chops when required, even though she usually has to play Sarah as the straight woman and the butt−kicking babe.
Colonel John Casey (Adam Baldwin), a take−no−prisoners military man with a penchant for firearms and Ronald Reagan, rounds out the team. Although he had little patience for Chuck at the outset, he has grown to appreciate him and their relationship has turned into a nice sweet spot for the show. Plus, Casey's grunts are some of the funniest forms of communication on the show, and communicate more than any words could.
The one big problem "Chuck" has is its B−plot location, the Buy More store where Chuck and his best friend Morgan (Joshua Gomez) work. When the show began, Chuck was actually working there as a Nerd Herd employee doing his CIA missions on the side. Now, though, he is a full−fledged spy and the Buy More has turned into an undercover CIA base so that the show can continue to use the set and the staple of Buy More characters.
Admittedly, those characters — mainly Jeff (Scott Krinsky) and Lester (Vik Sahay), who also perform in their cover band Jeffster! — would be missed if absent, but at this point, their stories are so tangential to the rest of the show that they have become distracting. The writers need to figure out a way to better incorporate the Buy More plotlines into the principal stories, as they did with Morgan joining Operation Bartowski, or get rid of them altogether.
The show can be a bit cheesy at times. It has a tendency to overuse the word "spy," just in case viewers don't get that that's what "Chuck" and Chuck are about. Plot holes are sometimes glaringly obvious, and the contrivances needed for so much spy action to happen at the Burbank, Calif., Buy More are laughable.
But the weekly missions are generally exciting, the overarching plots — like the current one about finding out the truth about Chuck's mother (Linda Hamilton) — provide good narrative thrust and the characters are just plain fun to spend time with.
"Chuck" isn't rewriting the rules of television, but it's a solid show that shouldn't need blatant Subway product placement to keep it on the air. Tune in at 8 p.m. on Mondays to see what you're missing.
