How adorable? Seriously.

Adorable, adorkable, and many other words that end with "able".

Definitely. Zachary Levi absolutely sells this character. He doesn't come off as a loser because he dropped out of Stanford or he lives with his sister and he loves to play X-box. He just comes off as this cute, smart, nerdy guy that loves his friends and family, is still hung up on his ex-girlfriend and enjoys leading the 'Nerd Herd' team, even though it only pays $11/hr.

Hee! He's like a cross between Jim from The Office, and Seth from the O.C.

Nail meet head.

It's going to be a hard juggling act, to make a salesclerk's Walter Mitty fantasy life look seamless with his real life. He did a great job of it in the first episode and I'm hopeful.

He is one of my favorite characters this season. Cute, funny with a dash (or a pound) of nerdy thrown in. Total definition of adorkable.

I'm going to go ahead and give in that he's my new TV crush.

I always fall in love with the girls, so this is a nice, new experience.

But yeah, I can't stop calling him Chuckles.

ZL is hot. The curls especially do me in.

I agree he definitely knows how to sell the character too.

Does anyone else think ZL kind of looks like Skeet Ulrich in some scenes?

Between ZL, James Roday and Dule Hill, I think I'm in adorkable heaven this year.

Does anyone else think his name is a nod to Charles Bukowski?

One of the best bits of casting I've ever seen. ZL totally makes this show work.

I loved that they finally mentioned that Chuck was kicked out of Stanford during his senior year. It was somewhat implied that Chuck had completed more than his freshman year at Stanford, but it was nice to know that he was about to be a Stanford graduate before Bryce or someone else set him up. I'd hate for that to continue to be brought up if he had gotten kicked out his freshman year or something. The part about him running into his classmate and finding out about the insider trading was hilarious! Poor Chuck looked at that guy and was thinking, 'This is who I should have been', before the Intersect kicked in and Chuck realized that all was not what it seemed! Hee.

Does anyone know if the creator has any connection with UC Berkeley? Because it's funny that the Stanford grads (or drop outs) are either extreme nerds, annoying entrepreneurs, white-collar criminals, and/or rogue CIA agents. Hey, that is how people from Cal think about Stanfordites! Also, we had a quarterback once named Bartkowski.

I'm about to sound like a fangirl, but here's a Zach Levi photo shoot, which once again proves he looks damn good in a suit/tux/whatever.

swoons, and faints dead away.

(repeats to self: I am married. I am married.)

ETA: If it's wrong to be a fangirl, then I don't want to be right!

He went to school there, which helped provide the background for his show The OC.

Do we have an idea of how old Chuck is supposed to be? The pilot mentioned his college girlfriend, and in reference, I think his sister said that was 5 (6?) years ago. I get a 23 or 24 vibe from the character, but I feel he looks closer to 30.

Da-yum the actor looked fine sitting on the coffee table.

I liked the interaction with the old classmate. I hope Chuck realizes that while Bryce and the other guy had what he wants to have neither of are the type of person he wants to be. It would be nice to see some awareness of quality of life outside of 'owning a lot of stuff'.

According to Chuck's MySpace, he's 27. Captain Awesome is 30 and Ellie is 29.

Thank you killersharky for that amazing picture link - yummy!

He used to post on imdb.com when Less Than Perfect was on the air. He was very nice and sweet. *swoon* I almost can't believe that “Chuck” was Kip on Less Than Perfect. It actually took my friend, who normally doesn't know such things, to point it out. I think the current shaggy hair threw me off. Totally different characters also, though he had the great comic timing on that show also. I had a mini-crush on him but the show disappeared and I forgot about him.

Like I mentioned it the episode thread, did you guys see the nice guns in that red t-shirt? Yum. Or his little butt in the pilot in the dance scene with Sarah?

Hee! I know what you mean - but trust me I'm sure Mr.Whatsit has some tv/film babe he checks out. It’s okay and normal. Me and the Mr. We talk pretty openly about our actor-crushes. It can be healthy and fun.

