Forget Team Baze, Ryan, Bug or Jones… the team we’re sticking up for following last night’s fantastic LIFE UNEXPECTED is “Team Sweatpants.” Comfort over style every time. That is all.

Full disclosure time. When Josh Schwartz recently tweeted, “Will you believe me when I say the show will never be the same after tonights episode?!!” er…. we didn’t. After-all, when it comes to television, the term ‘Game Changer” is thrown around about as often as “Jump the Shark.” That said, last night’s Zachary Levi directed episode of CHUCK truly lived up to the hype. Which is why, rather than nitpick on the little things — like the somewhat ridiculous Buy More subplot that completely overshadowed the return of Jeffster! and the fact that the score wasn’t so much of a homage to the Terminator movies, but a massive rip-off — we thought we’d take this opportunity to revel in the, for lack of a better word, awesomeness that was the much anticipated Subway product integration reaction by Morgan Grimes upon discovering his best-friend Chuck’s not-so-secret identity. Things will truly never be the same and frankly, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Because juggling feelings for two of the most beautiful women on television (Yvonne Strahovski and Kristin Kreuk), a full-time job at the Buy More and his extracurricular activities as the CIA’s most valuable asset clearly wasn’t enough to do, tonight’s episode of CHUCK has series star Zachary Levi stepping behind the camera as well.

Entitled “Chuck Versus the Beard,” Levi will make his directorial debut in an episode which finds our titular hero sitting on the bench after he loses his ability to “flash.”

But if you’re thinking that having his character on the sidelines made things any easier for Levi, think again. Not only will troublesome forces affect Chuck back at the base, tonight’s episode — which the blogosphere has characterized as everything from ‘game-changing’ to ‘awesome!’ — is what critics are calling “a real step forward in the story.”

“One of the perks of it was that I got all of our regulars in the cast in my episode. Casey, Sarah, good old Morgan Grimes, Big Mike, Jeff and Lester and Ellie and Awesome,” said Levi on a recent conference call with reporters. “I just kind of let them do what they do and they do it so well. I would only come in if there was like a pacing thing, if it was a timing thing, maybe there was a slightly different way to attack a moment. But everyone, you know, brings their “A” game all the time, that’s why I love them and respect them so much.”

Of course, no matter how, well, awesome your team both in front and behind the camera are, delivering and starring in a multi-million dollar budgeted episode of television is not surprisingly, a lot easier said than done.

“There was one moment specifically where I found myself so overwhelmed that I was ready to — I know it sounds defeatist — but I was ready to hand off the reins,” admitted the actor during January’s Television Critics Association Press Tour. “Would I have at the end of the day? Probably not because I’m too prideful in that regard, but it’s a very strenuous job in and of itself, not including having to wear the other [acting] hat when everybody is depending on you.”

So would he do it again?

“I would, but not this season. It was an incredibly difficult job.”

Photo Credit: Justin Lubin/NBC

Courtesy of @JoshScwhwartz76 himself, comes something special: A sneak peek of Monday’s much-anticipated return of CHUCK. Enjoy!

… @NathanFillion drops by, taking the time to pose for a nerdgastic photo with @adamsbaldwin, @zacharylevi and twitter free technophobe Yvonne Strahovski. To paraphrase Liz Lemon, “I want to go to there.”

Last week at this time, the internet was abuzz with disappointed CHUCK fans simply steaming over the latest plot development that had Chuck and Sarah exploring relationships with Hannah (special guest stars Kristin Kreuk) and Agent Shaw (special guest star Brandon Routh) respectively. So much so that co-creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak took the time to reach out to fans (via Alan Sepinwall’s blog) in an effort to ask them to be patient. A sentiment we thought we’d echo in Today’s TV Addict Top 5, which highlights five fandoms who have it far worse than Chuck and Sarah shippers. Seriously. Putting aside the obvious fact that relationship obstacles are pretty much par-for-the-course when it comes to primetime television, and factoring in the strike shortened first season, Chuck and Sarah have only been doing the whole will-they-or-won’t-they thing for a mere forty-two episodes. Two seasons, which is far less than the 21 that Lenny and Carl have been waiting for the two ‘confirmed bachelors’ to realize they’re meant for one another. Think about it!

