For the last couple of weeks, I'd been meaning to encourage anyone reading this blog (that's right, all three of you) to get online and watch “Chuck.” NBC hadn't made up its mind on whether to renew it, and I was hoping an influx of online viewers (that's right, all three of you) could change their mind.

Well, I never got around to doing it, but nonetheless, NBC decided to give the show another chance. While this does underscore my complete lack of influence in the blogosphere, it at least makes me look forward to the next TV season a little more.

And, hey, the fact that “Chuck” is coming back doesn't mean you can't still check it out. At least some episodes are available online at NBC.com and hulu.com . The first season is out on DVD.

The show stars Zachary Levi (“Less Than Perfect”) as an electronics store worker who inadvertently absorbs a government super-computer into his brain, giving him the ability to instantly access any of the data it contained. He sees a spy; he knows his information. He sees a device; he knows who makes it and uses it.

That sci-fi premise is grounded by the workaday struggles Chuck goes through while he moonlights as a secret agent with the help of spies Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) and Casey (Adam Baldwin, “Firefly”). Sarah's undercover role is being Chuck's girlfriend, although Chuck wishes that were for real. Casey is a co-worker at the Buy More where Chuck toils from 9 to 5 with an odd cast of employees. The show is half spy action, half workplace comedy, and the two intersect with terrific, if sometimes far-fetched, results.

There's genuine suspense, hilarious moments and a wealth of pop culture Easter eggs — A top-secret device is labeled IG-88, the robot bounty hunter from “The Empire Strikes Back.” A character featured in one episode is named Ned Ryerson, the insurance agent that hounded Bill Murray so in “Groundhog Day.”

You've got plenty of time to catch up, since NBC is waiting until after the Winter Olympics to bring “Chuck” back for a 13-episode run. Until then, “Heroes” will air at 8 p.m. on Mondays. (“Chuck” is better.)

As for what the next season has in store, well, that's anybody's guess. The final episodes of this season brought sweeping changes to Chuck's world, and this is a show that is too creative to simply hit the reset button.