Chuck: The Greatest Show You’ve Probably Never Watched

In 2007, Chuck, a series created by the same people behind The OC first aired. Its synopsis:

“The series is about an “average computer-whiz-next-door” named Chuck Bartowski, who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working for the  CIA. The message embeds the only remaining copy of a software program containing the United States’ greatest spy secrets into Chuck’s brain, leading the CIA and the NSA to assign him handlers and use him on top-secret missions.”

Zachary Levi, the actor who plays the eponymous Chuck Bartowski, is starring in the upcoming D.C Shazam! film (plus also being the voice of Flynn Ryder in Tangled), which offers me the perfect excuse reason to write this article about why Chuck is one of the best shows you’ve probably never seen, and why you should beg, steal, or borrow yourself a way to watch it as soon as humanly possible.

Now I know that half of you were probably mildly interested because I told you that this was created by the same team that created The OC, a show which truly got going when Marissa Cooper was killed off at the end of season 3 (I will see you in the comments if you disagree). I know the other half of you only continued reading because of my erudite writing style. If you fall into the latter camp, I give you this reason to continue reading: Adam Baldwin (aka Jane from Firefly) is one of the main characters, and he is just as magnificent as you would expect. As an aside, if you don’t know what Firefly is, we need to have an altogether different discussion and I would recommend you suspend your life to rectify this egregious atrocity.

So, I would like to outlay the following case as to why you should find it within your busy bingeing schedule to squeeze in Chuck. In short, it’s a great show set to an absolutely awesome soundtrack. But, let’s unpack that claim.

Development of The Conceit

I’ll be the first to admit that the premise sounds a little whacky. Certainly it was one of the reasons I resisted watching the show for so long. However, once you move beyond the initial obstacle of considering the practicalities (such as “how could you even subliminally encode information, neuroscience doesn’t really work like that”), the conceit is quite clever and it naturally lends itself to driving points of the story.

What’s particularly nice though, is that as the seasons progress, the central idea of the intersect supercomputer which is so unceremoniously plonked inside Chuck’s head in the very first episode, is updated—which makes sense given that computer software itself is updated. This means that rather than follow the same formula through the show’s entirety, season three becomes something different, something new, while still retaining all the best bits at the show’s core.

This brings to mind Archer (this article is basically becoming a recommendation list of things you need to watch), when the show transitioned to Archer: Vice in season five because the writers felt that the premise was becoming a bit formulaic, a bit stale, so they changed things up. Similar thing with the P.I, Dreamland, Lost seasons—they evolved the conceit of the show, while keeping the same characters and basic dynamic (and running gags, which Chuck also does perfectly). It’s not a perfect analogy, but without giving away large swathes of plot, I won’t go into further detail. Suffice to say, it means that the seasons of Chuck don’t really have stale patches because they kept pushing the show and its characters to evolve. That leads me nicely to…

The Brilliant Character Development

This is—most impressively—really plausible (well…as plausible as you can get within the framework of a show like this). Without spoiling too much of what happens, the various characters of the show undergo various points of development and self-reflection that pushes to extend their relationships, and grow as people.

I’ll draw particular attention to John Casey whose identity is entirely centred around service to his country and the ethos of loyalty. While the show at times puts Casey in conundrums where it asks what if true service and loyalty to your nation means disobeying orders, it nevertheless at no point tries to make him into someone for whom service is anything other than a deep and abiding principle, leaving him willing to sacrifice himself for the things in which he believes. Similarly, Casey’s mannerisms and demeanour are that of a (hilariously) non-communicative man whose prized possessions are his various guns, and a photograph of Ronald Reagan (yes, actually). Yet this doesn’t make him a borderline sociopath unable to connect to people.

As the series progresses, Casey develops strong relationships to those around him, but in a way that is within the bounds of his character. We don’t necessarily get him shouting ‘I love my friends’ from the rooftops, but if we did, it would be inherently outside what is established about his character. The quietly effusive moments of care and loyalty to those around him—and full credit to the performance of Baldwin in realising this so perfectly—are in fact profound for the reason that it is inherently believable that the character would behave in this manner.

 

Moreover, his backstory is beautifully teased out, and is a real testament to good storytelling as it serves the narrative of the show rather than act as filler material.

A Killer Love Story

(Get it – because they’re spies and sometimes they kill people??)

Sarah and Chuck are among the most heart wrenching of love stories. The reasons they stay apart are plausible (rather than a great hulking plot device that irritatingly drives a wedge between two characters simply for the dramatic function of keeping them apart), and the chemistry between the two actors is truly perfect.

I’m not going to speak any more on this, because I don’t want to ruin anything, but the chemistry between Levi and Yvonne Strahovski (Aussie pride!) is absolutely perfect.

The B Story

The ‘cover’ of Chuck is as an employee in a tech superstore known as the Buy More. Before landing in this decidedly not illustrious employment, Chuck attended Stanford, so to say that he is underachieving is a bit of an understatement. The characters found within the Buy More; Big Mike, Lester, and Jeff, are paragons of the comedic—outlandish and obscene and unapologetically so. The preposterous and mundane antics that they go through serve as a perfect counterpoint to the dramatic spy-storyline where, at times, the world is literally at stake.

I particularly recommend looking out for Jeffster’s performance of ‘Fortunate Son’ in season 3.

I think as well, the show is a perfect combination and balance. It is primarily humorous, and will have you in tears of laughter throughout the entirety of the episode. But what truly means the show remains with you is the fact that it doesn’t pull its emotional punches. The cost of being a spy—the fact that you have to lie to your loved ones, that your job puts you in danger, that your job—that doing good—can be incredibly isolating. Plus, of course, the fact that you or people you love could die as collateral—is never sugar-coated.

In one of the later seasons when Chuck is forced to burn an asset who he has manipulated into trusting him and he feels truly awful about it, the only commiseration we the audience get is Casey coming to sit with him and procuring a bottle of whiskey.

Given our increasing appetite for shows which don’t offer a happy ending—or do, but ensure that we know there is a cost to that, Chuck which aired its final episode over five years ago was a visionary show. It’s no wonder it still has a cult following. And it’s the exact reason why you should do yourself a favour and watch it.

Have you watched Chuck? Or will you watch it now? Tell us in the comments below!