There is no single fantasy life a guy would want to live; rather, there are many scenarios you could lay out that would make a male step back and say, “Damn, I wish that was my life!” Many of these fantasy lives have been turned by countless writers into movies and TV shows, and I think that one of them is definitely Chuck, the comedy-drama from OC creator Josh Schwartz.

Chuck is, as you may have guessed, a show about the life of a man named Chuck; his life, however, is far from simple. On a day like any other, after opening an email from an old friend who now works for the CIA, Chuck accidentally downloads the company’s entire database into his brain. To complicate matters, the CIA computer and Chuck’s own are destroyed, making his brain the only way to access the information – and that’s a hell of a lot of information. When it’s realized that he can ‘flash’ on the top secret info he’s storing, the government sends NSA Agent Major John Casey and superhot CIA Agent Sarah Walker to look after him; while undercover, Walker poses as his girlfriend. Also thrown in the mix are Chuck’s best friend and co-worker Morgan, his sister Ellie, and her fiancé Devin (who is also known as Captain Awesome). Episodes revolve around the missions and adventures that Chuck, Casey and Walker get themselves into.

So let’s recap: average everyday nerd suddenly finds himself host to a giant database of government secrets, is suddenly teamed up with two agents from the NSA and CIA - one of whom is a smoking hot woman who goes undercover as his girlfriend – and gets to join them in saving the country each week. Now you see why I say this is a fantasy life most guys would want to live. Chuck is a simple and original show that offers a very cool plot with a lot of good humor on the side, as well as a main character that’s easy to relate to, at least as far as the everyday nerd thing goes – he may be a bit harder to sympathize with when it comes to the metric ton of secrets he’s storing away. While there’s no real overarching storyline, this works well with the concept of the show. Each week’s new adventure is fresh and exciting, and having a continuous plot through the season could easily become confusing, given how many secrets Chuck is holding. Thankfully, it’s kept simple, which allows both new and old viewers to tune in each week and lose themselves in the adventures of each character.

If you liked creator Josh Schwartz’s previous effort, The OC, then chances are you’ll like this one; if you hadn’t already realized it, Chuck bears a few similarities to Newport geek Seth Cohen. The drama levels have been seriously toned down to make room for adventure and a bit more comedy, too, so don’t be swayed by fear of overly serious and cheesy moments. There’s none of that here, folks – Chuck is just plain fun, and I recommend tuning in. Unfortunately, the writer's strike cut the season short to just 13 episodes and it ended back in January, but the show will be back this September, so if your interest is piqued then mark your calendars. Until then, you can hit up NBC.com to view full episodes for free and keep your ears open for any news about a DVD release.

Dave the Droll