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I have an upcoming interview with Zachary Levi, which you can read at The Trades on Monday, Sept. 29 ahead of Chuck’s season premiere later that night.

During our conversation, he talked about his admiration for Lost. “I love, love, love Lost and have since day one and will always love it,” he told me.

It’s not surprising to hear Levi profess his Lost fandom considering that in an episode last season, Chuck referenced Lost’s Oceanic Flight 815. “I literally peed my pants with glee when I read the script,” Levi joked. “I was like, ‘Thank you. I’m so glad we’re making a reference to it.’ I just love [Lost] so much.”

Levi also recalled a time when he read a post online where someone speculated that there was a feud between the writers of Lost and Chuck given that the show referenced Oceanic Flight 815. “That’s the most asinine thing I’ve ever heard,” Levi said about the post. “Why would we even draw attention to another show? We’re doing it because we love it. We’re doing it because we have respect for it. What a cool little Easter Egg for people to find.”

Aside from both shows being primetime standouts for their respective networks, I respect the distinctiveness that each carries. Both find a way to blend action, drama and comedy within the carefully crafted structures of their stories. It would be nearly impossible to pigeonhole either series, a quality of originality that more network entertainment shows could benefit from.