Anyway, ZL is so effin’ hot and normally I don’t like the tall and lanky type. I definitely like him better with at size, rather then his skinnier self on LTP.

Jeremy Cowart! I'm sorry, I love that freaking photographer. He captured ZL perfectly, I love love LOVE the pictures of him jumping into the pool. So hot.

Thanks killersharky for the picture link from me too! Every shot is GOLD. I am trying so hard not to use the word "awesome". The one where he's mugging in the car has got me in stitches here. *searching for kleenex* The B&W shows his Cary Grant side. I'm hearing "Would you like a leg, or a thigh?" (Grace Kelly). Unfortunately, I look nothing like Grace Kelly.

Btw, just in case people didn't notice, there's actually a Page 2 of that photo shoot and I think its possible that Zachary may actually look even hotter in those pictures!

I had guessed 26, glad to have the real age at least sort of officially confirmed.

One of the things that sold me on Chuck was the beginning of the second episode. The recap aspect was redundant for those who had seen the Pilot, but Levi was fabulous with the voice-over--they're not easy to do, but he totally sold Chuck's sweet, quirky sense of humor.

I know next to nothing about Levi, but I have a big fat crush on Chuck. Real life "Chuck Bartowski's" of the world, please call me.

The image where it looks like he's floating in midair, wearing he's Chuck t-shirt, is sooooo cute. ((sigh))



Yeah. ZL could be any sort of fella IRL, but Chuck's a smart, lanky sweetheart with a great sense of humor and prettypretty hair. No doubt about it. Gah.



If you get overbooked with a bunch of cute, sweet, nerdy guys, I'd be willing to take one off your hands! ;)

The pic on Jeremy Cowart's page 2 where ZL is sort of sprawling on the couch in the black t-shirt and jeans has a menacing air to it. He looks like the "bad boy" your daughter brought home. He seems to be saying, "yeah, my foot's on your couch. You got a problem with that?"

I am insanely envious of his hair. That's good hair to have.

The funny thing about that photo is that I noticed you can easily see the bottom of his Chuck Taylors and you can tell those aren't brand new shoes for the photo shoot. I'm pretty sure those are his worn-in Chucks, which makes him even cooler. He actually does wear those in real life!

I think thats the reason why they changed it so that Chuck got kicked out his senior year. The CC said sophomore both times though they said senior year. If he would have done college in 4 years he would have been 21/22 when he got kicked out and if that was 5 years ago. He should be right at 26/27 which does feel about right in terms of everything else. If it has stayed his sophomore year, Chuck should only be about 23/24 and no offense to the actor but I don't see him pulling that off.

I was also surprised when I learned he was Kip on LTP. For me one of the things that makes some one a good actor is their ability to make you forget their last role. That's what ZL is doing with this role. He's also incredibly sexy as Chuck.

Oh yeah... I'm not married! I'm not married!

Are any of you into Kendall Payne? She's best known for the song "Scratch" as it was featured on Grey's Anatomy. And she did the theme to Popular. Just found out the coolest Zachary Levi fact - he financed her second album after her record label dropped her. The way her website describes it - he saved her when she really needed it. She's doing pretty well now.

In other news, I'm planning on seeing Big Momma's House because ZL was in it. WTF? Please help me.

Not only a talented, highly photogenic, genuine Chuck Taylors wearing hottie, but a total sweetheart mensch, too?

{{thud}}

Wow. Really? So now I have to watch it again? Hmm.

From the 1.4 episode thread:

I think that’s part of what makes the character so appealing to me. I get the impression that he’s actually quite intelligent in the nerdy, book-smarts way, but kind of a spacey doof when it come to common sense or (non-nerd) social skills. (Which I can relate to disturbingly well myself.)

