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Show:		6.0
Picture:		8.0
Sound:		8.0
Extras:		7.0
Score:		6.0

Director(s):	Allan Kroeker • Patrick R. Norris
Writer(s):	Chris Fedak, Josh Schwartz
Starring:	Adam Baldwin • Chevy Chase • Zachary Levi • Yvonne Strahovski • Sarah Lancaster • Scott Bakula • Joshua Gomez
Genre:	Action • Comedy
Website:	http://www.nbc.com/chuck/
Release Date:	January 05, 2010

List Price:	Blu-ray - $44.99
Amazon:

Some people swear by Chuck. They think the nerd-centric comedy of the series (which to be honest isn’t even all that clever) is groundbreaking or at the very least unique. It’s not. More often than not the writing takes the easy way out with its mission-per-episode formula which has the basic structure of a bad spy film. Some piece of intel or a wanted criminal surfaces in California and Chuck, who has a huge computer in his brain, notices them just in time for them to launch a mission and go after it. The mission usually takes an unexpected turn at first and so the team regroups, and finds a resolution which often involves a small piece of trivia or behavior exhibited earlier in the episode. Chuck follows this formula almost dogmatically, only ever breaking from it in the four or five long-term plotline episodes of the season.

Chuck (Zachary Levi) used to be a student at Stanford, until his roommate Bryce Larkin (Matthew Bomer) framed him for cheating and then, years later sent him a program which uploaded a government intelligence computer, the Intersect, into his brain. At the end of the first season it looked like the Intersect would finally be removed from his brain (yeah right), when everything just sort of goes wrong. His hopes of resuming a normal life shattered, Chuck goes back to living as a Nerd Herd employee at the Buy More by day, and a secret agent by night. His handlers, Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) and John Casey (Adam Baldwin), adopt the roles of girlfriend and co-worker, respectively, keeping in safe amidst all the danger. The main story of the second season revolves around a character known as Orion and the attempt by both the U.S. Government and the opposing agency Fulcrum to recreate the Intersect for their own ends.

The other half of the show is about the shenanigans of the Buy More employees. The problem with this half of the show is the all-too convenient device of the big boss man Mike (Mark Christopher Lawrence) going missing whenever the writer’s have anything too ridiculous in store. To account for that predictable flub, they introduce the authority figure known as Emmett (Arrested Development’s Tony Hale) who adds his own brand of delinquency while still getting red in the face as a powerless pawn. Typically, Morgan (Joshua Gomez), Jeff (Scott Krinsky) and Lester (Vik Sahay) hatch some slacking-oriented scheme which goes horribly wrong and requires someone responsible to step in and fix it. A few laughs result, but usually it’s one of those you can’t bear to watch, but you can’t look away either.

As a show about nerds and spies it’s essentially one of a kind in this day in age. However, if you divide it into its constituent part (nerds and spies) there are easily better shows to watch. If it’s a humorous spy show you want, you’d do better watching Burn Notice, which is equally formulaic but typically better written. Or, if you want something about nerds try Better Off Ted or the BBC classic Spaced. Chuck is a combination of these two genres dumbed down for a large primetime audience. Maybe you just want to kill two birds with one stone, in which case go for Chuck. There are a few elements to recommend it. Baldwin typically gets in a funny disgruntled line or two per episode (though he’s playing a watered down version of his Jane character from Firefly), and well Yvonne Strahovski is pretty damned hot, the two things most members of the male audience want from a show. Weighed against everything else out there though, Chuck falls short most of the time.

Guest spots include Scott Bakula, Jordana Brewster, Chevy Chase (this season of Chuck marked the turn-around in Chevy’s career), Andy Richter and Jenny McCarthy.

Blu-ray Bonus Features

These are really all for the fans, but they’ve put the extras together in such a way that they’re still mildly entertaining for the casual viewer as well. One piece explores the pseudo-science of the series (intelligence burned into minds through image constructs) and a making-of piece for action sequences in Chuck. Why they’re drawing attention to the sub-par action scenes is beyond me, but the technical know-how behind them at least makes for something to kill time. The gems in the bunch include a guide by Chuck’s now-brother-in-law “Captain Awesome” and a guy to being a spy by the dry and amusing John Casey. The final elements include the standard deleted scenes and a gag reel. The set also includes two pairs of red and blue 3-D glasses so you can enjoy the 3-D enhanced episode.