Cast:
- Zachary Levi ... Chuck Bartowski
- Yvonne Strahovski ... Sarah Walker
- Joshua Gomez ... Morgan Grimes
- Sarah Lancaster ... Ellie Bartowski
- Adam Baldwin ... John Casey
- Michael Clarke Duncan ... Colt
- Bonita Friedericy ... General Beckman
- Julia Ling ... Anna Wu
- Vik Sahay ... Lester
Season 2 premiere airing Sept. 29, 2008 on NBC.
Plot Summary
Chuck (Zachary Levi) has survived having the Intercept -- the government's secret supercomputer nexus of spy secrets and connections -- stuck in his head for a whole year, but he's ready to quit the dangerous spy game and try to make a new life for himself. He's not sure what he wants to do, but he's pretty sure it doesn't involve getting shot at and being dangled off the sides of buildings by sadistic bad guys. It might just involve his beautiful CIA handler, Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski), whom he now knows has feelings for him -- at least until her next assignment takes her far away.
And it looks like he might have the chance to quit the spy game. A special core processor is the only thing needed to start up the new Intersect, so Chuck, Sarah, and his NSA contact John Casey (Adam Baldwain) throw themselves into protecting the processor from the bad guys. Only Casey knows that the government has ordered him to kill Chuck as soon as the new Intersect is up and running.
Meanwhile, Chuck anticipates his forthcoming freedom. He turns down the vacant assistant manager position at the Buy More where he works, thinking he'll soon leave the store for good -- in fact, distracted by what he thinks is his last mission, he leaves the selection to Morgan (Joshua Gomez), who ends up using a cage match to decide among his coworkers, with Lester (Vik Sahay) the leading candidate.
Best of all, he relaxes on a real "first date" with Sarah, enjoying a pleasant connection in a Chinese restaurant -- until he flashes on his fellow patrons and realizes he's surrounded by bad guys.
Sophomoric -- but not Stupid
Chuck looks at first glance like a lame-brained comedy about an underachiever and his loser sidekick yanked around by ridiculous "spy" situations, and I know a number of people who never gave it a chance for that reason. Which is a shame, because for a show with a silly premise -- a nerdy guy gets a computer full of government secrets shoved in his head, forcing him to help the government track down covert plots and undercover bad guys -- Chuck is pretty smart, and in its second is now comfortable enough with its characters and setup to hit its stride.
The first three episodes -- "Church Versus the First Date," "Chuck Versus the Seduction," and "Chuck Versus the Break-Up" -- actually comprise a story arc dealing with the fundamental problem facing the leads: Sarah and Chuck have feelings for each other, but Sarah's job as a crack spy for the CIA is incompatible with the relationship they both want. In their scenes together Levi and Strahovski crucially manage to make their improbable romance absolutely believable, carefully revealing the ways in which the nerdy but fun and sincere Chuck is able to charm the gorgeous and glamorous spy. Over the course of these episodes the bond between Chuck and Sarah is played for great laughs -- Sarah makes a hilarious entrance into the Buy More in the second episode that underscores what a fantasy girl Sarah is for Chuck -- but its layers of complexity, and potential for joy and pain, are written all over Chuck's face.
Supporting Cast and Fun Guests
With this season most of the supporting cast is moved up into the opening credits, apart from C.S. Lee, who's stopped dividing his time between Chuck and Dexter. The presence of Vik Sahay (Lester), Scott Krinsky (Jeff), Julia Ling (Anna Wu), Ryan McPartlin (Captain Awesome), and Mark Christopher Lawrence (Big Mike) in the credits is not so much an elevation -- most of these characters essentially remain one-note cardboard cut-outs awaiting any kind of development -- as recognition that Chuck seems eminently sane against the backdrop of these sitcom nutcases. Nonetheless, their increased visibility does reflect some opportunities for uncomplicated comedy to set against the more complex stuff Chuck is dealing with, as for example with Lester's difficulties with his new management job.
The guests add a lot to the first three episodes. The premiere features Michael Clarke Duncan in a delightful turn as a sardonic bad guy named Colt. "Chuck Versus the Seduction" guest stars John Laroquette as a pickled but legendary old-school spy called in to help Chuck seduce a dangerous woman who has access to another chip needed for the new Intersect. And "Chuck Versus the Break-Up" features the return of Matthew Bomer as Bryce Larkin, Sarah's dashing ex-partner and ex-lover who's opposed to Chuck's budding romance with Sarah -- though not for the reasons Chuck suspects. Bryce's return sets up the resolution of the opening story arc and, incidentally, addresses a plot hole from the first season (isn't Chuck's Intersect going to become less and less accurate and useful as time goes by?).
Genuinely Funny
Chuck is not sharpest or most amazing show on TV. But it passes two crucial tests. First, unlike many television comedies, the lead characters in Chuck emerge as real people, not repositories for banter and snappy one-liners -- thanks to excellent writing and strong performances by Levi, Strahovski, and the indispensably wry Adam Baldwin. The show knows who these characters are -- especially Chuck, who's rooted in a sort of 1980s geekdom which will seem all too familiar to many in the audience. (The first three episodes deftly use not one but three Huey Lewis tunes.) However laughable the situations -- Are there any ugly female spies? Is Morgan ever going to get escape being arrested at the emotional maturity of a 14-year-old? (The answer to both questions is clearly "no") -- Chuck is smart enough not to settle for the stupid laugh.
And its because of all that that Chuck passes the real test -- it's genuinely funny, and fun to watch. I said last year that I wouldn't want to hang out with any of the supporting characters from this show, and in a way that's still true -- but it's all about Chuck, Sarah, and Casey, and they make it all work. Thanks to the adept writing and the lead performances Chuck has escaped its frathouse roots to become, however unexpectedly, one of the best comedies on television.
