Think of network TV this fall as one big consignment shop.
As this historically disjointed, post-strike TV season struggles to the screen, many sophomore series will be presented as next-to-new. It’s true, they were barely used before the strike and a few remain in mint condition. They deserve a first look by viewers who may have missed them the first time round.
Look for a rundown of the actual premieres in the Post on Sunday. Today, I’m looking forward to many happy returns, notably NBC’s “Chuck,” a hybrid hour that’s a comedy/drama with enough action to appeal to younger viewers and enough gizmos and “Get Smart”-style parodies of the espionage form to keep mature audiences chuckling.
“Chuck” (returning Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. on Channel 9) joins ABC’s “Pushing Daisies” and “Dirty Sexy Money” (both Oct. 1), and NBC’s “Life” (Sept. 29), as the best of the nearly new.
I wrote off the insipid “Private Practice” in its first incarnation and don’t expect to change that view this fall. But NBC’s engaging “Life” and ABC’s sudsy family saga “Dirty Sexy Money” are worth return visits.
Successful veterans “Lost” and “24” are also assured DVR season passes.
“Chuck” is a soph standout, a show with a great premise that used the down time during the strike to hone a smart dramedy into an even better escapist delight. “Chuck,” from the “O.C.” team of Josh Schwartz and McG, has added to the already strong cast, refined its clever style and will emphasize the romantic potential between its leads going forward.
Zachary Levi stars as Chuck Bartowski, an unmotivated computer geek marking time working at the local big-box store, Buy More. When a raft of government secrets is accidentally downloaded into his brain, he becomes a target for the world’s super spies. He alone has knowledge of “The Intersect” computer program and that makes him a liability for every top U.S. security agency. Computer geek by day, government operative by night, flexible repository for parodies of modern American consumer culture as well as government and workplace bureaucracies.
As this season opens, it appears the next-gen Intersect will make Chuck obsolete. Of course, if he’s obsolete, that means either he’ll be free to date the hot CIA agent Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski) — or he’s expendable.
Series co-creator Schwartz has the dicey distinction of competing against himself with two remarkable entries: His “Gossip Girl” airs on the CW on Monday nights opposite “Chuck.” Both are inventive, young- appealing and visually distinctive. For now, “Gossip Girl” attracts a younger, more female audience.
While “Chuck” was trending upward in the ratings when last season ended, the Monday-night competition is tough. “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” is back on Fox, the comedies “The Big Bang Theory” and “How I Met Your Mother” return Sept. 22 on CBS, and “Dancing With the Stars” returns Sept. 22 on ABC.
Bulking up the cast and guest star list may help “Chuck” gain traction. Tony Hale (“Arrested Development”) has signed on to play a supervisor at Buy More. Guest appearances will include John Laroquette, Michael Clarke Duncan (“The Green Mile”), Melinda Clarke (“The O.C.”) and Nicole Richie.
Credit is also due Adam Baldwin, who continues as the dedicated if dense agent working undercover at Buy More to protect Chuck. As agent John Casey, he worships Ronald Reagan and has all manner of secret spy technology at his disposal.
This should be the year the gently used “Chuck” explodes from one of TV’s indistinct reluctant nerd-hero fantasies to become a hit action- comedy-drama spy spoof.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830
