Slacker spy

Unlike other loveable losers, Chuck has an Everyman we can admire | Megan Basham

From movies like Knocked Up, Failure to Launch, and High Fidelity to the perennial loser George on Seinfeld, the specter of the 20- or 30-something male slacker has become ubiquitous in pop culture. Usually these characters are somehow likeable despite their unrelenting narcissism and abominable lack of personal responsibility.

NBC's new show Chuck (which has been quietly building an audience on Monday nights) gives viewers something different. Unlike most celluloid underachievers, Chuck (Zachary Levi) isn't lazy or selfish. He's just a sweet, unassuming guy who's been the victim of some bad breaks. And the worst of those breaks comes when the college roommate who got him expelled from Stanford years before sends him an email encoded with thousands of government secrets. It seems the former friend has made a career of betrayal—turning rogue agent after joining the CIA. Now, thanks to all the classified intelligence Chuck unwittingly absorbed, the Everyman who has spent his post-university days working as a member of the tech support "Nerd Herd" at a large electronics store has to spend his nights learning the international spy game.