Defying all odds and the writers' strike curse, Chuck has managed to snag a third season on NBC. So what now? Obviously, new episodes won't start airing until after the Winter Olympics, so fans and those associated with the show and NBC have a few months before they need to begin obsessively tracking the ratings. But that doesn't mean that fans are taking the summer off. Chucktv.net, a Chuck fansite, is hosting "Chuck Me Mondays," starting June 1st. They're inviting both current fans and those who are just wanting to know what all the Chuck fuss is about to watch the spy comedy as a group Monday nights at 9 PM. While you watch, you can comment on the episode right on their site, or on Twitter, with the objective being to make Chuck a trending topic on the micro-blogging site every Monday. They're starting with the pilot and working all the way up to the season 2 finale-- it's a crash-course in all things Chuck.
This is Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at TV Squad where we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our tips form or by emailing us at tvsquad at gmail dot com, or call and leave a message at (775) 640-8479. Your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.
This week we have: Glee, 24, Melrose Place, Grey's Anatomy, Chuck, Scrubs and Fringe (SPOILERS FOLLOW!)
NBC has been leaking like a sieve for weeks, so other than a few on-the-bubble cancellations, there aren't any huge surprises in their official upfront announcement. The big change is that they're doing two official seasons. A lot of the networks have been doing this unofficially, but NBC seems to be one of the few that is putting a label on it.
Gone:Life, Medium, My Name is Earl, Kath & Kim, Kings, Knight Rider New:Trauma, The Jay Leno Show, Parenthood, Community. New for mid-season:Day One, 100 Questions, Mercy, The Marriage Ref Not reflected on the schedule, but will be returning in the summer:America's Got Talent, Friday Night Lights (which will once again be aired first on Direct TV).
Watch this space for more details on the new shows...
Well it looks like buying all of those $5 footlongs really paid off: Chuck has officially been renewed for a third season. The spy comedy hasn't always gotten the greatest ratings, in no small part because its highly-competitive Monday night timeslot, but fans all over the internet have been pushing hard for its renewal.
There has been a huge outpouring of support on Twitter, where #savechuck has often been a trending topic. Even the show's star, Zachary Levi, has done his part to get Chuck back for another season. In addition to taking to his official blog to plead his case, he even showed up at a Subway (one of Chuck's biggest sponsors) to make sandwiches for fans.
OK, so this segment from The Daily Show isn't really about Chuck, it's mostly about Nancy Pelosi. But I think that Chuck fans should snip the last few seconds of the segment and put it in a video and send it to NBC. (We'll find out Chuck's fate next week.)
If there's a seven-figure penalty clause attached to your pilot if the network doesn't pick it up for series, how much does it have to suck ass if the net says, "Yeah, we'll pay the penalty rather than put that piece of crap on the air." That's what Warner Bros. is hearing as NBC has passed on Legally Mad.
This is David E. Kelley's much ballyhooed next legal drama starring Kristin Chenoweth and Loretta Devine. See that's good talent right there and still they'd rather pay millions than put it on the air? Damn!
To me, this should be a no-brainer. NBC should renew Chuck for a third season, even if it only commits to 12 episodes, it should bring the show back. However, I'm not one of the geniuses in Jeff Zucker's world; you know, those mental giants that have committed five hours of prime time to Jay Leno starting next fall and recently signed up for more Donald Trump celebrity/reality BS. No, I'm just a loyal Chuck viewer who has seen a show improve from week to week culminating with a superb final two episodes in 2009.
Well, there were rumors that on Monday at NBC's "infront" -- a preview for the "upfront" -- that Chuck would get a pick up. TV Guide says that's not the case. On Friday, Chuck star Zachary Levi told a reporter that Josh Schwartz, the Chuck exec producer, had emailed him that NBC's decision about Chuck was on hold. The pick up, if it comes, won't be for a couple of weeks.
Last week, TVSquad readers made our "Which shows are renewed, canceled, or on the bubble?" post the most viewed and most commented of the week. Most of the commenters voiced their opinions as to which show should be renewed, and since I also watch loads of TV, it's with no surprise that I wanted to chime in, as well. (Look for my "Series that I think should be canceled" post later this week.)
Here I present you, the 10 shows I think should be renewed. Note that I did not include in this list shows that have been confirmed as renewed by the network (such as Gossip Girl), nor those that have been officially canceled (bye bye Pushing Daisies).
USA Today ran a poll of those shows considered "on the bubble" for renewal. The poll was asking fans which show they wanted to see renewed the most. If you were to just look at the comments I've seen here and across the web, I'd think the answer was pretty obvious. Unfortunately, a certain massively chinned man may be hurting it's chances, otherwise what else would that network have to replace it. Let's face it, a modest hit is a juggernaut when you're getting beaten at times by cable networks and The CW.
Also not a surprise is the show that came in dead last in the poll. I checked out the first episode and before it was even over I was jumping into the DVR and deleting that Season Pass, hoping nobody saw that I had put it on there. And considering the pedigree of the talent involved, it's a damn shame they put out such a steaming turd. Can you guess which shows topped and bottomed the list?
Of course, a lot of fans do care, and they want at least one of these shows to be renewed last year (maybe even both). But in general? The ratings for the finales of both shows were rather lackluster at best.
The season finale of Heroeshad an average of 6.4 million viewers, while Chuckgot 6.1 million. Both of those numbers are actually down from the season average (7.7 million viewers for Heroes and 6.5 million for Chuck). Now, I'd love to have 6 or 7 million people reading my stuff, but I guess that's not enough in television land.
This is probably the web site version of the swine flu, meaning PLEASE DON'T PANIC, but it seems that NBC's web site is calling last night's awesome Chuck season finale ("Chuck Me!" - there's your catch phrase, fans) a "series finale" (on the right, near "Next On").
Of course, this could just be a lack of communication between the network and the people who maintain the web site. Maybe the person writing the headlines and posting the videos and putting up the descriptions put "series" instead of "season." But since Chuck is on the bubble and fans are really anxious to see if the show will come back for a third season, any little sign of news (good or bad) is something that gets our attention.
(S02E22) If this was the series finale for Chuck, it was a really satisfying and appropriate wrap up. If, as I'm hoping, it was only the season finale, this was a really satisfying and appropriate set up for the next season of Chuck. Therefore, any way you slice it, Chuck hit a lot of high notes -- including Jeffster's pre-wedding serenade. The show was filled with action, had new information that was just a little bit stunning, and overall, it was terrific.
Have I mentioned how much I love Ellie and Awesome's wedding ? She looked amazing in her wedding gown and after the chapel situation turned into a scene reminiscent of You Only Live Twice with guys parachuting in through the roof (only in Bond it was a volcano), the outdoor, California nuptials were not only nicer, it gave Chuck a chance to give Ellie the wedding she really wanted.
Back when I worked in restaurants, I think my co-workers and I would have been freaked out if 600 people showed up to eat ALL AT ONCE. I hope the people in the video below had some warning. It's Chuck himself, Zachary Levi, taking 600 fans to Subway in a campaign to help save the show (the season finale airs tonight). Not the best video in the world, but you get the idea when you watch it. Save Chuck! (thanks to reader Argus for the video!)
Tonight is the season finale of Chuck. Of course, you probably also realize that it could very well be the series finale of Chuck. Sure, it's a show with a big fan base, and quality-wise it's one of the best things on NBC. But that doesn't mean that NBC will realize what they have and renew. Not when they can save money with Biggest Loser: Pets or whatever show they come up with to put on Monday nights. Here's a sneak peek of tonight's season finale.