My DVR queue has been piling up faster than you can say "fall TV lineup," but there’s one show I never miss: Chuck, NBC’s L.A.-set spy comedy about a geeky dude with government secrets stuck in his head. It’s got four of my favorite TV components in one convenient package: geeky-cool lead, quirky supporting cast, spy stuff, and Josh Schwartz.
Zachary Levi’s title character channels Seth Cohen at his most endearing (post-first-season-irritatingly-whiny days but pre-late-series-STFU-already days). The missions are Alias-cool (but minus the exotic locales, unless San Diego counts). And Josh Schwartz (The O.C., Gossip Girl) has officially become my new Judd Apatow (oh man, did I love Freaks and Geeks). Awesome fact about Josh Schwartz that I just learned on his IMDbpage: he wrote "U + Me = Us (Calculus)" from 2gether. So, so awesome.
The show has been getting lukewarm ratings this season, but as far as I’m concerned, these have been Chuck’s best episodes yet. How about you, PopWatchers? What are your current pop culture Musts?List up to three items on your Must List from currentTV/movies/music/books/games/online. Don’t forget your e-mail address,in case we decide to use your submission in the magazine. Deadline isThursday, Oct. 30, at 10 a.m.
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Land of Talk’s new record “Some are Lakes,” especially the title track
100% agree about these being Chuck’s best episodes. I adore last season, but every episode so far has just been great. Totally psyched about this season!
Thank you for the 2gether/Josh Schwartz news! That just made my Wednesday morning!
1) TV: Chuck – the best sophomore show on network television (i wish i could say that about Pushing Daisies…I’m worried)
2) Books: The Thursday Next Series by Jasper Fforde – if you haven’t read this British author you are missing out. The witty literary references make me want to go back and read Bacon and Marlowe to see what I am missing.
3) Music: The Hotel Cafe Tour 2008 – with big names like Ingrid Michaelson and Rachael Yamagata and rising talent like Erin McCarley (featured on at least 2 eps of Grey’s this year) and Priscilla Ahn (YouTube her song “Boobs”, you won’t regret it), this is the must see tour of the fall. And for only 20 bucks you get over 3 hours of music. Sweet!
My new Must will be TV on Wednesday night, starting next week. That is because “Life” has been rescued from Friday night death, and I will now be watching three shows in a row: “Pushing Daisies”, “Life”, and “Law & Order” (the original, and only good L&O). I don’t think I have wanted to regularly watch three hour long shows in a row since I was in high school (many years ago)!
Survivor still tops my list. Who doesn’t love watching malnourished people compete in challenges (at least what you can see of them through the blurred out areas), gossip and connive against one another, all while putting up with an “olypic champion” runner who can’t perform in challenges?
Oh yes, and don’t forget Ace with his fake brittish accent. It really should be a drinking game!
I have to agree. Chuck is my appointment television of the week. I haven’t been this excited from week to week since the aforementioned Alias. Of course the return of Lemon tomorrow night adds another show to my Must List. Chuck and 30 Rock couldn’t be any better. They’re just perfect.
My vote goes to Natalie Zea on Dirty Sexy Money. One moment I’m laughing at her, the next moment I’m hurting for her, and then I end with being surprise at her intelligence. She is the best thing on that show!
I can’t await to finally see “Zack and Miri Make a Porno”. And, not because of all the fuss about graphic nudity, sexual content, NC-17 ratings, banned posters, and so on, but because Kevin Smith does not only know how to upset the MPAA, but also how to make comedies for grown-ups with grown-up themes and though never loses a certain childishness. Let’s just say, if “Chasing Amy” was Smith’s “Citizen Kane”, then this could be his “The Magnificent Andersons”.
Zachary Quinto as Sylar is the best thing about Heroes right now. His character is so interesting because he wants to be a good person but he still shows signs of his deliciously evil side.
The international trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was so brilliant it renewed my anger towards WB for pushing it back. I don’t even care about the attack on the Weasley house scene (which wasn’t in the book…), this could very well be the best Potter movie yet.
What’s “Must See”? Pushing Daisies, of course! Why aren’t more people watching this show? Honestly, who doesn’t love pie?
My week really isn’t complete without NCIS, Bones and Smallville. Smallville in particularly is awesome this year. Ollie’s back, Clark is working at the Daily Planet and there’s more Lois! What’s not to love?
kchesney2004@yahoo.com
TOTALLY agree about Chuck and Josh Schwartz in general. That man has brought so much happiness to my TV. I did not about the 2gether song either… I love it.
