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[Cornballer]

Against all odds, Chuck is back again for Season 4 on NBC. Chuck will be in its usual Monday timeslot at 8pm, this year leading into The Event. The premiere is on Monday, September 20th. ¡Viva Buy Moria!

Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi) is in his twenties, living in Burbank, California, working as a computer expert in the Nerd Herd at his local Buy More, a large retail consumer-electronics chain, with his best friend, Morgan Grimes (Joshua Gomez). Chuck's sister Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) and her now-husband Devon "Captain Awesome" Woodcomb (Ryan McPartlin) are doctors who are constantly encouraging Chuck to make progress in his professional and romantic life. At the beginning of the series, Chuck receives an e-mail from Bryce Larkin (Matthew Bomer), his former Stanford University roommate, who is now an apparently "rogue" CIA agent. When he opens it, the entire database of all the US government's secret information — a neural supercomputer called the Intersect — is subliminally embedded into his brain. Both the NSA and the CIA want the intelligence returned to them and dispatch agents of their own — Colonel John Casey (Adam Baldwin) and Agent Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski) — to retrieve the data.

Since the information was stolen by Bryce and the government's copy is destroyed in his attempted escape, and since Chuck experiences "flashes" of information from the database activated by certain triggers around him (such as faces, voices, in-context keywords, and various objects), he must use the knowledge he now possesses to help the government thwart assassins and international terrorists — upending his previously uneventful life. In order to preserve their safety, Chuck must keep his newfound occupation a secret from his family and friends, forcing Casey and Walker to establish an uneasy alliance and secret identities; Walker poses as Chuck's girlfriend and takes a cover job at a local restaurant near the Buy More while Casey reluctantly goes undercover as part of the Buy More team.

As the series progresses, it is revealed that rogue spies are engaged in a secret war with the legitimate intelligence community, and that Bryce stole the Intersect to keep the real rogue spies from capturing it. The rogue spies believe they can aid their cause by capturing the human Intersect or by building their own Intersect.

The government, meanwhile, wishes to rebuild the Intersect. This would make the Intersect in Chuck’s head redundant, making him a national security risk, so Casey is secretly under orders to kill Chuck if and when he becomes redundant. However, the new Intersect is destroyed by Fulcrum, a rogue spy agency.

Chuck's father comes into the picture to be there for Ellie's wedding which brings up painful memories of childhood for Ellie and Chuck. Chucks father reveals himself to be a former CIA agent and creator of the Intersect, he is captured and forced to create the Intersect 2.0. This advanced intersect includes flashes that include muscle memory, allowing the user to perform tasks they previously could not (i.e. martial arts, weapon expertise, and musical instrument skills), as well as the former functions of 1.0. A series of events leads Chuck to embed the new Intersect into his brain to keep it from being taken.

Chuck, Sarah and Casey all face professional conflicts as they grow to respect each other and a genuine romantic interest develops between Chuck and Sarah. Chuck’s desire to maintain his close relationships and eventually return to a normal life is challenged by the dangers and growing responsibilities of his new secret life, and he gradually becomes a more competent, confident and willing spy.

As of Season 3, Chuck has willingly decided to become a real spy, to Sarah's chagrin. Although he failed "spy school," his effectiveness in the field has led General Beckman to give him a second chance and reinstate him as a member of the team, where Daniel Shaw is introduced to encourage his development as an agent. Chuck must now learn to balance his emotions to control the Intersect, which is complicated by his lingering feelings for Sarah. Sarah and Shaw begin dating, but Shaw is turned by the Ring. Chuck is officially inducted as an agent by General Beckman, and in the next episode, he makes his first kill, shooting Shaw in order to protect Sarah. Chuck's best friend Morgan Grimes also becomes privy to Chuck's "spy secret" and is inducted into Chuck's "spy team"; John Casey receives orders from General Beckman to train him.