But I do wish that they would address his smart-nerd side a bit more outside of the minor spying improvements. They’ve also shown that he’s good at fixing computers, but I would like to see something more than problem-solving smarts. I think part of the problem, though, is that he’s now too busy, between Buy More and spy stuff, to have much energy for private pursuits aside from some casual, tension-relieving video gaming sessions. We’re probably not going to see even 5 seconds of him chilling at home reading books or watching the BBC Planet Earth documentary or posting on internet message boards. But I get the impression that he’s the kind of intelligent nerd who would enjoy those kinds of things, were he not too busy working 2 jobs and pining over Sarah and dealing with (stalker) Morgan.

I’d just like some little tidbit of confirmation of him being a smart nerd besides playing video games and being able to fix computers (which are, granted, two of the most common traits amongst the smart nerds I know, but still, there's more to it than that). I’m selfish, and I want Chuck to be my kind of nerd, dammit! Or at least be more well-defined as to what he actually enjoys doing aside from video games and computer stuff.

ETA: I think part of what sells Chuck as being an intelligent, quirky, endearing sort of nerd is Zach Levi's diction. Just the way he speaks somehow conveys the nebulous qualities of the smart, laconic, slacker nerd.

I just popped in to say that Zachary Levi makes me blush like a 13 year old girl. And I am more than twice that age. Also, I did not find him the least bit attractive on LTP because of the character. As Chuck (and I bet, as himself) I want to do naughty things to him ALL THE TIME.

Totally. His stammering and the way he talks really fast when he's nervous are just perfect for this character. But on rewatch, the thing that really got me was the very end of this episode. He's stammering and nervous asking about Sarah's hometown or just her name -- and then calms it all down with the middle name thing. It goes from fast and loud to slow and quiet in three sentences. It's gradual, but when he gets to the end and his voice is barely a whisper, that's when you realize "Oh man! I think Chuck just slowly broke my heart without me even noticing...Wow." I don't know if that was Zach or the writers or the director or what, but it just slayed me. Well played, ZL!

ETA: So I was battling insomnia last night and as I was watching this scene again at 2am, my couch shook. I couldn't figure out what the hell was going on until this morning when I read we had a little tremor here in LA. It's a sign. Chuck can make the earth move. Literally.

I have never seen LTP, but I agree with the rest of your sentiment! I'm in my mid 40's and just mentioning his name makes me grin. I think it's his eyes and facial expressions.

Some ZL videos to check out on youtube when you get a chance: One is an interview with ZL w/Mohinder and Sylar from Hereos at some Maxim party. (ZL and ZQ are good friends apparently). They are all drunk and being silly. The second is a scene from LTP where Mona makes him dance like Tina Turner in order to get something from her. He’s very…flexible and athletically inclined, shall I say? Thirdly, you guys may enjoy another LTP clip where he strips down to his boxers and is shirtless. I’m just sayin’…The video quality is bad though.

*Squeee* I know you mean!!! Yeah – most of crushing I had on him during LTP was more about ZL than Kip. There was the potential at the time to like Kip more if they ever gave his character more dimension. Though I totally wanted Kip and Mona (Sherri Shephard) to get it on. But now I find I have crush on Chuck and ZL.

From this episode thread:

On Chuck vs. the Olives:

I noticed Sarah's olive-removal early on in the episode, and was gratified to see that Chuck brought it full-circle at the episode's end. They're showing that Chuck is bright enough and cares enough about Sarah to actually notice the little preferences and personality tics that make her uniquely Sarah, which says great things about Chuck in general and deep quiet things about his affection for her. That's what people do for people they love.

It's a nice subtle thing that demonstrates writers with touch and taste, an artful throw-away bit of grace that helps make this show so damn smart and so beautifully characterized.

It's funny that they're friends, because I keep thinking that something about Levi's face reminds me of Quinto. They look absolutely nothing alike, but something about the way they move their eyes and lips reminds me of each other. Cute interview, too, but I'm amazed the interviewer managed to get a word in between the 3 of them. Gotta love drunk actors at a party... :P

I watched it again last night, and there's this very tiny moment where he barely starts to get that eyes-and-throat-burning-'cause-I'm-about-to-cry look, and then covers it like a pro. It's hard to notice unless you're really looking for it, though, and I'm not sure if that makes the scene better or worse!

