I was already thrilled for the second season of “Chuck,” but here are three more reasons to be excited.

First, a blind search for new “Chuck” clips on Hulu resulted in a couple of teaser trailers for the sophomore season, which launches Monday, Sept. 29 on NBC.

Within the first few seconds of the this trailer (the better one), we see cameos by Michael Clarke Duncan and John Larroquette:

Nothing really new from either actor; Duncan seems to be playing a heavy not unlike his role from “The Whole Nine Yards” and Larroquette’s deadpan, dry wit has been celebrated since he first played Dan Fielding on “Night Court.” But I like what I’ve seen so far with regard to their contributions to “Chuck.” This trailer also promises a “new mission, new danger, new action, new enemies, and new… underwear.” Part of me wants to protest the shameless shot of Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) getting dressed with the door wide open, but most of me is asking why in my right mind I would do such a thing.

The other trailer isn’t trying so hard, resorting to a single shot of Chuck struggling to descend from a ceiling, spy-style. Its slogan, however, is trying waaaay too hard in its attempt to play off the James Bond specs for a martini:

Still, it’s “Chuck” stuff! So I’m still OK with it.

A second reason to get excited for the second season are some photos of the cast doing things. And a third reason? Remote Access’ access to a picture from the upcoming episode “Chuck vs. The Cougars.” Oh, double meaning, how I love thee. Check out all those pix after the break. Read more of this entry »

We’ll be without “Chuck” for the foreseeable future, but here are 10 ways to pass the time while we’re waiting for the WGA strike to end and more episodes to be broadcast:

“Chuck” cast chats with “Good Day L.A.” hosts: This is a little misleading, as it appears Zachary Levi is the only one among Adam Baldwin, Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez and Sarah Lancaster to be equipped with a microphone for this cacophony of an interview. Still, it’s fun to watch Baldwin be goofy and a brunette(!) Strahovski move in to almost kiss Gomez in the background while an oblivious Levi is riffing up front. Rating: 4 out of 5 pastrami sandwiches.

Obscure flier from one of Strahovki’s theater performances in Australia: Courtesy of the cleverly named Strahotski.com (a nickname Levi references in the previous link), we see the actress appear in a poster for a stage show at the 2005 Melbourne Fringe Festival. She’s the bespectacled one one on the left and the spelling of her last name is “Strzechowski.” Amazing what two years will do for a career! Rating: 5 pastrami sandwiches.

ChuckTV.net’s exclusive interview with Sarah Lancaster: This “Chuck” fan site did a fantastic job interviewing the actress who plays Ellie. Lancaster talks in detail about characters and offers some insight on each of the primary cast members as well. For example: Lancaster appears to have taught Strahovski some pedicure basics. OK, so that’s a bad example. But it’s a great interview. Rating: 5 pastrami sandwiches.

ABC’s ordered six more scripts of Samantha Who?, according to The Hollywood Reporter. That’s a pretty big vote of confidence after a mere two episodes have aired.

But I’ve seen the two episodes, and they’re pretty amusing. Hilarious? No? Funny? Yes, in large part due to star Christina Applegate, but also thanks to a strong supporting cast that includes Jean Smart (as her mom) and Tim Russ (as her doorman). Trekkies may recognize Russ as Tuvok from Voyager).

Samantha, in fact, is the highest-rated of the fall’s new sitcoms. Admittedly, there’s only six of them, so it’s not as huge as it sounds, but the second episode, which aired Monday, snagged 14.3 million viewers, not to shabby.

Fortunately for NBC, both “Chuck� and its title character exceed expectations.

In this comedy series’ pilot, we see Chuck as a hapless computer technician at the Buy More electronics store, randomly referencing the part in Prince’s “Bat Danceâ€? in which Kim Basinger introduces herself as “Vicki Vale.” An equally vivacious blonde interrupts Chuck when she strolls up to his booth and asks for help with her phone.

Of course, the woman, Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski), is an undercover government agent pursuing Chuck (Zachary Levi) for other reasons. Chuck’s college roomie—a rogue CIA agent named Bryce (Matthew Bomer) –- frantically e-mailed him thousands of government secrets moments before succumbing to a fatal gunshot wound.

Now struggling to understand a power he didn’t pursue, Chuck must protect the world from threats he’s just beginning to comprehend, while keeping this knowledge a secret from friends and family. In this respect, it’s a bit of a twenty-something, comedy-driven version of “Smallville” without the superpowers.

I’ll admit I wasn’t enthusiastic about “Chuck” from the teasers I had seen. But for every time I scoffed at something forced in the pilot (Chuck’s unnecessary explanation of the Vicki Vale reference to Sarah), there were dozens of moments I found myself laughing for all the right reasons (the fact that there even was that Vicki Vale reference).

As Chuck, Levi has much of the look, charm and mannerisms exhibited in two other stars who got their big break on NBC: “Saturday Night Live” alum Jimmy Fallon and “The Office” star John Krasinski. He’s paired nicely with Strahovski, who’s equally adept at maneuvering herself in combat sequences as she is with heart-to-heart conversations.