Gamers Should Love NBC's Chuck with Yvonne Strzechowski and Adam Baldwin

Chuck is not as blatant with its spoofs as the movie Airport (1980; sequel 1982) and the main character Ted Striker (Robert Hays). It is not as slapstick as Dumb and Dumber with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels (1994). However, laughing without always knowing why and sometimes shouting out humorous references like "that's Best Buy" does occur. Research into this series reveals that the writers have put a lot of knowledge and work into this series. Sit back and enjoy the show or be a Geek...mm...Nerd...and play the game.

Credits

Chuck premiered on NBC Monday, September 25, 2007.
A special encore presentation - Saturday, September 29, 2007.

First, applaud:

Josh Schwartz - Creator/Writer
Chris Fedak - Co-Executive Producer/Creator/Writer
McG - Executive Producer/Director

Josh Schwartz was the youngest person to create and run a network series O.C. at 26. It ran on Fox from 2003 until 2007. Apparently, Josh was a fan of Freaks and Geeks. The credits of Coffee and Cigarettes (2003), an unusual comedy, list Chris Fedak like this, "Chris Fedak... special thanks - Academy Film Archive." McG (Joseph McGinty Nichol) has worked on the following movies: Charlie's Angels, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, and We Are Marshall. His TV credits include The Fastlane, The O.C., and Supernatural. These men have research experience and movie and television experience.

What else do they need? Oh...the Actors, the Plot and the Show!

Season Premier

The series opened with Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi) working in the Buy More (Best Buy?) Nerd Herd (Geek Squad?) with his good friend Morgan Grimes (Joshua Gomez). Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strzechowski), a potential love interest, turns out to be a CIA agent. The action picks up when Sarah and a NSA agent named Major John Casey (Adam Baldwin) create a chaotic situation by both trying to "get" Chuck. Near the end, Chuck, Sarah, and John figure out and reveal how Chuck got access to "Government Secrets".

Sarah and John discover that the only copy of the "Government Secrets" is in Chuck's head. Chuck "sees" the secrets in short unexpected high-speed "downloads" of seemingly unrelated pictures. Can Chuck interpret the pictures and save the world or at least help the CIA and the NSA do their jobs?

NBC Message Boards:

Chuck's Computer

Check out the NBC message boards to get an idea of what other people "see" when they watch Chuck. This show has so many subtle nuances; you might want to record it. Was Chuck (Charles) Bartowski a Stanford dropout? William (Bill) Gates left Harvard his junior year. Did Chuck's computer show an Apple IIe logo on it somewhere? Forget the fact that Apple IIe ran on Basic and could never have handled internet technology, much less e-mail; the Apple computer was the first microcomputer made that was financially feasible and easily available to the general public. Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs developed the Apple computer in a garage (the ultimate Geeks). These little details along with how Chuck "sees" the "Government Secrets" puts him among geniuses. He is not a bungling idiot either, but his friend Morgan may be.

Gamers?

The message boards also mentioned something about an Xbox360 at Chuck's house. There is nothing cooler for a gamer! Chuck is into games and gamers "figure things out." Do not be surprised if the series puts some gamer strategies into the shows. If the creators start working now, they might have a Chuck Xbox360 game out by Christmas 2008.

What was Missed and What is Next

There was a Big Mart next door to the Buy More where Chuck works. The generic franchises have shown up a couple of times. There seemed to be no 3G technology or flying cars, but the series just started. Chuck may eventually go places that mobile phones and the internet will not receive transmissions! The ninja scene and the car chase must have some hidden meaning, but for now, they were just simply funny.

Sarah Walker - Yvonne Strzechowski

Sarah looks and acts a bit like ABC's Sydney Bristow played by Jennifer Garner in Alias. They are both CIA agents, but there have been many Heroines (Batgirl, Wonder Woman, and Xena). In May 2006, Revolution Science Fiction announced its top 75 Science Fiction Heroines. Ellen Ripley of Alien played by Sigourney Weaver was number one. The 74 behind her were not too shabby either. The writers of Chuck have a lot to work with when they write for Sarah.

Major John Casey - Adam Baldwin

John Casey looks similar to Michael Vaughn (Michael Vartan) in Alias but Major John Casey works for the NSA. The NSA developed early computer systems. Their job is to secure computer systems and control access to those systems. Major Casy will be watching Chuck very closely! Are Sarah and John both good guys or is one a bad person or maybe both? Can the two agencies work together?

Chuck Bartowski - Zachary Levi

This series has the potential for greatness! Chuck is the typical superhero - just like Batman, Superman, Spider-Man..., he will maintain his identity but when evil strikes, he will become Super Chuck! Da Da!! Or...Maybe Chuck will turn into a thinking computer like HAL in 2001 Space Odyssey, or maybe he is a precursor to HAL's victim who came back to life in 3001: The Final Odyssey (1997).

Look forward to the next episode of Chuck!