Top 10 Reasons to Watch Chuck

As I'm sure you could have figured out from previous posts, I'm a big Chuck fan. If this week weren't so packed with real world deadlines and such, this would be my own personal Chuck week. Over the holiday break, KT and I watched most of season 2 thanks to hulu.com and it just reignited my love even more. I had seen it before, but KT had only seen a few snippets here and there so didn't know much of it before. Season 1 of Chuck was fun, but season 2 knew exactly what it was doing and did it well the entire time. This is one of the few shows that actually excelled after the Writers Strike. It seems like the the writers took that time and thought about the show and what they wanted to do. So, what I've been getting at, is that I love Chuck and so should you. Here are my Top 10 reasons to watch the show:

1. The nerd humor.

The 2000s is the time of the geek. With all the superhero films, comic book franchises, and such, the geeks have inherited to the earth. If you like Big Bang Theory, which many people do given that it's one of the most watched sitcoms on air right now, you'll love Chuck. It takes the nerd humor, and seamlessly blends it with that action hero vibe that geeks stereotypically can't attain.



2. The soundtrack.

Last season, Chuck used 80's classics perfectly matched to the situations on screen. From Chuck vs. Tom Sawyer, where Rush was the music of the gods to unlock the Kill Screen, to the wedding performance by Jeffster, I know no other show that makes music such a huge support to the plot. The songs aren't just background, they're a major part of what sets the mood, atmosphere, and sometimes plot of the show.



3. The romance.

Every good show needs a couple to root for. In addition to the Chuck/Sarah will they/won't they, we get see a healthy, constant relationship like Captain Awesome and Ellie. They have their fights and their make ups, and they just seem so real. This gives the show something most others don't - a stable relationship that isn't used to play for laughs. We don't laugh at the married man tied down, we see their relationship mature like one would in real life.

Now, the romance more of the fandom cares about: Chuck/Sarah aka Charah. The co-workers who have a forbidden love, of sorts. Zachary Levi and Yvonne have such great chemistry! In the beginning, Chuck pines for Sarah like a cute puppy. But eventually, you see her start to care for him more than the job allows. I don't want to ruin it for those who haven't seen it, but I'm very interested to see what direction season 3 takes.

4. The bromance.

Chuck and Morgan have a great bromance but the real bromantic highlight are Jeff and Lester. They have no one else to rely on and you can tell that they are the loves of each others lives. The invention of Jeffster may just be my favorite part of the show. They must be a favorite among many fans though, since they opened the Comic Con panel this year with a rockin' performance.

5. The guest stars.

Last season they brought some great actors back to television. Scott Bakula played Chuck's dad so well, and they even look alike! And to go along with stars from years past making a comeback, Chevy Chase was a genius villian. Chuck could be credited with why both these actors have their own shows this season - Community and Men of a Certain Age. I'm excited to see how they incorporate Brandon Routh (Superman!) and Kristen Kreuk (Lana Lane!) in Season 3.

6. Casey.

A big reason why I checked out the show to begin with was because of the cast and crew on board. And by cast and crew, I mean Josh Schwartz (creator of The OC) and Adam Baldwin (Jayne from Firefly). On that show, Adam Baldwin was the silent mercenary and you weren't sure what side he was on. On Chuck, he's very similar but I think he's allowed to show his deadpan humor more. Casey is such a badass - in season 2 alone he lost a toe, broke his thumb, and nearly died. We'll see what other hijinks he and the rest of the team get into this season.



7. Captain Awesome.

What started as a one note joke turned in to a great secondary character. Captain Awesome became the go-to guy for real life advice and has become more integral to plot. He's also really easy on the eyes. Plus, the end of season 2 promised that he would become even more important!



8. The action/stunts.

The fighting scenes are so exciting and well put together. They also work in tandem with #2 - the soundtrack. Just watch this great clip of Sarah fighting Nicole Ritchie fighting to "Smack My Bitch Up":



9. The Buy Morons.

Chuck thrives because of its depth in all the secondary characters. The Buy More consists of a group of crazy characters, but they're not one note shells used just for laughs. They are each distinctive personalities and all of their crazy antics fall within the realm of believability for the characters. I don't know how much of a part of it they'll be in Season 3 given how Season 2 ended, but I hope they'll find someway to incorporate them.



10. The opening credits.

I'm a big advocate for opening credits. It's a dying art, since the popularity of Lost's mysterious black screen. I'm sure it also allows for more advertising time, too. Well, I think opening credits are a vital part of a show - setting the tone for the show while providing a bit of backstory.



You can catch a marathon of the "must see" episodes on SyFy tomorrow or watch the end of season 2 on hulu.com. The season premiere is this Sunday on NBC at 8 pm ET/PT, then the next episodes are on at the normal time on Mondays at 8 pm.

Related links:
Chuck: A Word with Captain Awesome
Chuck: Brandon Routh knows you might not like him