TV fall season: Our take on "Chuck," "Heroes" & "Journeyman"

For me, the start of the fall television season is a little like Christmas.

After weeks of glossy ads and antipicipation, viewers can finally tear off the shiny wrapping and discover our new treasures. Did we really get that rocket launcher? Or another pack of sweat socks?

I glued myself to the couch Monday night to watch three of NBC's offerings this fall: two newcomers ("Chuck" and "Journeyman") and one returning favorite ("Heroes").

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

"Chuck"

Shy tech support dude Chuck is too nerdy to pick up women and too stuck on his college girlfriend to start over. So when he scores a date with stunning blonde Sarah, things seem to be looking up.

Right? Wrong. Turns out that Sarah is a CIA agent, and she's after thousands of government secrets locked in Chuck's noggin.

NBC crowded the airwaves with pre-season advertising, so some of the best gags -- Sarah doing a deadly dance, a skater crowing "Computer emergency" as Chuck's car tumbles over stairs -- seem blah.

Still there are a few chuckles, such as the name of Chuck's employer, Buy More, and references to the Nerd Herd (a send-up of the real-life Geek Squad).

Nerd alert: As Chuck, star Zachary Levi is too suave and well-groomed to be convincing as a hard-core geek. That honor goes to buddy Morgan (Josh Gomez), who resembles Seth Green with a few more pounds and facial hair.


"Heroes"

Folks who caught NBC's sci-fi drama last season will find storylines and special effects a-plenty as "Heroes" returns. Right off the bat, the show spins off seven or eight sub-plots and introduces a few new characters.

Here's a brief rundown:

Matt, now divorced and recovering from four gunshot wounds, has adopted little Molly, whose nightmares identify a new threat.

Hiro is in feudal Japan, discovering surprising things about his hero Takezo Kensei (such as the fact he looks more like Paul Bettany than Ken Watanabe).

While Nathan mourns for his brother, the Bennnets start a new life in California. Someone's trying to kill Sulu. Oh, and there's a gal with deadly powers in Central America.

A few scenes in the "Heroes" season opener struck my fellow viewer as silly. As a dedicated fan, however, I found plenty to like.


"Journeyman"

Commercials made this time-travel thriller look like a cheesy mash-up between "Back to the Future" and "Zodiac." Thank goodness "Journeyman" -- terrible title, by the way -- is actually watchable.

Dan Vassar is a San Franscisco newspaperman with an all-but-perfect life: a beautiful wife, an adoring son. At the same time, there are whispers of an uphappy past.

Suddenly, Dan finds himself slipping back in time for hours at a time. He encounters familiar faces and, almost immediately, breaks the cardinal rule of time travel: Don't alter the past.

Is there a reason for these trips in the slipstream? Is Dan on some unknown mission? The show has enough potentional, despite some goofy plot twists, to keep viewers wondering for a little while longer.

Half the fun may be identifying the clothes and gadgets dug up by the show's Dumpster-diving propmaster. ("Look at those shoulderpads!" "Did you see the size of that cell phone?!?")

****

OTHER NOTES:

What housing crisis?
Sure, the housing market is soft right now. But could lower interest rates explain why NBC's characters live in luxury on piddling salaries?
- Chuck and his sister live in a Los Angeles apartment complex fit for starlets. I initially mistook the lush garden courtyard for the back patio of a restaurant.
- My fellow viewer identified the Bennets' new home on "Heroes" as the set of "Runaway Bride." Not bad for an assistant manager at Copy Kingdom.
- And "Journeyman" Dan comes home to a flawlessly restored Victorian in San Francisco with a huge yard. Because, if you can't afford a house by the Bay, what can you afford?

PLUS: Watching three pilot shows on the same network, one absorbs more than one's fair share of commercials.
I understand NBC's need to make a buck. But is it really necessary to air the SAME car commercial THREE times in a row during one so-called break?
The only product that campaign convinced me to buy is Tivo.

-- Sarah L.

("Heroes" photo courtesy of NBC/Universal)

Today show's sweet on Pismo Beach

NBC’s “Today” show must be sweet on the Central Coast.

A stay at Pismo Beach’s luxurious Dolphin Bay resort will serve as the consolation prize for couples participating in the network’s “Today Throws a Martha Stewart Wedding” contest, anchors Ann Curry and Matt Lauer announced this morning.

While the winners, Mesa, Ariz., students Cody and Jessica, experience a wedding and reception designed by home décor maven Martha Stewart, the three remaining couples will enjoy five nights at Dolphin Bay Hotel & Residences – starting tonight.

“It’s a gorgeous area of California,” Lauer said of the Central Coast, noting about nearby 200 vineyards.

The other finalists in the contest were Will and Beth of Naples, Fla., Thomas and Nicole of Detroit, and Jason and Alisa of Chicago.

According to the resort’s Web site, Dolphin Bay offers 70 one- or two-bedroom suites ranging in size from 900 to more than 2,000 square feet and featuring a kitchen, dining area and laundry facilities.

That’s not to mention all the other luxuries: free valet parking, Italian linens, flat-panel plasma TVs, fireplaces and Aire Jet spa tubs. It’s located at 2727 Shell Beach Rd. in Pismo Beach.

***

Dolphin Bay seems to draw its share of celebrities.

In May, 200 guests flocked to the resort for a wedding for the daughter of Hollywood mogul Glenn Padnick, the president of Castle Rock Television.

When the cast of “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” filmed at the Guadalupe Dunes last fall, stars Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom were spotted dining at the Dolphin Bay's Lido Restaurant.

And in June 2006, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger joined about 50 guests for dinner at Lido Restaurant.
Each paid a whopping $10,000 per plate to dine on Dungeness crab, duck confit and vanilla ice cream profiteroles. The event was a fundraiser for Schwarzenegger's re-election campaign.

For more information, check out the Today show or Dolphin Bay.

-- Sarah L.

Wow, what a coastline!

The secret is out: California has one of the most stunning coastlines in the world.
This morning, NBC’s "Today" show highlighted the Pacific Coast Highway, also known as State Route 1, as the latest installment in its "America the Beautiful" series.
NBC’s Michael Okwu scoped out the "winding, climbing, jaw-dropping ride along the Pacific Coast Highway… no doubt, one of the most beautiful places in America.”
In one video on msnbc.com, Okwu drives a 1972 Corvette Stingray to San Luis Obispo, stopping by the quaint Apple Farm Inn and the historic Motel Inn.
Other footage focuses on San Simeon – showing the opulent Hearst Castle and elephant seals lazing on the beach.
Praise for the Central Coast's landmarks can also be found on NBC’s Web site.
"The San Luis Obispo area offers some of the most eye-popping sights, such as Hearst Castle, the palatial estate of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst that overlooks the Pacific Ocean," raves Jeanne Sullivan of the California Travel and Tourism Commission in her article "California dreamin': Majestic coast highlights."
Sullivan recommends renting an ATV at Pismo Beach or exploring the Paso Robles wine country.
Peter Greenberg, the Today show's online columnist, mentions San Luis Obispo County’s campgrounds and wineries in his exploration of State Route 1.
And California’s wild and wonderful coast features prominently in Forbes Traveller writer Rob Baedeker’s article, "Ten classic coastal drives."
To learn more, check out the Today show's Web site.

-- Sarah L.