Now that Battlestar Galactica has passed into history, I suggest to you that Chuck is the best  show on television. There are a few highly touted premium cable dramas I have missed, so maybe Chuck is only the best show on network tv. However, I doubt any intense drama could compare to Chuck.

Chuck is an odd blend of action, adventure, comedy and romance. Like many blended shows it struggles to find an audience. Disguised as a "Get Smart" style spy spoof, Chuck lightly addresses fundamental human issues of family, friendship, trust, love, and how these themes impact upon relationship.

 For those of you totally unfamiliar with the show, Chuck the show features Chuck the character. Forced out of Stanford when framed in a cheating scandal by his best friend, who also steals his girl, Chuck Bartowski lives with his doctor sister and her doctor fiance ("Captain Awesome") in Burbank, where he works on the "Nerd Herd" at the Buy More electronics store. One day, the ex friend, now a spy, causes Chuck to be implanted with the "Intersect", a top secret computer program which contains all the nation's secrets. The original Intersect is destroyed. Since Chuck is the only copy, the CIA  and NSA assign a pair of spies to protect him. The situation is further complicated because Chuck only recalls data by "flashing" when he sees a cue. Thus, he needs to go to the trouble spots, leading to farcical but susenseeful adventures, where Chuck never stays in the car, no matter how often they tell him to.

The rapid paced plots balance scenes at the Buy More, where Chuck's coworkers provide both pathos and comedy; at home with Elle and Awesome, and spy action. Increasingly, the romantic relationship has blossomed between Chuck and CIA agent Sarah Walker, with typical but always twisted roadblocks.

 Chuck  honours tv conventions, but turns them on their heads, with more subtlety but as much absurdity as Monty Python.How many shows build a video game contest into a missile crisis?

It does not stop there. The scripts interweave the themes, so that the adventures of the Buy More crew often parallel or complement the  lessons being learned by Chuck, Sarah, Ellie, Awesome and the NSA's John Casey. Unlike conventional sitcoms, the morality play aspect of Chuck is sophisticated and intelligent, practicing "show, don't tell".

 The acting and casting is first rate. Zach Levi brings a believable rubbery credulity to Chuck's resurgent boyishness and core decency. Yvonne Strahovski as Sarah brings a dance background which make her fight scenes some of the best moments on tv, and has the acting chops and chemistry with Levi to keep their relationship edgy. It doesn't hurt that she's gorgeous. Adam Baldwin as Casey balances dead pan humour with tough guy swagger. These stars are well supported by the character actors, and a revolving cast of fabulous guest stars.

 Chuck is not afraid to take chances. Each of the last three episodes have had moments which fundamentally altered plot lines. Sarah and Casey are both morally ambiguous, on occasion doing reprehensible things for a good cause. In one episode, Sarah executes an enemy spy in cold blood to protect Chuck, and then lies to him about it, not realizing that Chuck saw her do it. This became part of an interwoven set of story lines examining issues of trust and betrayal.

So far, love and family have conquered all, but will we get a third season? The producers have suggested that fans mail Nerds  to executives NBC Universal to campaign for renewal.

I hope that you might be curious enough to check out the season finale of Chuck next Monday. Maybe if enough OSers tune in,the ratings blip will tip the scales.