We’ve never got why Chuck has always been in danger of getting cancelled. It’s one of the best shows on network TV today. Combining your classic spy show with geek culture, Chuck twists and turns quickly and never leaves you bored. It’s finally made it to it’s fourth season and received a 13 episode order. (Although we’re keeping our fingers crossed: It received a midseason request for six additional episodes last year. NBC is reserving the right to add nine more episodes this season if all goes well.)
Here’s a quick recap to get you caught up to speed. (Warning: Spoilers abound.)
If we’re going back to basics, Chuck is a nerdy guy working at Buy More (a fictional Best Buy), particularly in the Nerd Herd division (real life: Geek Squad). He gets the Intersect from his “evil” ex-roommate Bryce Larkin, a CIA spy, which is a collection of all the intel that the US Government has. After viewing it, Chuck turns into a living super computer. (I never said this wasn’t sci-fi.) (More on Techland: NBC’s Chuck Returns Early Online and On XBox)
As a result, he gets assigned two agents, the CIA’s Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski) and NSA Agent John Casey (Alexander Coburn). Both are reluctant to babysit Chuck and are even more reluctant to take Chuck on missions since he seems to ruin everything. However, his nerd skills and evolved brain are able to almost always save the day – thought not quite the way you expect. Chuck has to hide everything from everyone in his life, which also leads to more precarious situations when he can’t come home for dinner because he’s trying to disarm a bomb.
At the end of season two, Chuck’s dad upgraded his Intersect software so now not only does Chuck have intel powers, he has awesome fighting, weapon-wielding and guitar playing skills. Still, he seems to not have grasped his spy skills at the beginning of season three, and the US government has had it with him. After a series of awesome saves, the US Government reluctantly gives Chuck a second chance, under the tutelage of Agent Daniel Shaw (Brandon Routh), Agent John Casey and Chuck’s true love Agent Sarah Walker.
By this time Sarah is dating Shaw, but things get complicated when Shaw finds out Sarah killed his (now deceased) wife. Shaw goes rogue and ends up working for the anti-CIA called The Ring, working as a double agent. Of course, Chuck finds out and saves the day – by having to kill Shaw, his first murder. After three seasons, Sarah and Chuck finally end up together – which is actually quite speedy. (We waited until almost the end for Mulder and Scully in the X-Files, and the two detectives in Law and Order: SVU have yet to find romance.)
Chuck’s best friend Morgan finds out that he’s a spy and ends up becoming a spy himself AND Shaw ends up coming back from the dead. Shaw’s now got the Intersect as well, and we’ll Chuck just can’t compete against Superman. (More on Techland: It’s A Bird, It’s A Plane, It’s A… Buy More Employee?)
That is until he remembers that he uploaded an earlier version of the Intersect into his brain when fooling around on his Dad’s (Scott Bakula) computer as a child. See his Dad worked for the CIA (and at the end of the season we find out that his mom was a spy too.) This upsets Chuck’s sister Ellie (Sarah Lancaster), who demands he quits the CIA. Chuck obliges, but now that we know he has spy blood, we doubt he’d stay away for long.
Plus, this season:
– His mom, Mary Ellen Bartowski, will be played by Linda Hamilton
– Chuck cuts his hair!
– His big villain will be Dolph Lundgren
– Nicole Ritchie and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin will return
– Olivia Munn will be around playing another CIA agent
– Robert Englund (aka Freddy Kruger) will be stopping by the Buy More
– Timothy Dalton will play a character from Mary Bartowski’s past… suggesting maybe Dalton is Chuck’s father! (Pure conjecture)
And, that’s what you missed on Chuck. If you’re curious to find more, watch most of the show on Hulu for free.