Yvonne Strahovski

SERIES Moving In: A girl asks her parents to help her decide between two guys in the premiere of this new series (4:30 p.m. MTV). Chuck: After he and Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) have a spat, Chuck (Zachary Levi) goes on a rogue mission to avoid dealing with her and runs into his mother's MI6 handler (Timothy Dalton) in this new episode (8 p.m. NBC). Wreck Chasers: This new unscripted series follows tow-truck drivers in Philadelphia (8 and 8:30 p.m. Discovery). My Big ?

SERIES Chuck: When they learn that an assassin is trying to take down the new Intersect, Chuck and Sarah (Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski) go undercover at a Buy More convention in this new episode (8 p.m. NBC). Kitchen Nightmares: Gordon Ramsay steps in to help at Greek at the Harbor, a restaurant in Ventura Harbor, suffering from inconsistent food, poor service and a stubborn staff in this new episode (8 p.m. Fox). SoCal Connected: The local news magazine series looks at the possible closures of adult day care health centers as a result of proposed cuts in the state budget (8:30 p.m. KCET)

In a universe in which nothing is really ever created or destroyed, there are only so many stories to tell; you can switch the atoms around, but most everything will look like something you've seen before. This week sees the premiere of two series so structurally alike they might have been created from the same "Mad Libs" page.

As it enters its third season, NBC's "Chuck" is the little spy comedy that could, saved from cancellation by fan protest, Subway and the sheer force of creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak's wills. If only any episode of the actual show were as tense and intriguing as the struggle to keep it alive. I say this with love, because I like "Chuck," in no small part because it is one of a handful of shows I can watch with my children. In many ways "Chuck" is precisely the show many Americans say they want.

As it enters its third season, NBC's "Chuck" is the little spy comedy that could, saved from cancellation by fan protest, Subway and the sheer force of creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak's wills. If only any episode of the actual show were as tense and intriguing as the struggle to keep it alive. I say this with love, because I like "Chuck," in no small part because it is one of a handful of shows I can watch with my children. In many ways "Chuck" is precisely the show many Americans say they want.

In a universe in which nothing is really ever created or destroyed, there are only so many stories to tell; you can switch the atoms around, but most everything will look like something you've seen before. This week sees the premiere of two series so structurally alike they might have been created from the same "Mad Libs" page.