Charles in Charge

Sorry, to have fooled a few of you -- no, this is not a post about Scott Baio.

It's about that show that you're probably not watching but should? Remember? "Chuck?"

Not to beat you over the head with my subtle push for the 7 p.m. Monday night show on NBC -- or online at nbc.com (wink, wink) -- but if you need another reason to tune in, I've got it for you.

Two words: Tony Hale. Yes, the lovable and awesomely strange man who made "Arrested Development's" Buster Bluth one of my all-time favorite TV characters, is back on TV and back to his quirky ways. In "Chuck," Hale plays Emmett Milbarge, the overly power tripping, uptight assistant manager Buy More brought in to help fix the store's crazy environment.

And the result is hilarious and fabulous. Hale's portrayal of the pretentious and overly nosy Emmett is perfect comedy -- he's still got the infamous Buster laugh but with a bit more cynicism. (Plus, it's well timed -- a look at imdb.com shows a listing for Hale's performance as "Buster Bluth" in "Arrested Development: The Movie," for 2009.)

Check out a clip of Emmett's hilarity: (There was a better clip but the content wasn't exactly Channel Surfing-friendly.)



Check out "Chuck" (ahem, again) at 7 p.m. Monday nights on NBC.

-- Sara Boyd, sboyd2@greenbaypressgazette.com