For me, I must have Prison Break. Although I’m not sure if I hate to love it or love to hate it.
Chuck is definitely one of the best shows on TV right now. I never miss it. I think the 8:00 time slot makes it hard for parents of young kids to be able to watch but I’m telling you, make time for it somehow. It’s that good.
How about the all-important pop culture event of the year: the Presidential Election! Both candidates have benefited from pop culture’s place in this year’s politics, from Fey’s impersonation on SNL to Obama’s near takeover of the TV airwaves to air his special. Throw in every word that comes out of Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s mouth and Will.i.am’s “Yes We Can” YouTube classic, and you’ve got yourself a veritable pop culture quad-fecta. VOTE!
the economic recession has hit, and broadway is not doing well. with [title of show], xanadu, and legally blonde all closed, and closing notices posted for spring awakening, spamalot, and hairspray, and rumors of closing notices for avenue q, chicago, the 39 steps, a tale of two cities, and mary poppins, it’s about time to get to broadway and see something. something that’s not wicked or jersey boys.
NCIS, Survivor and House are the 3 shows that never linger on my DVR. I always need to watch them the same night they are on. It surprises me that I’m still so into Survivor after so many seasons. This seasn isn’t even that great, but even a mediocre season of Survivor is better than 85% of what’s left on TV.
LittleBigPlanet . . . budding game designers who own a Playstation 3, rejoice! You can create your own levels in this revolutionary platformer boasting the charm of a Nintendo title and the technology of a PS3 game.
1. Chuck- The show has everything: action, comedy, romance and enough geeky pop culture references to start a drinking game around it.
2. Entertainment Weekly- I live for Friday Mornings so that i can read Dalton Ross’s Survivor recaps. I won’t even do work until it’s up. Besides that where else would i go for my Pop culture news?
3. Zack and Miri Make a Porno- Never have i been so hyped for a movie that includes the word Porno in the title. My ex-boyfriend is laughing about this somewhere.
Life tops my must list right now. I just can’t get enough of Damien Lewis. In fact, I’m rewatching Band of Brothers just to get my fix. It’s also a stupendously awesome miniseries which helps.
ER! I watched the show religiously from the beginning until seven years ago when I started college and just couldn’t keep up. I’ve come back for its final season because I have to follow these characters through to the end. I’ve known them since I was ten!
chuck is the ONLY thing I must watch every week with no interruptions. I love that chuck and sarah know how they feel about each other but decide to do nothing about it. It is so much better than the tired plot of “oh we are just friends, there is no chemistry between us” like Bones and the forever gone Moonlighting. I love it!
Newest thing on my Must List: Linda Eder’s new CD, “The Other Side of Me.” Saw her in NYC last week. It’s so heartening to find a singer who’s as good or better live as she is in a recording studio!
Mells Musts:
TV) Chuck!!! Life, Bones, CSI
MUSIC) David Cook! I’ll leave the LightOn baby!! Christina Aguilera’s “Keeps Getting Better”
MOVIES) Impatiently waiting to purchase my own copy of Tropic Thunder next month. Also, even though I’ve never read any of the books I’m looking foward to Twilight (love Cedric Diggory!)
1) Voting on November 4th.
2) Supernatural – I know this has already been on the Must List recently but this is by far my favorite show on TV. I mean, did you see Jensen Ackles’ “Eye of the Tiger” video last week? Classic.
3) Rock Band 2 – The awesome track list that would be far less cool without Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf”.
1. The Biggest Loser
2. Top Design
3. The Soup
The Life & Times of Tim on HBO has become a MUST for me. No one is watching it & it makes me laugh until I cry every single week. The title of the premiere short: “Angry Unpaid Hooker” – nuff’ said.
1. Heroes-I enjoy this season. The stories are interesting and I think it has almost reached where it once was with season 1. Plus, I don’t think I could follow any other dramas.
2.The Soup-Joel McHale Rocks.
3. The Amazing Race-I enjoy the travel and detours in the race. Much more interesting than just sitting in one spot and doing nothing.
The online broadsheet The Daily Beast offers a surprisingly evenhanded mix of right and left politics and a smattering of pop culture. It’s become the first site I check when I turn the computer on and is pushing me ever closer to canceling my daily newspaper subscription.
Chuck rules! It’s #2 on my dvr list (Lost being #1 of course). The reason its struggling is because there are way too many shows on at the same time on Monday’s. We had to drop Gossip Girl, DWTS and Terminator because we *heart* Chuck and HIMYM.