Average Triumphs
NBC
Mondays 8/7c
Reaper
The CW
Tuesdays 9/8c
TV-14
We are living in the age of television drama. Every season, the major networks churn out a score of new medical, crime and action dramas as if their trying to send America into chronic depression and anxiety. Shows like House, CSI and even USA’s Rescue Me, while excellent examples of how far television has come, stray away from light entertainment.
Even sitcoms fail to bring on the laughs like they did in years past and now only rehash plots and situations from the 70’s and beyond.
Just as all hope for original comedy seemed lost, two networks rose to the occasion and created a couple of new shows that may well revive it as a mainstream genre. Picture it: two average, gawky guys thrust into exciting and potentially dangerous worlds with hilarious results. Thus is the formula for NBC’s Chuck and the CW’s Reaper, two incredibly likable new shows focused on the escapades of the classic American slacker.
Innovation and a smooth mixture of genres propels both of them ahead of the competition. To hook viewers hung up on the mainstream trend, Chuck and Reaper take premises that would work as dramas and parody both of them without going over the top. In the case of Chuck, a twenty-something-year-old guy (Zachary Levi) working for the Nerd Herd (a tech team similar to Best Buy’s Geek Squad) gets the CIA’s intelligence downloaded into his brain. Government agents subsequently descend around him, thrusting him into a life of espionage. Chuck’s constant struggles to adapt to this situation are the show’s main appeal. The stark contrast between the spies and the tech-savvy slacker delivers humor that does not feel forced or improbable. Coupling that success with thrilling action sequences elevates Chuck above most other debuts (see Cavemen and Life is Wild). Its only drawback is that it seems somewhat unpolished as if the producers forgot to include something important though you never quite know what that something is.
As entertaining as Chuck is, Reaper possesses this refined sensation, making it the superior of the two. At first glance, the premise appears to be similar to Chuck’s especially when extraordinary events capsize a normal life. As a twenty-first birthday surprise, Reaper’s main character, Sam (Bret Harrison), learns that his parents sold his soul to the devil before he was born. Now he must do Satan’s bidding by capturing souls that have escaped from an overcrowded underworld. These circumstances alone promise hilarity, but one element throws Reaper to the brink of perfection, Sam’s best friend Burt “Sock” Wysocki (Tyler Labine). Present for apparent comic relief, “Sock’s” antics and remarks make him an excellent foil, but a likeable one at the same time. Though he is by no means the most intelligent character (he wraps a roll of duct tape around his hand just because it’s there), his lighthearted exploits and loyalty show why he and Sam are friends.
Though Reaper defeats Chuck with its polished feel and believable characters, both shows are worthy of your precious time. The mere similarities between Sam, Chuck and every other male between ages 18 and 25 are enough to draw America back to comedy, and if that doesn’t work, the sheer awkwardness of their situations will wrangle any straggles. If enough people divert from testosterone driven dramas this year, we may well witness the revival of comedy and the triumph of average guys like Sam and Chuck.
–Anthony Kozlowski