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
Since CBS insists on ruining our post-Super Bowl party with the likes of SURVIVOR, CRIMINAL MINDS and Sunday’s super-underwhelming UNDERCOVER BOSS each and every time they get the chance. A fairly funny instalment of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER that introduced “duck or rabbit” into the lexicon, included a memorable callback to the ‘naked man,’ and featured one of the smartest Ted one-liners to date (”Don = Donald = Donald Duck”) — was slightly less so as we spent the better part of twenty-two minutes wondering just how many more faux post-Super Bowl episodes creators Craig Thomas and Carter Bays will have to concoct before CBS finally gets the message. Fingers crossed three times is the charm.

HOUSE
Last night’s Tour-du-Cuddy performance by Lisa Edelstein continued to reinforced our belief that if HOUSE wasn’t so frequently overly formulaic, we wouldn’t so frequently press pass on Monday nights.

LIFE UNEXPECTED
Despite some fantastic guest starring turns by TV Addict favorites such as EVERWOOD’s Merrilyn Gann and BEING ERICA’s Erin Karpluk, last night’s fourth episode of LIFE UNEXPECTED finds us getting somewhat unexpectedly annoyed with the show’s pint-sized protagonist. Seriously. Outside of getting adopted by the Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt clan, when is Lux going to grow up and realize just how good she’s got it? Echoing the sentiments of fellow Canadian TV Addict Myles McNutt, there are only so many more times we wish to tune in to see the same plot-point rehashed. Or, as our favorite fictional President [Bartlett] might put it, “What’s Next?”

ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE
Needing to kill some time between HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER and LIFE UNEXPECTED, we yet again subjected ourselves to a few minutes of Jenna Elfman’s so-called half-hour sitcom. Needless to say, our problem with it is simple: Just how is this show still on the air?

Okay, at this point, we’ve gotten used to seen SNL serve up sketches that are moderately funny at best and about as topical as a copy of Time magazine from 2006, but must their hosts be plucked from the recycling pile as well? With all due respect to MAD MEN’s Jon Hamm (slated to host the supposed laffer on January 30) or camera spokesmodel Ashton Kutcher (February 6), we humbly offer up a few ideas for hosts who don’t come with their own “Been There, Done That, Hosted SNL” t-shirts.

Zachary Levi
NBC obviously knows they have a potential hit in the slow-to-grow CHUCK as evidenced by the ad campaigns devoted to it (not to mention their not putting our favorite Buy More employee on the shelf), so why not give the show’s star a shot in the host slot? Could prove to be a mutually advantageous situation for both shows.

Joel McHale
Live from New York… it’s the bitingly-funny star of COMMUNITY, the funniest NBC comedy that you’re not watching. And given that the guy used to still hosts THE SOUP — which is often funnier on an off day than SNL at its best — he knows a thing or two about bringin’ the funny.

Stephen Colbert
Considering the fact that Colbert was kind enough to give NBC executive Dick Ebersol time on Wednesday night’s THE COLBERT REPORT so he could plug NBC’s upcoming Olympic coverage, it seems only fair there be a little quid pro quo.

Stewie Griffin
Sure, it would take some advance planning but in a world where news networks are using holograms, why couldn’t the diaper-wearing, show-tune-crooning, matricide-plotting FAMILY GUY baby be animated into scenes?

Conan O’Brien
Rumor has it the late-night funny guy has some free time on his hands. (What? Too soon?)

While this TV Addict is the first to admit that the sub-zero temperature at which the Networks insist on keeping the hotel ballroom at this week’s Television Critics Association Press tour — combined with the fact that I’m writing this at 5:30AM having spectacularly failed to adjust to the time difference — may be having adverse affects on our brain cells. We have to ask: Did anyone else find it slightly peculiar that Conan O’Brien spent the entirety of last night’s TONIGHT SHOW interview with star Zachary Levi talking about his work in the FOX produced Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakquel with nary a mention of the premiere of his much-buzzed about NBC series CHUCK?

Seriously. Are we crazy? Is it a sign of things to come? Is it wrong that NBC’s current late night predicament is far more entertaining than a good 60% of the Peacock Network’s current schedule? Discuss.

Good News: Aside from ordering a second season of their hit musical comedy GLEE, Kevin Reilly, FOX Entertainment President announced that producers will hold a nationwide casting call to fill three new roles that will be introduced in Fall 2010. Bad News: For Artie, Tina, and Mercedes, all of whom barely get enough screen-time as it is. [Source]

Good News: CHUCK returned on Sunday to its highest ratings since its 3D telecast. Bad News: Boffo ratings that still weren’t enough to beat a repeat of COLD CASE. Ouch! [Source]

No Casey? [On this just released NBC promotional poster that is] No Problem! Thanks to the new and improved butt-kicking Bartowski. No more Mr. Nice Spy indeed.