MANILA, Philippines - The comedy-action series ?Chuck? is about the geek who suddenly gains something special, a potentially dangerous gift. You?ve seen this before and so you may not take the show very seriously, especially because of its light tone and generally inconsequential story lines. Its take on espionage isn?t earth-shaking, either.

It?s easier to appreciate it as a fantasy show with occasional romance and action bits. It?s campy and escapist, quite prescriptive in addressing the need for angst-free viewing.

A few repetitive episodes are followed by attention-grabbing ones, particularly those that focus on the main character?s simple but intriguing past. They move the story forward and upset the status quo, temporarily.

Rudimentary

Created by Josh Schwartz (?The O.C.?) and Chris Fedak, ?Chuck? follows the adventures of the geek-next-door underdog, who must balance his daily chores with a secret life that involves assassins and covert missions. We root for Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi), a tech store clerk and repairman who lacks a social life.
An estranged friend-roommate from Stanford, Bryce Larkin (Matthew Bomer), sends him an unexpected message, a barrage of images containing tons of information that his brain immediately soaks up. Turns out, Bryce is a rogue operative who, for unknown reasons, hands Chuck the US government?s biggest secrets.

This sends NSA and CIA agents Casey and Sarah (Adam Baldwin and Yvonne Strahovski) after him. He soon discovers that the priceless data in his head can be both convenient and dangerous.

Chuck?s adventures are pretty rudimentary; he basically points his new agent handlers to the right direction, slightly bungles up the mission, but ultimately has a hand in fixing things and saving the day. That?s pretty much the show?s existing formula.

The spy biz scenarios are simplified and simplistic; ?Chuck? is certainly no ?Alias,? nor does it aspire to be. Apart from the occasional absence of logical resolutions to some situations, there?s the lack of credible threats. These areas need some serious fine-tuning.

The relationships in Chuck?s life?with his pseudo-girlfriend, his coworkers and family?are the reasons that this show is appealing, aside from its attractive cast. ?Chuck? takes time to warm up to, but we eventually cheer the reluctant hero, who?s suddenly very important in the scheme of things and has to fight twice the frustrating odds stacked against him.

?Chuck? airs Mondays, 8 p.m., on RPN-C/S.