TVSquad

I haven't watched the season finale of Chuck since it aired, but didn't both Chuck and Morgan quit the Buy More? I was wondering that as I looked at this new poster for the new season. It shows Chuck in his shirt and name tag and Morgan standing in his outfit with the Buy More gang.

It's a cool poster though (here's a giant version of the pic). Looks a lot like a poster for a 70s movie. NBC has renewed the series for 13 episodes.

So what's a second banana? Well they're certainly not second best. No, in fact they're often the main reason to tune into a particular show. Not because the show's major plotlines revolve around them, in fact they generally don't, but because they liven up every scene they're in. Virtual show-stealers, a good second banana can turn a generic sitcom or drama into television gold. The ultimate wingman on television, there was no greater second banana than my man Barney Fife, brilliantly played by Don Knotts on The Andy Griffith Show, and later Mayberry R.F.D.

When it came time to put together this list, I wondered if I'd be able to find ten viable and qualified bananas on the airwaves today. But I guess I needn't have worried. It looks like Barney was an inspiration (in more ways than one) to the current crop of second bananas. They litter their peels all over the television landscape, leaving us to trip over in laughter time and time again at their antics. But how do they stack up? Who's the biggest fruit in the tree? There's only one way to find out!

There are only so many hours of television I can fit in a day, so I'm picky and particular about what I watch. Chuck is one of those shows that I watched early last season, I liked it, but for reasons I can't think of, it didn't make the cut. Seeing as it was good enough and is clearly popular enough to have a second season, with the first season DVDs out in a couple of months, I may have to do some catching up and find a way to fit it in.

This session was great for fans of the show, as the first five minutes or so were filled with a video montage of scenes from next season. I'll describe some of those scenes in my summary below, but I'll start them off with SPOILER in case you don't want to know.

Joshua Gomez, Morgan on the NBC action-comedy Chuck, loves his video games. And, when I say 'loves' I really mean 'LOVES'. He's a man who can spout philosophically about the difference between Halo and Halo 2, and can spend 12 straight hours on the couch playing Xbox. Now, that's dedication! Especially since he never mentions anything about bathroom breaks.

So, being cast as a die hard gaming wonk on Chuck was probably the best thing that could have happened to him. That, and he was able to find a kindred gaming spirit in the show's star, Zach Levi. In an article at the gaming website Kotaku, Gomez talks about the game references that are liberally sprinkled throughout an episode. He mentions that many of those references are ad-libbed because the writers aren't actually gamers, themselves.

(S01E05) "This is the part where we hide" - Chuck

I am still on the fence about Chuck and this episode does not do anything to knock me off in one direction or the other. It is still a humorous, character-driven show that isn't too messy or overwrought, but at the same time it seems to have no continuing plot that makes me want to keep with the show. Everything manages to tie up neatly at the end, which isn't bad, but just merely not all too compelling.

With that said, I was a fan of "Chuck Versus the Sizzling Shrimp." The episode was sweet in the way that makes you say "awwwww" out loud in a room full of guys.

(S01E04) "I thought you were supposed to be good at lying" - Chuck

So it was another satisfying episode of Chuck, funny, hip, referential. They still haven't worked out all the kinks in the show yet, but for the most part the structure and humor of the show is beginning to really solidify, giving us something that might last beyond a season.

"Chuck Versus the Wookie" introduced us to red-haired, blue-eyed bombshell Karina -- I can't seem to find the name of the actress who played her on any websites or press releases, so if you recognize her please tell me; I would like to see more of her ... work.

(S01E03) "Now that's what I call moving some merchandise." - John Casey

If you've already seen the episode, which I assume you have, you'll know the quote above comes at a very tense point in the show. The writers had two ways to go: have Casey say something very serious or have him say something so ridiculous it counters the "bad-ass"-ness of the previous scene (i.e. a microwave straight to a thug's head).

(S01E01) "Working on a five year plan, just need to choose a font." - Chuck Bartowski

Last night was the premiere of the shortest-named show in primetime. Shhh ... what do you mean Cane and Life are only four letters? I don't care about House and Bones tying at five letters. I refuse to acknowledge that CSI and ER are still on the air. I think my first line was clever and I am keeping it no matter how wrong it makes me.

Meandering back to the point ... it has been a long time coming for Chuck. For months there have been teasers and web ads bombarding people with its existence and now it is finally here. So let's see if it was worth the wait.