Television Meme--Day 02

[rabid1st]

Day 02 - A show you wish more people were watching.

This is a continuation of the Television Meme found in its entirety at this link...

http://rabid1st.livejournal.com/275285.html

This is a very easy day. So easy I wonder why I didn't do it on the very next day. Oh, that's right, because I have sleep apnea and fibro and I was exhausted that day and also writing about Doctor Who, apparently.

The show I wish more people were watching is Chuck. I know people in my real life that would LOVE Chuck and I want to have those little moments of quoting something from the show to them. But they do not watch. Also, Chuck struggles to get enough episodes and to keep its amazing cast in play, because it does not have the ratings it deserves.

What I love about Chuck is that they give loving attention to minor characters and they often have small but delightful surprises in the finales. Remember what we learned about Chuck's long absent father? Wasn't that the coolest? Again, it is a show that doesn't lend itself to grand expectation. But there is just the proper amount of quirky genius in it to always leave me pleasantly surprised. It never disappoints.

Okay, I recently watched the first episode again, and I have to say that may be the only episode that didn't work well for me. They didn't quite have the gel of nerd friendship between the characters, yet. But still, the premise was so cool and Chuck was such a great character that I made allowances for the sister and best friend. And I'm so glad I did because now I love everyone...Awesome and Ellie and Morgan and Jeffster...Jeffster Unplugged...how cool was that? Well, you wouldn't know if you aren't watching. So watch already! Go rent the DVDs and see what you've been missing.

Comments

[liliaeth]

I love Chuck, I used to hate Morgan and I still don't like Jeffster, but the less of a loser Morgan becomes and the more he grows up, the more I like him.

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

Morgan was part of what I hated in the first episode. Way too juvenile to be believed or enjoyable for me. But over the years there have been so many great moments. The stuff with his mom dating again...or his becoming a chef...or...the way he handled the whole "Chuck is a spy" thing. Well, minus the stalking mode in the courtyard...though you have to admit that was funny, too. I love Morgan because he's not an idiot, he's just not playing in reality...and because he definitely has his loyalties in the right place.

And what do you mean...you don't like Jeffster? Jeffster unplugged? Come on! :grin:

[liliaeth]

I just don't like losers*g* And Jeffster is the very example of a pair of losers who do anything they can to be able to keep wasting everyone's time.

Maybe it's my work ethic, but I honestly can't stand people who so clearly put more effort in being able to do nothing than in actually earning their paycheck.

What made me love Morgan this season is how he took up the responsibility of his promotion. And in previous seasons how he actively showed he's willing to do anything to help his friend.

Morgan might have been a bit out there, but he is willing to try and achieve something.

Jeff and Lester on the other hand... uggh. (same reason I had to stop watching Reaper, I just really really can't stand losers. And for the record, there's a difference between losers and underdogs. People can be stepped on by life and at the bottom without ever becoming losers. Being a loser is a state of mind and people like that, most of them men, aren't stuck because of a lack of opportunities, but out of the refusal to get off their ass and actually do something to improve their lot.


That and I've worked in a shop, guys like Jeff and Lester really ruin the work atmosphere and create more work for everyone unfortunate enough to work alongside with them.)

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

I do completely agree with you. One of the reasons I love Chuck is that the library systems where I have worked have had a very similar collection of nerds and geeks and slackers. There are people like Chuck, who show tremendous promise but never seem to get going on anything. People like Morgan who are well meaning and committed but who put energy into the most amazing trivia...like how to win at Halo or Doctor Who Details (LOL) and then there are people like Jeff and Lester...one of them determined to slack and scheme and the other one a borderline psycho.

What I find charming about Chuck is that they put the slackers to good use a lot of the time. And it is true that, for example, I could always count on this one guy to know how to get around any situation...because he was always asleep. It irked me, of course, that management was so completely unaware of the fact that he spent all day long ignoring patrons while he chatted up ladies on dating sites and played fantasy football...but I didn't actively bother to hate him.

I do agree with you though that loser appreciation is not the stuff of successful television. I, too was completely put off by Reaper and had to stop watching it. But then we come to another reason I like Chuck...the writers try very hard to keep all of their characters balanced. They could easily let someone become a "breakout" character, but they never let that happen. Really, the only thing I disagreed with was making Chuck a competent spy too soon...but they seemed to have found a way around that now. At least, they are promising us the new season will be more focused on fun and nerdiness again. I can imagine Morgan learning the trade will be part of that.

[auntiesuze.livejournal.com]

I so very much <3 Chuck!!! I haven't gone back to watch the early episodes, but I expect it's like most new series - it takes a little while to find your footing.

I was really worried when Chuck went all super spy that the show would lose its charm, but it hasn't. I worried when everybody started learning about Chuck being a spy, but it's worked out great! (Oh my lord, some of the B plots with Morgan and Casey killed me)

It's nerdy and geeky and silly and adventurous and I always enjoy watching it every week. There are few shows left that are just plain *fun*, but this is one of them. :)

[phdelicious.livejournal.com]

LOVE Chuck! Its funny pretty much every person I know who's done this meme has chosen Chuck for this slot. Which is awesome, but clearly we're all preaching to the converted. I need to make new friends so I can get them to watch this show. ;-)

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

I prefer to think that people who read my blog are the smartest people on the internets. :giggle:

No, seriously, yes...I should probably start just grabbing people on the streets to make them watch. I wonder if NBC has tried that already? I was once grabbed in a mall and forced to watch commercials. The principle is much the same, I would think.