Chuck's Back in the Big Box
Nerd Herd dreamboat Zachary Levi talks Chuck (his title role on NBC) and Chucks (his beat-up sneakers).
Zachary Levin on 'Chuck' -
NBC
There's something familiar about the Buy More store located on the Warner Brothers lot in Los Angeles. Could it be the bright yellow and green colors that pop like Fourth of July fireworks when you enter the standing set? Or maybe it's the rows and rows of DVDs, movies and game consoles? Or those huge big-screen plasma TVs? Then there are those signs offering help from the Nerd Herd ... which seem a little like those Geek Squads from Best Buy. "We went to a lot of Best Buys and Comp USAs when we designed this," cops producer Paul Marks, who oversees the set. "We wanted it to look as real as possible." And that it does. Walk onto the set of Chuck, which premieres at 8 p.m. Monday on NBC, and you'll be ready to grab something off the shelf and march right up to the cash register. There's even a display of Sanrio Hello Kitty in one aisle. Nerd Nirvana. Outside of The Price is Right, there's seldom been a more perfect blend of commerce and art. In any given episode of Chuck, you'll see the camera glide along those product-filled shelves, pausing oh-so-slightly on items like the new Wii. "It's all promos for lots of products. If you have so many choices, it doesn't feel like you are favoring one thing," Josh Schwartz, executive producer, explains. "We didn't want it to feel like a bummer every time you went into the Buy More. Best Buy is really fun; there's all kinds of cool new stuff you can buy. It's a very seductive, fun world. So [for Buy More] we do a lot of bright colors and lots of stimulation in the background." And they do their own little brand of humor on the side. One sign in the Buy More cautions that "Additional charges may apply. Like felony possession of a really lame computer." The dashes of humor combine with thrill rides in this series about Chuck, a former Stanford student now working at a big box electronic store, who is recruited by the government after his nemesis downloads essential information into his brain. Chuck's now a spy in his off-hours, but none of his friends, family or co-workers can know. As if on cue, Chuck himself -- Zachary Levi -- appears in full costume: White shirt, thin tie, jeans and the requisite white athletic shoes which Levi affectionately calls his "Chucks." Levi says he's been wearing his version of Chucks most of his life. "My publicist would literally yell at me: What are you doing? Put on some nice shoes. Those are filthy. I mean, the laces would be broken. I'd be like -- I'd rigged them up and whatever," Levi says, adding that his own family never understood his shoe fixation. "And now ha-ha, the joke's on them." The self-described nerd comes in at just under six-foot-two with a build so slender he might be in danger of being whisked away in a strong Santa Ana gust. Even the sideburns can't diminish an adorability factor that shoots off the charts. His tousled brown hair and the prettiest perfect-with-teeth smile this side of Julia Roberts makes it hard to believe he's just some nerd next door. Chuck has already won the heart of his government handler, Sarah -- and now his long-lost love, Jill (played by Jordana Brewster), enters the picture. He lost her to his best friend Bryce, the same guy who got him booted from Stanford and downloaded the top-secret computer into his brain. "Chuck has always dreamed of the moment when he could get her back and do a do-over," Schwartz says. "He's a spy, but he can't tell her. He meets her as a member of the Nerd Herd and she's brilliant and successful, everything he feared she'd become." As for the relationship between Chuck and Sarah, there will be several roller coaster moments in the first few episodes. "You'll definitely see lots of good stuff that will satiate your desire for Chuck and Sarah," Levi says. "And there's, you know, a little DTR -- a little define-the-relationship discussion that we have a couple episodes in that helps kind of set that tone as well." Most Popular Stories
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