Star Rating: 4 out of 5

Stars: Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Adam Baldwin, Joshua Gomez, Ryan McPartlin, Sarah Lancaster, Vik Sahay, Scott Krinsky, Bonita Friedericy, Mark Christopher Lawrence and Tony Hale

The Big Idea: Who doesn’t love a fresh start? Brand new year – brand new decade – and brand new episodes of Chuck, off to a powerhouse season-three debut with three episodes (two on Jan. 10 and another new ep in the show’s regular timeslot, Mondays at 8PM, on Jan. 11). I’ve had the chance to watch the first five episodes, and I’m happy to report that Chuck still has the heart, the humor and the high-octane action/romance blend that inspired fans to launch a successful save-the-show campaign (and nosh a whole lotta Subway sammies) last spring.

As we learned in last season’s finale, Chuck’s Intersect 2.0 flashes can now provide him with some serious (and seriously cool) physical talents, namely all manner of martial arts, and this turns out to be a boon for star Zachary Levi‘s physical comedy skills. It’s pure joy to watch Chuck nervously summon up the appropriate proficiency in a tense situation, and then cycle rapidly through a full resume of emotions, from hesitant bemusement, to “This rocks!” giddiness at his newfound skills, to blasé mastery and back again.

And bonus, the worst kept secret in Chuckdom turns out to be true – the abilities don’t always appear on cue, and they tend to evaporate at really inconvenient moments.

To Watch or Not to Watch: So, Chuck’s not Superman – though his mysterious new boss Daniel Shaw is played by Brandon “Superman Returns” Routh, and Smallville‘s Kristin Kreuk shows up in episode five as … well, we’re not really sure. Kreuk, like Rachel Bilson in season one, and Jordana Brewster in season two, does seem to fit someone’s preference for casting brunettes who’ve been in the Maxim Top 100 as rivals to Sarah for Chuck’s affection. And speaking of the would-be primetime supercouple, for Chuck and Sarah (Strahovski) in season three … well, it’s complicated, mostly because of Chuck’s new abilities and his new commitment to using them in his spy guy job. There’s some good, old-fashioned clueless guy moves along the way as well, including one on a train platform in the season premiere that will make you yell “Idiot!” at your TV.

Finally, the Buy More gang is back, and they’re in top form. Morgan’s (Joshua Gomez) return, culminating in him living the dream of every name tag-wearing arrested adolescent, Casey (Adam Baldwin) dealing effectively, brutally and comically with a terrorist insurgency loose in the big box store and a hilarious homage to Fight Club that leads to a classic Lester (Vik Sahay) and Jeff (Scott Krinsky) plot are but a few of the moments in the first batch of new episodes that should make us all happy those post-season two rumors of big budget cuts for Chuck didn’t mean we’ll be spending less time in the land of Buymoria.

TV Screener Tidbits: In addition to an even beefier role for Levi, Ryan McPartlin‘s Captain Awesome also gets more play this season, as Awesome is sucked into the spy game and finds it, ultimately, not so much to his liking. Meanwhile, those rumors of a death in the season premiere? Sadly true. And it comes as a big shock.

Chuck season three premieres Sunday, January 10, at 9PM ET on NBC

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Here’s one of the best things to pop up in the TVScreener.com mailbag this month.

I would’ve been happy with a CD sneak preview of the season, but NBC put together a fun Chuck season three promo goody box containing:

– A sincerely appreciative and funny note from Chuck creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak
– Standard issue spy shades
– An awesome Spy Science Secret Message Kit
– A portable voice changer
– And most importantly – the first FIVE episodes of season three!

And speaking of those season three eps … check back with TVScreener.com on January 8 for our season three preview.

In the meantime, here’s the latest promo for the Jan. 10 Chuck season premiere, focusing on how being a swell spy guy isn’t exactly conducive to Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi)  having a great love life :

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Here it is, the cool new butt-kickin’ poster for Chuck‘s third season, which premieres on NBC on Jan. 10 (with a two-hour episode), and moves to its regular Monday night timeslot (8PM ET) with another new episode on Jan. 11. I’m getting more and more excited about the new season with every bit of info, photo and teaser clip that comes out.

And speaking of Chuck-related goodies …

Check out ChuckMeOut.com‘s Mission: Chuck Me Out game, in which one devoted fan will win a very cool prize indeed: His or her face will appear in one of Chuck’s (Zachary Levi) Intersect flashes in an episode of the show.

So, who’s playing? Better get started soon, because there are already some fans with tens of thousands of points already …

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Love that NBC is totally behind the new season of Chuck, from star Zachary Levi hosting the network’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting special Tuesday to the slew of promos NBC is airing to tout the dramedy’s Jan. 10 return. Here’s one of my faves:

What are your thoughts on what we know about the new season so far? I was a little worried about all these new skills Chuck suddenly possesses, but the sneak peeks promise that it won’t be the hokey, convenient plot device it could be in the hands of lesser writers. Yep, I think we have every reason to believe season three will rock as much as season two did …

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HOORAY! We have our winner:

Geraldine! Congrats, Geraldine, and thanks for entering. Your awesome Chuck box set and Subway gift card will be on their way to your mailbox shortly. Enjoy, and thanks again for checking us out at TV Screener.com!

And everyone, keep checking our TVScreener.com Christmas giveaway section … we’ve got lots more TV goodies coming your way!

Christmas came early for Chuck fans, with NBC’s announcement yesterday that our favorite Nerd Herd-er (well, former Nerd Herd-er) will return to the network in a two-hour season three premiere on Jan. 10.

Better news: Mr. Bartowski and company will slip into their regular timeslot, Mondays at 8PM ET, with another new episode the next night, Jan. 11.

Still more good news: It’s not too late to catch up with Chuck, or get someone else into our beloved spy guy dramedy, because just as we did earlier this year, TVScreener.com is giving away a Chuck season one DVD box set, along with a $10 Subway gift card. Yes, no one likes to eat those $5 footlongs alone, so now you and a pal can nosh on your sammies together.

And to enter for a chance to win the Chuck season one DVD box set and $10 Subway gift card, remember:
– Leave a comment on this post, with your name, your all-time favorite TV spy show and an e-mail address where we can reach you
– Deadline to enter to win the Chuck season one DVD box set and $10 Subway gift card is November 27 at 8PM ET (according to recorded comment time)
– The winner will be chosen by random, using Random.org’s Random Number Generator
– The winner will be announced on the evening of November 27, as an update to this post

Good luck, Chuck lovers, and stay tuned for the rest of our It’s a Very TVScreener.com Christmas 25-Day Giveaway!

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