In the finale of Season 3, Shaw is revealed to be alive and has downloaded the Intersect as well, and attempts to kill Sarah, Chuck and Casey, and compromise both the NSA and CIA. Chuck successfully thwarts this plan, although his father is killed and his sister finally discovers his double life. The side-effects from the Intersect cause Chuck to regain a childhood memory in which he learns that he accidentally downloaded an early copy of the Intersect into his brain when he was still a young child. The season ends with a retired Chuck discovering his father's secret spy base, dedicated to locating and protecting Chuck's mother and performing spywork that "governments are afraid to do."

Videos:
- Main Hulu Page
- Comic Con footage part 1
- Comic Con footage part 2
- Buy Hard: The Jeff and Lester story
- S3 blooper reel
- S3 deleted scenes: 1, 2, 3, 4

Promos:
NBC Promos
- First Promo for Episode 4.01
- Primetime Preview Promo
More coming soon...

Upcoming Episodes:

[b]Episode    Title                                Date     Time[/b]
Ep 401     Chuck Versus the Anniversary         9/20     Mon, 8pm
Ep 402     Chuck Versus the Suitcase            9/27     Mon, 8pm
Ep 403     Chuck Versus the Cubic Z             10/4     Mon, 8pm
Ep 404     Chuck Versus the Coup d'Etat         10/11    Mon, 8pm
Ep 405     Chuck Versus the Couch Lock          10/18    Mon, 8pm
Ep 406     Chuck Versus the Aisle of Terror     10/25    Mon, 8pm
Ep 407     Chuck Versus the First Fight         11/1     Mon, 8pm
Ep 408     Chuck Versus the Fear of Death       11/15    Mon, 8pm
Ep 409     Chuck Versus Phase Three             11/22    Mon, 8pm
Ep 410     Chuck Versus the Leftovers           11/29	 Mon, 8pm
Ep 411     Chuck Versus the Balcony             1/17	 Mon, 8pm
Ep 412     Chuck Versus the Gobbler             1/24	 Mon, 8pm
Ep 413     Chuck Versus the Push Mix            1/31	 Mon, 8pm
Ep 414     Chuck Versus the Seduction Impossible2/7	 Mon, 8pm
Ep 415	   Chuck Versus the Cat Squad		2/14	 Mon, 8pm
Ep 416	   Chuck Versus the Masquerade		2/21	 Mon, 8pm
Ep 417	   Chuck Versus the First Bank of Evil  2/28	 Mon, 8pm
Ep 418     Chuck Versus the A-Team              3/14     Mon, 8pm
Ep 419     Chuck Versus The Muuurder            3/21     Mon, 8pm
Ep 420     Chuck Versus Family Volkoff          4/11     Mon, 8pm
Ep 421     Chuck Versus The Wedding Planner     4/18     Mon, 8pm
Ep 422     Chuck Versus Agent X                 5/2      Mon, 8pm							
Ep 423     Chuck Versus the Last Details	5/9      Mon, 8pm				
Ep 424	   Chuck Versus the Cliffhanger	        5/16     Mon, 8pm (Season Finale)

NBC loglines *big spoilers*:

Episode 4.21 - Chuck versus the Wedding Planner

Spoiler

IN ORDER TO CATCH A THIEF, CHUCK AND SARAH MUST ENLIST SARAH’S FATHER AND CON THE CIA — GARY COLE AND MEKENNA MELVIN GUEST STAR — When Chuck (Zachary Levi) and Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) get conned out of their wedding money, there is only one man they can turn to for help — Sarah’s conman father, Jack Burton (guest star Gary Cole). Meanwhile, Morgan pressures Casey (Adam Baldwin) to face Alex’s (guest star Mekenna Melvin) mother. Ryan McPartlin, Scott Krinsky, Vik Sahay and Bonita Friedericy also star.

Episode 4.22 - Chuck versus Agent X

Spoiler

CHUCK’S BACHELOR PARTY GETS OUT OF HAND WHEN SOME UNINVITED GUESTS ARRIVE – RAY WISE GUEST STARS – Chuck (Zachary Levi) and Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) put aside spy work to have a weekend of debauchery, but Awesome’s (Ryan McPartlin) plans for Chuck’s big night don’t go quite as expected. Meanwhile, Ellie’s (Sarah Lancaster) investigation into her father’s computer leads to a life-changing discovery. Joshua Gomez, Sarah Lancaster, Adam Baldwin, Scott Krinsky and Vik Sahay also star.

