Chuck - Season 1

Discussion of these next few shows was put on hold because I wasn't sure if the seasons were actually finished or just delayed by the strike. But I saw announcements for new seasons of all three recently, confirming that the current ones were done.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about Chuck. The super-spy angle is pretty interesting, most of the main characters are likable, and it's usually an enjoyable, somewhat humorous watch. On the other hand, the specific storylines are often less than creative, the romance stuff is a little too high school, and it's rarely funny enough to make me actually laugh out loud. The show's more cute than straight-up funny. There's nothing wrong with being cute, it just doesn't make you the most compelling thing in TV.

The center of the conundrum is Morgan, Chuck's best friend. Once in a while he's funny, and it's very hard to really hate him, but in general he doesn't add that much to the show. Replace Morgan with the show and the show with your life, and that's kinda what's up. Not to just dismiss it though, it does have plenty of moments. Chuck's a really good main character, Sarah's a solid love interest, and it's hard to go wrong with Jayne from Firefly as a gruff, no-BS government agent. They do a reasonably good job of fleshing out the backstory and making it an interesting setting for Chuck to exist in. I'm not sure whether it's supposed to be a comedy or a drama, because it often seems focused on humor and the general vibe is kind of silly, but it has the hour-long format and many melodramatic moments. If the idea of a computer nerd accidentally having all of the Government's secrets dumped into his brain and being forced to become an anti-terrorism weapon appeals to you in any way, give it a shot.