But either way, I do like the fact that Levi can put forth such a broad, ridiculous comedic performance for Chuck, but then also dial it down with the pissy sarcasm or the sweet angsty character moments. I've noticed that he uses that over-the-top comedic performance primarily for things that are spy related--like when they're actually in danger, or when Sarah (or Karina in 1.4) walks into Buy More and he's not sure if something scary is gonna come up or not. In the scene where Karina goes to check him out in Buy More and Sarah follows him in, we see terrified, high-strung, doe-eyed Chuck at first, but then once he realizes that they're not gonna do anything crazy, he kind of relaxes and goes back to being snarky (though still a bit high-strung). And when it's just hanging out with family or Morgan or the Nerd Herd, he's fairly relaxed (though still snarky). He's also usually more relaxed when he's saying goodbye to Sarah, too, but there's still a bit of tension below the surface.

I like the fact that he has two or three different types or performances that he applies to Chuck thematically--it could be jarring, but somehow they all come together really well, and so far, he seems to be hitting the right ones at the right times and also showing the transition between manic Chuck and calmed-down Chuck (like that Buy More scene, and even the scene at the end), rather than just switching from one to the other with no warning.

Quinto really gets around for a guy who's only had big success in the past year. Kristen Bell recently said in an interview about her upcoming role on Heroes that she's been good friends with Quinto for around a decade (and given that she's 27 years old, that has to be from the time she entered NYU--which is odd since Quinto's bio says he went to Carnegie Mellon).

There's also this great ep (Season 1, I think) where Claude (Sara Rue!) kisses Kip, which was seriously one of the most hilarious things ever. There is also a great moment of physical comedy between ZL and Andy Dick (yes, Andy Dick) where ZL takes his glasses away from him and Andy jumps on him Morgan/Koala style.

Great comments from all on Chuck's personality and ZL's wonderful characterization of it. I love coming in here and reading everyone's insights, which often include things that I missed, such as the hair-touching/eye-closing in the game scene.

I re-watched the Wookie episode last night specifically for that plus the scene at the end, and got even more choked up at how painfully earnest Chuck was in wanting to know something "true" about Sarah, and her gut-wrenching response. This sort of emotional resonance provides a wonderful and needed contrast to the spy hijinks, but it's not easy to pull off given the high camp tone of the show. Major kudos to both actors for hitting just the right notes to get viewers totally on board with the angst of this budding relationship.

I'd love to see Chuck engaging in something less stereotypically nerdish than video games too. At the rate the show is adding layers and developing these characters, I have complete faith that it will come!

Adding to the Gomez meh...he's definitely the Marissa of this show. I hope Josh doesn't wait 3 seasons to get rid of him like he did with Barton.

I wonder. If we did a poll would this be one of the rare shows where the main character is actually most viewer's favorite?

I mean Casey, Cap'n Awesome, Sarah and Ellie are all cool in certain ways, but I think Chuck actually works pretty well as the essential center of his own show.

I love his list of interests in his YouTube profile:
I wonder how long it will be until Meg Ryan is mentioned on the show.

Considering that just yesterday he was listening to the new Radiohead, I guess that is what he means by music unsuitable for Grey's Anatomy. I wonder how much he paid for his copy.

Why hasn't he been eating any tacos on the show?

And speaking of his YouTube profile, his favourite videos are a hoot! Ha. Brokeback to the Future is on there!

Heh, I actually love that Chuck's profile on MySpace lists that he's actually an alumni of Stanford and that he owns the Buy More!

I just watched Chuck vs. the Tango and Chuck vs. the Wookie again and ZL is...well, awesome. I love when he also uses his intelligence and not just the Intersect, so we know why he got into Stanford and made it through four years. The geek side of me kind of wants to see him playing Brain Age II on his Nintendo DS so that he's keeping his mind 'limber', even though he's working at Buy More and he's more of a hands on geek. Hee.