“Chuck”: From Nerd to Super Spy

By Tom ComiChuck

Everybody has their guilty pleasures, and mine involves a super geek who is transformed into a super spy overnight. And it’s ironic that Chuck revolves around the protection of government secrets, because this show really Is the best-kept secret on TV.

I realize viewers are reluctant to take on a new show several years in, but trust me that this isn’t like Lost or 24 where you can’t jump on the bandwagon mid-run. Here’s a CliffsNotes-like recap for those wanting to give it a try tonight (8 pm ET/PT on NBC).

Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi) is an intelligent but hardly-driven member of the Nerd Herd department at the Buy More electronics store in Burbank. His life changed dramatically in the show’s pilot when critical government secrets were downloaded into his brain, thereby making him a highly-needed asset for the good guys and a much-sought-after commodity for the bad guys. The government assigns Sarah Walker (gorgeous Aussie Yvonne Strahovski) and John Casey (the deadpan Adam Baldwin) to protect Chuck while also taking him on missions to use computer-like brain to their advantage.

And now you are up to speed, although It should be noted that the premise is just an excuse to set the stage for dazzling international spy missions and exciting actions scene. You see, not only is Chuck essentially a walking computer, but he has been transformed into fighting machine not unlike Matt Damon’s character in the Jason Bourne movies.

Strahovski and Baldwin are great as Chuck’s sidekicks (and she as his love inerest), but this show is all about Zachary Levy and his ability to sell us on his double identity as computer dweeb by day and superhero by night. Tune in tonight to find out about Chuck’s mom (also a spy, played by Linda Hamilton) and resident bad dude Alexei (former James Bond, Timothy Dalton).

Photo credit: © NBC Universal, Inc  Credit: Chris Haston