Episode 4.23 - Chuck versus the Final Details

Spoiler

CHUCK AND SARAH RACE TO SAVE CHUCK’S MOM IN TIME FOR THEIR WEDDING DAY – LAUREN COHAN, MEKENNA MELVIN, RAY WISE AND LINDA HAMILTON GUEST STAR — Chuck (Zachary Levi) and Sarah’s (Yvonne Strahovski) wedding prep includes one final detail: ensuring that the mother-of-the-groom (guest star Linda Hamilton) makes it to the ceremony alive. Meanwhile, Morgan’s (Joshua Gomez) responsibilities as Best Man include his most dangerous mission yet, as he faces Vivian Volkoff (guest star Lauren Cohan). Elsewhere, Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) tends to the last details of the rehearsal dinner and seeks help from an unlikely source. Adam Baldwin, Ryan McPartlin, Scott Krinsky, Vik Sahay, Mark Christopher Lawrence and Bonita Friedericy also star.

Episode 4.24 - Chuck versus the Cliffhanger

Spoiler

OPERATION BARTOWSKI RACES TO TAKE DOWN VIVIAN VOLKOFF AS SHE THREATENS CHUCK AND SARAH’S WEDDING – LINDA HAMILTON, LAUREN COHAN, MEKENNA MELVIN, RICHARD BURGI AND TIMOTHY DALTON GUEST STAR – Before he can kiss the bride, Chuck (Zachary Levi) must enlist his wedding party to take down Vivian Volkoff (guest star Lauren Cohan) and stop her from destroying the big day. When he turns to Alexei Volkoff (guest star Timothy Dalton) for help, the CIA sends its toughest agent, Clyde Decker (guest star Richard Burgi), to stop them. Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez, Adam Baldwin, Sarah Lancaster, Ryan McPartlin, Scott Krinsky, Vik Sahay, Mark Christopher Lawrence and Bonita Friedericy also star.

Season 4 Guest Stars: (confirmed so far)

Can you name all the actors? Answers in the spoiler tags below:

Spoiler

Top row:
Linda Hamilton
Timothy Dalton
Mekenna Melvin
Dolph Lundgren
Harry Dean Stanton
Steve Austin
Nicole Richie
Olivia Munn
Lou Ferrigno
Second row:
Karolina Kurkova
Isaiah Mustafa
Armand Assante
Stacy Keibler
Bronson Pinchot
Batista
Eric Roberts
Joel David Moore
Robert Englund

Links:
- Chuck Fansite
- IMDB
- Wikipedia
- Main Hulu Page
- TV.com
- NBC's Chuck page
- NBC's Fan Page: ChuckMeOut.com
- GAF Chuck S1 Thread
- GAF Chuck S2 Thread
- GAF Chuck S3 Thread
- Chuck vs the Podcast

Chuck versus the Ratings:
Chuck has always been somewhat ratings-challenged, and it's not helped by NBC's continuing decline. While ratings are a somewhat frequent subject of conversation here, it's perhaps best to not get too wrapped up in them and just enjoy the show. If you'd like to help keep Chuck on the air, there are lots of things you can do including: watching the show live, telling your friends and family to watch, streaming the episodes on Hulu/NBC.com the next day, buying DVDs or BRDs, etc...

Music:
Schwartz and Fedak assemble a great soundtrack including some newer stuff as well as classics from the 80's. ChuckTV has a full soundtrack listing on their site:
- Season 1
- Season 2
- Season 3

Also, I know where to find a lot of the music, so send me a PM if you'd like more information on the soundtrack.

Early Reviews:

I haven't seen any yet, but I'll add them as the pop up.

 

[cory64]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

 

[Cornballer]

Bonus Post #1 featuring...

