Chuck - The Complete First Season

Rating NR Formats DVD Genre television series Starring Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez, Sarah Lancaster, and Adam Baldwin Directed by McG Publisher Warner Bros.

Chuck is a quirky NBC series about a computer nerd working as a part of the spoofed “Nerd Herd” at the fictional “BuyMore” electronics store. After accidentally downloading secret government information into his brain, his life becomes packed with action, secrets, surprises, and even a hot secret-agent girlfriend. The show is a clever mix of martial arts, action and nerdiness.

The Complete Season 1 box set includes the 13 episodes of the season, in addition to a large amount of entertaining special features. Each of the 4 disks in the set hold “declassified scenes,” or deleted scenes from the featured episodes. These are entertaining snippets, and while deleted scenes are usually unimportant to the overall progression of the plot, they are interesting for fans who want to see what the creators’ original intentions were.

The bulk of the special features are located on disk 4. The first is a special section called “Chuck on Chuck” in which the show’s two executive producers sit down with the two male stars of the show and discuss their favorite scenes. This feature is insightful and entertaining for fans who want to see what the actors are like in real life. These scene break-downs also give viewers an opportunity to see what the original intentions were behind these favorite pivotal scenes.

“Chuck vs. the Chuckles” is the season’s gag reel. Of course it is hilarious, as gag reels usually are, but there is something more entertaining about this one in particular. Through the hilarity of some of these on-set moments, viewers can witness the true chemistry between the actors of the show and see how much fun they really have together. The gag reel runs for a good 7 minutes and is full of laugh-provoking moments.

The last feature on the special features menu is a gallery of featurettes which apparently had their origin in online communities. These are additional looks at some of the supporting characters on the show, focusing on those who work with Chuck at his nerdy job at “BuyMore.” There are clips of features for Jeff, Morgan and Anna. 

For a show that runs both serious and funny at times, Chuck has done a good run for its first season and is coming back strong for its second. The box set, though short on full-length episodes, is chock-full of pleasant surprises by way of bonus features. Any fan of the show will definitely want to invest in this set for some entertaining behind-the-scenes moments with the cast and crew. Even someone who does not know the show but likes the genre might want to give this set a try! Chuck is a guaranteed hit.