Apple Mac HQ

I don’t watch much TV during the week, except for during the baseball season (My Braves are stinking it up this year). In addition to baseball and cooking shows, I do sit down a watch a handful of network TV shows. My favorite, Chuck, is again on the chopping block bubble this year and needs your help.

So what does Chuck have to do with Apple products? I’ve written about Chuck a few times on this website before. The show has featured a number of Apple products during its three seasons. It was one of the first shows to feature an iPhone. In fact, the two main characters (Chuck and Sarah) use iPhones and they are shown on nearly every episode. The show has featured older Macs, Cinema Displays, and many more Apple products.

If you haven’t seen Chuck before, I very highly recommend it. The plot features an average geek who mistakenly has a CIA database transplanted in his brain. The US government finds out about the intelligence leak and sends two of its’ top agents to protect him. As the show has progressed, Chuck has become a spy in his own right. The show features references to video games, pop culture, comics, and many other things a geek would enjoy. If you like Mythbusters or Big Bang Theory, you’d probably like Chuck. You can read more about the show on Wikipedia.

So how can you help Chuck? Watch the show live! If you are a Nielsen household, your live viewing counts even more. Chuck has four more shows left this season and now is as good a time as any to start watching. The show features comedy, action, adventure, and is a ton of fun. The chemistry between the two main characters, Chuck and Sarah, is fantastic. I’ve heard from a number of people that Chuck is one of the only TV shows the whole family can watch. Please help this fantastic show get renewed for a fourth season!

Chuck is broadcast on NBC at 8PM Eastern on Mondays. If you are an international viewer, check your local listings for the channel and time Chuck is playing in your area. Let me know in the comments if you watch Chuck and what you like about it!

Popularity: 3%

My DVR will be working overtime this week as CNBC will be airing some great television programs for Apple fans.

“Welcome to Macintosh” is a 2008 documentary chronicling the history of Apple. Important figures in Apple’s past make appearances, including Guy Kawasaki, who was responsible for Macintosh marketing in 1984, as well as Andy Hertzfeld, who worked on the original Macintosh design team. Leander Kahney, the author of the popular Apple book “Cult of Mac,” is in the documentary also. “Welcome to Macintosh” will be airing on January 4th at 9:30 PM EST.

The 2009 documentary “MacHEADS” discusses Apple fans and the popularity of Apple products. There have not been any films in the past that have focused on the legions of fans that are devoted to Apple. “MacHEADS” will be airing January 5th at 10:00 PM EST.

“Planet of the Apps” discusses the phenomenon that is mobile phone apps. The popularity of these apps was fueled by Apple allowing third-party apps for sale for the iPhone and iPod touch starting in July 2008. Other companies have tried to mimic the App Store’s success by launching stores of their own, but have not been nearly as successful as Apple has. “Planet of the Apps” will be airing on January 7th at 10:00 PM EST.

I rarely watch movies so I have not seen either of the documentaries, but it will be exciting to watch them as well as “Planet of the Apps.”

Popularity: 1%

My favorite gadget wielding super spy is back! Chuck returns to NBC tomorrow, Monday September 29th at 8PM EST. If you can’t wait, you can actually watch the first episode online now. I tried to watch the episode online, but the video was very choppy. The quality was good, but playback was unacceptable. Perhaps your luck may be better.

So why am I talking about Chuck on a Mac blog? Chuck and Sarah (the hot blond spy/love interest) were both sporting iPhones last season. In addition to iPhones, Chuck was sporting other Apple goodies in his room. Anyone else watching Chuck tomorrow?

Popularity: 19%

Apple is everywhere you look these days. You see their products at the movies, at school, at work, at home, at the coffee shop, and of course on TV. One show that you see Apple products on often is Chuck, on NBC. You know, the same NBC that had a little airing of dirty laundry with Apple a few months ago about the price of TV shows on iTunes.

If you’ve never seen Chuck, it’s a pretty good show. Chuck is set in a fictional big box retailer called Buy More, think Best Buy. Chuck works at the technology help center called Nerd Herd, basically a parody of Geek Squad. One of Chuck’s former best friends sent him an email with government secrets just before he was killed. Those government secrets are now a part of Chuck’s memory and the US intelligent agencies are using Chuck to help them solve cases and catch the bad guys.

Two government agents, Sarah (CIA) and John (NSA), are sent to make sure the government has access to Chuck’s memory and to protect him. Sarah, played by the beautiful Yvonne Strahovski, is posing a Chuck’s girlfriend and works at a nearby fast food restaurant to keep a close eye on him. John, played by Adam Baldwin, works in the Buy More as a sales clerk where he has a keen ability to show up alongside Chuck in the flash of a moment.

So what Apple products are in the show? Sarah is sporting an iPhone along with her Macbook Pro. Chuck has an Apple Cinema Display in his bedroom along with what looked like a 5G iPod. Tonight as he was preparing for Sarah’s first sleep over, it even looked like he docked his iPod into an iPod Hi-Fi. I’m sure there have been more Apple products but those have definitely caught my eye.

The show lasts one hour and comes on NBC at 8:00PM EST on Mondays. I enjoy watching Chuck and if you are into comedy, gadgets, and espionage then you’ll probably enjoy Chuck too. Give it a shot, or if you already watch it, and let me know what you think in the comments below.

Popularity: 24%