Ladies of Chuck:

Men who spend more time at the gym than most of us:

Solo's Theorem of Chuck Quality, S3 Update:

RevoDS' Counter-Theory

Gifs:

 

[Cornballer]

Bonus Post #2:

Big Pics and Posters:



(click to enlarge)

Avatars
Need a Chuck avatar? Feel free to grab one of these.

90x120

90x90

Avatars from S2 courtesy of Exarchos

Also, animated avatars from S3 courtesy of oneeightzero.

Many more via the link (along with avatars for other shows, too.)

 

[YuriLowell]

Cant wait. I can finally get NBC with Directv so I AM PUMPED.

 

[Cornballer]

Chuck S3 Rewatch

Chuck S3E15: "Chuck versus the Role Models"
Day 15: Monday, September 13th
Original Air Date: May 3rd, 2010

Casey's patience is tried when he has to train Morgan to be an agent, while Chuck and Sarah learn from a successful but splintered married team of spies.

- Stream available on Hulu and NBC.com

 

[YuriLowell]

also this is mine.

 

[Maleficence]

Awesome!

 

[Seth C]

If this started today my day wt work would be so much better.

 

[Pinzer]

Can I claim this?

 

[sturmdogg]

I'm taking this one if no one has any objections.

 

[Cornballer]

I think only a couple of those avatars are being used, so just go ahead and use whichever ones you want, and someone will let you know if they're already taken.

 

[ConfusingJazz]

HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE

 

[Spitz]

Awesome Thread Cornballer

I finished rewatch of Season 2 at 4 o'clock this morning i couldn't stop watching. Chevy Chase was a much better villain than Shaw. Now 1 week to rewatch season 3 and than season 4 hopefully delivers more of the awesome.

i like to take this Avatar

 

[whytemyke]

:lol Balki is gonna be on Chuck? Wow. There better be a dance of joy joke.

 

[lunarworks]

Robert Englund is gonna be on Chuck this season?

DAMN.

 

[cory64]

I watched the first few episodes of the show in 2007, but I didn't really start watching it until right before S3 started. I got my brother hooked too when I came home from college.

 

[trineo_feo]

Hypeeeee

 

[burgerdog]

Hope it's good.

 

[RevoDS]

Cool OP as usual. Cue hype for S4!

Episode 5 is actually Chuck versus the Couch Lock, not Look. The first report was debunked/corrected by Ausiello.

Nearing the end of my own rewatch; Chuck versus the Mask is up next. S3.0 seems better in a marathon than when watched weekly, except for Chuck versus the Three Words which is the only episode in the series to literally make me cringe.

 

[DeathbyVolcano]

Wow, I didn't know the season was starting so early this year. Awesome!

 

[Wads]

Good OP, cb! Although, I think there might be some duplicate Avys running around, but I guess it's probably been long enough that people are no longer using them. This can't come soon enough!!!


edit: I still disagree with Solo's "Theorem". I agree there was a dip in the early S3, but the Beard on season 3 is gold to me. It doesn't consistently approach S2s pure greatness, but it sure as hell comes close at times especially in the final 6 eps!

 

[Plinko]

:lol Balki is gonna be on Chuck? Wow. There better be a dance of joy joke.

My hope is that Bronson Pinchot's role on Chuck is so overwhelmingly popular that it causes a massive demand for the rest of the seasons of Perfect Strangers to be released on DVD.

As of now, we only have 1/2. That show is incredibly underrated.

 

[Cornballer]

Episode 5 is actually Chuck versus the Couch Lock, not Look. The first report was debunked/corrected by Ausiello.

Thanks, I fixed it.

Although, I think there might be some duplicate Avys running around, but I guess it's probably been long enough that people are no longer using them. This can't come soon enough!!!!

Yeah, there definitely will be a few, but I can't keep track of who's using what. If anyone has a problem with it, they can just post something here and we'll sort it out.

 

[threenote]

I love this show. S3 finale was top notch.

 

[kaching]

wow, cornballer, wow. Can't wait for 9/20.

 

[Dilly]

moar strahovski

 

[Dr.Horrible]

Tied for my favorite show on TV (Dexter is the other co-leader) Can't wait for this season to hit.

