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)

Atascadero actress wins at Emmys

An actress from Atascadero can add Emmy winner to her list of accomplishments.

This weekend, Central Coast resident Rae Stone shared a regional Emmy Award with the cast and crew of “Do You Know CPR?” The public-service announcement aired on Beverly Hills’ Network 10.

Stone said she was too stunned by the win to remember much about Saturday’s award ceremony.

“They say I talked and said something nice,” the 54-year-old actress joked later. “Thank goodness for photos and video because I can’t remember a thing!”

The ceremony by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences took place at the Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre in North Hollywood.

As Rae Stone told The Tribune earlier this month, professional acting is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

She spent most of her life as a business manager and nonprofit executive with Helpline and Big Brothers, Big Sisters.

After doctors diagnosed Stone with a serious heart condition seven years ago, however, she pledged to follow her dream of taking the stage full-time. She spent 12 weeks studying at Steppenwolf Classes West, the Los Angeles branch of Chicago’s famed theater company.

Stone has since starred in two plays, a couple of infomercials and a handful of short and independent films.

She’s also currently producing a musical featuring music by Elton John, “Tumbleweed Connection.”

TV dads

Ever since "Father Knows Best," dads have been part of American television.
Thanks to sitcom writers, they're often bumbling fellows with gorgeous, capable wives and cute-as-a-button kids. They can solve a problem in half an hour. They rise to any occasion. And they usually know exactly what to say.
We combed through television's family men, single fathers and divorcés to find a few examples.

Dan Conner, “Roseanne”
We like Dan (John Goodman) because he’s such a genuine person — a real guy, even though he’s not actually real. Of course, he’s not perfect. He seems to be out of work quite a bit, he sometimes hangs out with the guys too much, and he could certainly lose a few pounds. But he’s a concerned parent who can speak to his kids on their level, yet at the same time knows his role is more parent than friend.

Ward Cleaver, “Leave it to Beaver”
There are mixed feelings on this one. On the one hand, Ward (Hugh Beaumont) was so perfect, he made most real-life dads look like deadbeats. Always even-tempered, responsible and willing to offer sage advice to his sons, Ward was almost too good. (The guy wore a suit to dinner, for crying out loud!) Makes you wonder: Was he secretly a drunk? We suspect he might have been a robot. Still, he remains one of the all-time best TV dads.

Phillip Drummond, “Diff’rent Strokes”
The guy adopted his dead housekeeper’s sons. ‘Nuff said, right? He's a rich businessman, so you might think he's lost touch with the common people. You might even think he’s a pompous jerk. But you shouldn’t think things like that. First of all, it’s not nice. Besides, Phillip’s kids always came first. And even though he comes from a different background than his adopted kids (from the ghetto to the penthouse), he can relate to them, without neglecting his biological daughter. Too bad he couldn’t save the real-life kids, whose lives went down the tubes after the show.

Michael Brady, “The Brady Bunch”
So we know in real life that Robert Reed (Mike) thought the show was beneath him. And we know that his marriage to a woman demonstrated true acting ability. Still, he was a great TV dad and, the kids from the cast say, he was also a great father figure in real life.

James Evans, “Good Times”
You wanna talk about stress? Try living in Cabrini-Green, a public housing project rife with gang violence in inner-city Chicago. James (John Amos) also frequently deals with unemployment and poverty, making something as simple as Kool-Aid a bit of a luxury. And he constantly has to worry about the gangs that threaten to recruit or harm his kids. Yet — thanks, in part to his wife, Florida — he manages to keep it together and provide for his three kids.

Archie Bunker, “All in the Family”
Granted, Archie (Carroll O’Connor) always came through for his daughter, Gloria. And he even got teary-eyed when his son-in-law, whom he not-so-affectionately called “Meathead,” left the house. But his famed bigotry, name-calling and general grumpiness had to rub off in a negative way on his child. Perhaps he would have been better off single, rooming with Mel from “Alice.”

Peter Griffin, “Family Guy”
One of a score of oafish dads on TV, Peter Griffin draws an instant comparison with Homer Simpson. He’s childish, portly, greedy and not very bright. While Homer obviously dotes on his family, Peter often ignores his sons and always has an insult ready for his only daughter, Meg. Here’s one redeeming factor: He’s madly in love with his smokin’ hot wife, Lois.

Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable, “The Cosby Show”
Bill Cosby’s much-loved sitcom broke ground in more than a few ways. It starred a successful black stand-up comedian, portrayed an upper-class African-American family with two working parents (an obstetrician and an attorney), and was filmed in New York — not L.A. Most importantly, the show set for the standard for decades of hideous “dad” sweaters. Shudder.

Dr. Katz, “Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist”
Voiced by stand-up comedian Jonathan Katz, Dr. Katz is a divorced dad whose love for his slacker son, Ben, is palpable. They get on each other’s nerves occasionally, but in general their relationship is an easy, natural one — understanding mixed with gentle teasing.

Red Forman, “That ’70s Show”
This no-nonsense dad may be hard on his timid son, Eric — he frequently calls him “dumbass” — but he dotes on his daughter, Laurie. (“Daddy’s Little Girl,” as her brother knows, is actually a cruel, promiscuous flirt.) The show indicates that Red is actually trying to transform his teenage son into a tough, mature man. His methods just lack subtlety.

****

Ever wonder about the salaries of TV's most popular pops? CNN does the math with this handy chart, showing the paychecks of every dad from Tim Taylor of "Home Improvement" to Ricky Ricardo of "I Love Lucy."

-- Pat. P and Sarah L.