Redshirts Always Die
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3 hilarious Sci-Fi shows to watch before you go back to work

By Chad Porto

SAN DIEGO - JULY 25: (L-R) Actors Joshua Gomez, Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski speak during "Chuck" panel discussion at Comic-Con 2009 held at San Diego Convention Center on July 25, 2009 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO - JULY 25: (L-R) Actors Joshua Gomez, Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski speak during "Chuck" panel discussion at Comic-Con 2009 held at San Diego Convention Center on July 25, 2009 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images) /
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SAN DIEGO – JULY 25: Actor Vik Sahay (R) performs as a member of Jeffster! with (L-R) actors Sarah Lancaster, Yvonne Strahovski and Zachary Levi during “Chuck” panel discussion at Comic-Con 2009 held at San Diego Convention Center on July 25, 2009 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO – JULY 25: Actor Vik Sahay (R) performs as a member of Jeffster! with (L-R) actors Sarah Lancaster, Yvonne Strahovski and Zachary Levi during “Chuck” panel discussion at Comic-Con 2009 held at San Diego Convention Center on July 25, 2009 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images) /

Chuck

Easily one of the best sci-fi shows in the last decade. The series started in 2007 on NBC and ran for five seasons. It featured Serenity’s Adam Baldwin, Shazam’s Zachary Levi, and The Handmaid’s Tale’s Yvonne Strahovski.

The series was about a young slacker who works at a Buy More (the universes Best Buy) as part of their Nerd Herd (Geek Squad). Having been kicked out of Stanford for cheating, a claim he denies, and not being able to get over being dumped by his then-girlfriend, the titular Chuck Bartowski (Levi) finds himself involved in a life of spies and espionage after accidentally downloading a computer into his brain.

Now the show says ‘computer’ a lot, there’s no actual hardware. It’s more of a program that remaps the brain and how it functions, though that’s a boring description. Computer just sounds better. Because he downloaded the computer, Chuck is now in constant danger and has to have the CIA’s Sarah Walker (Strahovski) and the NSA’s John Casey (Baldwin) watch him practically at all times.

The series flips the script, having Chuck often as the damsel in distress, and in constant need of rescuing, with a recurring inside joke early on involving Chuck being told to stay the car time after time. The series does evolve past this in season three, and again in season four and five, making it one of the more adaptable franchises out there.

The show also features a wide range of amazing side characters from Buy More employees, to Chuck’s sister Ellie and her boyfriend Devin Woodcomb, who everyone just calls Captain Awesome. The series does a great job of giving characters depth beyond the standard stock personalities that they originally arrived with. Two of which end up being Devon and one of the Buy More employees named Jeff.

They’re series highlights.

The show also has numerous cameos and guest spots from the likes of Chevy Chase, Linda Hamilton, Dave Bautista, Summer Glau, Olivia Munn and even former athletes like Jerome Bettis of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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