Chuck: The Complete Second Season

Offering a deft mix of spy show spectacle and tongue-in-cheek humor, this action comedy about an energetic secret agent in nerdland has become a fan favorite. Zachary Levi stars as Chuck Bartowski, a computer geek and electronics store wage slave whose brain has been turned into a veritable hard drive filled with classified secrets—but unfortunately lacking an index. The release of the information is triggered by various cues—such as the logo of a secret criminal organization or the face of an international assassin—that Chuck encounters with alarming frequency. In place and ready to act on any intelligence that is randomly accessed are NSA representative John Casey (Adam Baldwin as an exceedingly enthusiastic agent and fellow salesman) and CIA operative Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski as the show's resident hottie, posing as Chuck's girlfriend). Guest stars appearing in the 22 episodes here from the 2008-09 second season include Jordana Brewster as Chuck's college girlfriend turned enemy agent, Nicole Richie as a guest villain, and Scott Bakula as Chuck's long-lost father, who has a few secrets of his own. DVD/Blu-ray extras include a pair of series overview featurettes, comic webisodes, and two versions of “Chuck vs. The Third Dimension” (one in 3-D—two pairs of 3-D glasses are included—although this bonus is not listed on the cover or in the program guide). Recommended. (S. Axmaker)