Is it pretty much the common assumption that this is the final season? That's the impression I've got and I hope it goes out well.

Edit - also, excellent OP Cornballer.

 

[Hari Seldon]

Can't wait!

 

[Soulfire]

Looks like some awesome guest stars. Can't wait for Balki!

 

[RevoDS]

edit: I still disagree with Solo's "Theorem". I agree there was a dip in the early S3, but the Beard on season 3 is gold to me. It doesn't consistently approach S2s pure greatness, but it sure as hell comes close at times especially in the final 6 eps!

Agree. I request my theorem be added too!

 

[PhoncipleBone]

One word. Awesome.

 

[Cornballer]

Is it pretty much the common assumption that this is the final season? That's the impression I've got and I hope it goes out well.

Not necessarily, though I imagine it'll be on the bubble yet again this year. There was some speculation and rumors floating around the interwebs last weekend, and I'll summarize that in a post later when I have some time.

 

[fnmore1]

Awesome Op..

 

[Stallion Free]

Damn you just hyped me up good.

 

[Tashi]

Wow, Chuck starts next week. HYPE. Great OP

 

[PhoncipleBone]

Not necessarily, though I imagine it'll be on the bubble yet again this year. There was some speculation and rumors floating around the interwebs last weekend, and I'll summarize that in a post later when I have some time.

After the effortless renewal this year, I am trying not to get comfortable with the shows chances. However, my gut feeling is we will at least gete a full season this year. It doesn't quite feel like the underdog anymore, and the show seems to be getting more attention online and with people I see daily. So perhaps the word is out, and we will see a slight bump this year. Or at least enough for a fifth season.

 

[OneEightZero]

Go Team Bartowski!

So can't wait for the 20th. ^_^

 

[PhoncipleBone]

Wow, Chuck starts next week. HYPE. Great OP

EVERYTHING starts next week.

Monday is Chuck
Tuesday is Glee
Thursday is Big Bang, Community, and Fringe
Friday is Supernatural

 

[mYm|17|]

awesome

 

[Seth C]

EVERYTHING starts next week.

Monday is Chuck
Tuesday is Glee
Thursday is Big Bang, Community, and Fringe
Friday is Supernatural

...Smallville?

 

[Rafa=FedKilla]

No more Felicity style writing this season please.

 

[ConfusingJazz]

EVERYTHING starts next week.

Monday is Chuck
Tuesday is Glee
Thursday is Big Bang, Community, and Fringe
Friday is Supernatural

Glee? Get that shit out of here.

 

[PhoncipleBone]

...Smallville?

I am like 8 seasons behind on it. I gave up, but hear that last few seasons are quite good. I plan to catch up someday down the line.

 

[ConfusingJazz]

After the effortless renewal this year, I am trying not to get comfortable with the shows chances. However, my gut feeling is we will at least gete a full season this year. It doesn't quite feel like the underdog anymore, and the show seems to be getting more attention online and with people I see daily. So perhaps the word is out, and we will see a slight bump this year. Or at least enough for a fifth season.

I think your optimism is misplaced, unfortunately. The only reason I think it got renewed was the Leno Apocalypse and just how shit NBC was last season in general.

 

[lunarworks]

The only thing I'm bummed about regarding Chuck this season is that it moved from Citytv to CHCH here in Toronto. Citytv comes in perfect in HD, but CHCH glitches out on me whenever anybody walks around in the room. (NBC comes in once in a blue moon.) I can't be a living room nazi and tell everyone to sit the fuck down when it's on, so this is going to be a challenge. Also, I'm not paying Rogers $$$ for HD cable.

 

[gdt]

Very excited, I love this time of year.

 

[Tashi]

EVERYTHING starts next week.

Monday is Chuck
Tuesday is Glee
Thursday is Big Bang, Community, and Fringe
Friday is Supernatural

Yea but I only watch Chuck out of all those.

 

[CzarTim]

Team Sarah!

 

[CryptiK]

fuck yeah!