I can't imagine there are too many self-respecting geeks out there who haven't thought how cool it would be to be spy in the James Bond vein. I also suspect that those same geeks wouldn't say no to data uploads into their brains, Keanu style in JOHNNY MNEMONIC and or THE MATRIX, especially if it meant you knew kung-fu. Well, that's part of the premise behind TV series Chuck. Chuck (Zachary Levi) is your average nerd who got kicked out of uni and ended up working in the Buy More (a fictional US version of Curry's or Dixon's) as a Nerd Herder – someone who fixes computers. He lives with his sister and her boyfriend and hangs out with his best mate Morgan (Joshua Gomez), a less educated Nerd Herder but loyal friend. Chuck was your basic dissatisfied slacker until he is sent an e-mail that downloads all the US government's secret information into his brain. So the CIA and NSA send two agents to look after him - John Casey (Firefly's Adam Baldwin) and Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski). And so the adventures begin.

Now in its fourth season in the US, the show was threatened with cancellation on several occasions, but thanks to fan support it has survived and deservedly so. In the UK it was hidden away on Virgin 1, so if you have missed the previous seasons you can pick them up quite cheaply on Play, with the added advantage of no ads, and better picture and sound quality.

The show has a great balance of comedy, action and the inevitable will-they-won't-they romantic tension between Chuck and Sarah. It's not quite in the same league as the original Get Smart TV series, but it's still great fun and has some excellent guests, which in Season 3 (out on now DVD) includes Scott Bakula, Brandon Routh and Kristin Kreuk. Season 4's guest list is even more impressive. There is also a great cast of supporting characters within the Buy More that supply most of the laughs and leftfield moments of the show. There is the usual mission-of-the-week format, but this is supported by a much longer story arc, involving nefarious organisations intent on capturing Chuck and what is stored in his brain.

With so much good television coming out of the US, especially genre stuff, it's always hard to find time to watch it all, but this is definitely one worth following, and this third season is a little darker than the previous two. There are some great special features on this latest release including a look and the origins and development of the show, and a fantastic mockumentary on Jeffster.

Chuck Season 3 is out on DVD from Warner Bros Home Entertainment and available from Play and all good retailers

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