Aim High: The Complete First Season, produced by McG (
Chuck,
Charlie’s Angels) and directed by Thor Freudenthal (
Diary of a Wimpy Kid,
Hotel for Dogs), stars Jackson Rathbone (
Twilight, and I like him in spite of this) as Nick Green, government super-spy and awkward high-schooler. Nick was recruited into a special government program and spends his evening killing off targets and intercepting dangerous packages, while during the day he must wander the wilds of high school. His best friend is Marcus (Johnny Pemberton), who secretly runs the school’s gossip blog, The Nightly Intruder, and coincidentally, discovered Nick’s big secret one night while researching a scoop. The only other person who knows his secret identity is his handler and also the Vice Principal at the school, Mr. Ockenhocker (Greg Germann,
Ally McBeal). While Nick tries to ignore the advances of his hot physics teacher, Ms. Walker (Rebecca Mader,
Lost), he secretly longs for Amanda (Aimee Teegarden), a rebel rocker chick who happens to date Derek, the captain of the swim team and the guy voted most likely to beat Nick up on a regular basis. Not really, but you get the picture. Being a spy is nothing, its surviving high school that’s hard.
There are only six 10-minute episodes in Aim High: The Complete First Season and the entire season can be watched in a little less than an hour. Still, I got a real Chuck vibe from the show, especially in scenes where Nick seems to "flash" as he observes all possible weapons around him. There are some fun action scenes and a little bit of high school romance, with a hefty dash of comedy. Special features include a music video for Aimee Teegarden’s song featured in the series, a video yearbook where you can meet the students of the school, and a short featurette on the character of Nick Green. All three features are quick and fun, just like the show.
It appears Aim High has been renewed for a second season and I’m glad, because the show is lots of fun. I also really enjoyed watching to see who might pop up in the cast, like comedian Nick Swardson, who plays a recurring CIA agent, or Clancy Brown as a Russian killer. If you miss your weekly dose of Chuck and like your spy shows long on action and comedy and short on bloodshed, check out Aim High: The Complete First Season. While it’s so short I can’t wholeheartedly recommend a purchase, definitely give it a rent or check it out on Netflix.
