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Last season’s strike-ravaged television schedule proved especially brutal for a new series trying to maintain a primetime presence. Thankfully, for Joshua Gomez and the other cast members of Chuck, viewers wanted more of NBC’s quirky spy comedy. That means this fall, Gomez will once again don the persona of Chuck’s comical best friend and co-worker, Morgan Grimes.

Gomez believes that Morgan’s whimsical nature endears him to audiences. “You are that friend or you have that friend,” says Gomez.

Zachary Levi, who plays the show’s title character, says Gomez brings a special charisma to the role of Morgan that no one else possesses. “There were great people auditioning for all the roles, especially with Morgan,” Levi recalls. “Josh and I just had this thing. You could just feel it. To this day, I love going to do press with Josh. We have a very good give and take together. Sometimes you have it with people, and sometimes you don’t…Josh and I just get each other.”

As audiences have come to expect, Morgan unknowingly tends to find himself in the midst of Chuck’s super-secret spy missions. It remains to be seen if Morgan will ever discover his best friend’s secret. “Even if Morgan found out, he obviously wouldn’t go on a mission with him,” Gomez chuckles. “That would be like, ‘Oh boy.’ But he could be almost like his Alfred and keep the homestead going.”

Gomez also suggests that Chuck’s sister, Ellie, could act as that inside person who discovers the reality of Chuck’s double life. According to Gomez, those types of scenarios are likely to be addressed in future seasons. “If we’re lucky enough to continue on to a season three, I’m sure those avenues will have to eventually get explored,” he speculates.

The odds seem favorable for the show to enjoy a long tenure on the air. NBC has already ordered a full 22-episode season of Chuck, a signal of the show’s first-season ratings strength and the positive buzz building up to this season. “It’s almost unheard of,” Gomez says of a network picking up a relatively new series for a full season before the first new episode has even aired. “For us, it [indicates] we’re doing something right.”

Of course, with more support comes more expectations. Gomez describes this season as “a little bit bigger” and says he’s confident the show can live up to the hype. “We know our audience, and they are the ones we’re really striving to please,” he says. “If people beyond that love it, that’s even better.”

Gomez acknowledges the importance of maintaining the support of those core fans, pointing out that “those are the ones who are going to come back week after week.”

As Chuck gets bigger and benefits from increased popularity, Gomez promises the foundation of the show will remain the same. He says, “From day one, it was about making a really good show and having a really good time.”