Soundtrack Review: 'Chuck' Television Series

A great, quirky representation of the show.

Review by Matt Cummings

Back in the day before geeks and nerds ruled Planet Earth - okay, just eight to be precise - NBC premiered the spy comedy Chuck, created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series centered around Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi) as an ordinary computer geek, whose loser life is radically altered when he accidentally opens an email that contains The Intersect, a database of information about the CIA and NSA. Somehow, the entire database downloads into his brain, garnering the attention of NSA Major John Casey (Adam Baldwin) and CIA Agent Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski). With the original file destroyed and Chuck's secret known only to the two agencies, he and his new friends embark upon a series of adventures that reveal much more about Chuck than he ever imagined.

The series was fastened by a strong soundtrack by Tim Jones, which has been compiled in anticipation of the series' release on Blu-ray. From the beginning, it's clear that Jones' outlook on the score was to create as many different sounds as possible, most of which work quite well. Chuck and Sarah The Beginning (7:43) wrap several smaller pieces into larger ones, showing off a gamut of sounds. We go from romantic piano to a sequence that screams Rachel Portman to a great Hans Zimmer syncopated beat at 3:49. Then, at 4:35 we get what only can be described as a collision between Penguins of Madagascar and Mortdecai. It's really terrific, but sadly too short. At 5:20, the tone changes again to classic Pierce Brosnan Bond. The track ends with a variation of the piano theme at 6:27.

This sort of thing is repeated from tracks 4 and on. The only exception is the memorable Track 1 (Bryce Larkin Super Spy). It's pure electronic bad-assery, reflecting a polished sound reminiscent of The Matrix. But then it's back to compilations, from the Devo-inspired Action Theme (3:58), Charlie Foxtrot Shaw (5:37), and A Question And A Spy (4:18). The latter is sure to impress with its deep keyboards and romantic mood, before moving into a fairly simple piano piece. Jones utilizes almost every instrument in probably electronic form that you can imagine, short of a diggeridoo. It's all in good fun, even when the score stumbles around Number 9's All In a Day's Work (5:19). It's not that 9-12 are awful or poorly chosen, but they lack driving themes. They're more set up pieces than standalones.

But even a track like Work (the score's longest) has some gems to it. Fast-forward to 7:29, and you'll hear nothing less than a brilliant tip to none other than Miami Vice. It's terrific. There's pieces that sound like Hans Zimmer (Ellie Rescues Chuck) and Phil Collins-inspired drumming in Mission Time (at 1:55). It's clear that composers like Lorne Balfe (Penguins of Madagascar) might have drawn their influence from Jones. It truly is a diverse amount of music.

The score isn't without its issues. Tracks 10-15 are either covers of classic 80's songs (from selected points in the series) to purely set up music that frankly doesn't go anywhere. They're not awful, but they certainly won't appeal to the hardcore score enthusiast. That's ok, because these are here to bring fans of the series in. I don't have a problem with that.

If you buy the digital version of Chuck, you'll be treated to four additional tracks. These are more 80's covers like Mr. Roboto and Leaving on a Jet Plane. Again, you'll want these if you're a superfan. Chuck vs Rafe (4:33) is the only orchestrated track and it's good but not great.

Chuck: Music From the Television Series is as fun and quirky as the series. Tim Jones excels here with a variety of well-constructed spy genre pieces, all of which demonstrate just how music can elevate a television show or movie. My only complaints are the 7 tracks leading up to the finale and the fact the tracks should have been broken up - there's nothing wrong with a 30-track CD. But the complaint about both is minor. For a series to get such a great score is impressive, and Jones really delivers with a collection of sounds and instruments.

Chuck: Music From the Television Series available now for purchase on digital download and CD.

NEXT: Read our soundtrack review of Mortdecai

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