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Have you seen Chuck, yet? | September 10, 2007

September 24th is going to be a big night for TV lovers. CBS premieres its new night of comedy. The stalwarts How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men (seriously, why is it popular?) will be joined by newcomers The Big Bang Theory and Rules of Engagement. I'm sad that The Class isn't returning on the 24th, but How I Met Your Mother is reason enough to rejoice.

Monday nights are what DVR's were invented for. NBC has also marked the 24th for premiering its Monday night shows. Heroes, of course, is the strong man in NBC's Monday night picture, but two other series are debuting Monday, one of which I have already fallen for. Journeyman debuts on Monday, and I have little interest in it. I never was a fan of Quantum Leap back in NBC's day, and this just seems like one of countless variations on that idea. It premieres after Heroes. Before Heroes is when you want to make sure that you're firmly adhered to your sofa, futon, tatami mat, or whatever seating arrangement you've gone with. That's when Chuck premieres.

If you're like me, you were ready for Chuck from the very first time that you saw the Batman promo for it, the one where Chuck's friend says "Stop the presses--who is that?" Chuck's response, from Prince's Batdance: "Vicky Vale, V-V-Vicky Vale" as Chuck finds himself face-to-face with the beautiful woman in question. The pilot was directed by McG, and if you've seen his big screen adaptation of Charlie's Angels, then you already know what you can expect from Chuck. McG doesn't skimp on action sequences, and he loves a good joke. In addition to the Vicky Vale scene, there's a fight scene with a ninja that is hilarious.

Here's the rundown. Chuck is a twenty-something computer geek who works for NerdHerd, a computer repair company similar to Geeksquad. He has no significant other, and his support system consists of a geek co-worker, a well-meaning sister, and her equally well-intentioned husband, dubbed "Captain Awesome" due to his affection for the word Awesome. For Chuck, his life is defined by a breakup from a girl in college, a breakup made worse by the girl's taking up with Chuck's overachiever roommate Bryce. Chuck resents Bryce's success, unaware that Bryce is even more successful than he knows, working as a secret agent for the CIA. Our show opens with Bryce stealing all the CIA's and NSA's secrets, encrypted in pictures, sending them to Chuck through E-Mail. When Chuck's computer fails, Chuck's brain is the only hard drive in the world that maintains a catalog of those secrets, meaning that both the CIA and the NSA want Chuck either dead (NSA's stance) or alive (CIA's).

I encourage you not to wait for the fall premiere to see Chuck. It's good, and NBC knows it. As part of its pre-season marketing strategy, NBC has made its pilots available from a number of outlets, including ITunes and Blockbuster. I checked out the NBC Fall Pilots DVD, free, from Blockbuster. You may also download it free from Amazon.com. Go and get it now!

Posted by earnest in Earnest's | permalink