Hi all, I wanted to share this article about how well NBC is doing with online viewing (and it has a great picture of C&S to boot!):
I don’t know how these numbers will figure in (if at all) to the potential for a Season 4 but thought I’d share. I’m also wondering how many iTunes sales have been recorded since they FINALLY got around to selling the show. Ok, I’ll stop beating that particular drum now.
I’ve also see many different takes on if Chuck is on the bubble again this year. The New York Post had this to say: http://newyorkpost.com/p/entertainment/tv/bubble_rap_23h7rj51rjfZASC5vJbUwK
The Wrap: http://www.thewrap.com/article/judgment-tv-town-whatll-get-axed-what-wont-14180
Michael Ausiello: http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/02/14/bubble-show-scorecard/
The Hollywood Reporter: http://www.thrfeed.com/endangered-shows-status-report-part-2.html
And finally, Variety: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118015115.html?categoryid=14&cs=1&ref=verttv
Obviously this is all a bunch of speculation, but I think we should get a better feel for how Chuck is doing after the next 2 new episodes to see which way the ratings are trending. Until then, speculate away!
-amyabn
amyabn
atcDave
Ernie Davis
Faith
joe
thinkling
Chuck This 
Awesome! Also kudos for compiling all that (even though it’s only from a n00b 😉 ), you guys are really ‘on the ball’ (is that the right expression?) with this show. For the umpteenth time, it’s truly heartening to just spend time on this blog. It’s a bit like TV Tropes: once you’re in, you’ll be stuck for hours but you will learn SO MUCH.
Case in point: I am now steadily chewing my way through the comments under “Going in Circles…” and I’m still not feeling any blog-fatigue! Hopefully I manage to blast through the last three eps and your analyses before March 1st comes around.
Okay, now I yield my time for the actual on-topic discussions. Goodnight everyone!
Thanks Hans, and we welcome your participation!
Thanks for this Amy! I’m feeling hopful 🙂
I will be a subway footlong that Chuck gets renewed for a 4th season. It’s in the bag! lol.
*bet
The guys from Chuck You Tuesdays are not that optimistic though. Chuck is owned by Warner Brothers not NBC, and if the show is stuck at around 2.2, they said NBC could just pull the plug and give the budget to one of their own shows with the same performance. Good point. *sigh*
I’d more worried about the new J.J. Abrams show about a married spy couple. Its one of NBC’s new pilots.
I think that the delay of coupling our two super spies may become a problem. I envisioned Chuck, season 3, to be about Sarah and Chuck being partners (in every sense) and working out the kinks of being an unconventional spy with a super computer in his brain. The show would have been much lighter and funny, all the while tackling all the issues they are hitting this season.
With the JJ Abrams show, depending on if it is a serious type (like Alias) or funny like Chuck, you could potentially pair them up (if they are different) or the similiarity of the two shows could push Chuck under. Not a good spot to be in.
I’ve always wondered about the timing of it though; its like JJ Abrahms decided to do the show most of us wanted Chuck to be.
I have been thinking about this for a couple of days. It would be nice to know what kind of show JS and CF want Chuck to be. Whether you agree with how they are getting us to the destination, they have one in mind. So does this particular dreary patch take us to a darker show overall, say for a Season 4, or do we get more of the fun comedy, romance, and action we experienced in S1/2 for a Season 4?
Heres another thought for you all to ponder. When NBC didn’t renew Medium and it was picked up by CBS, CBS paired it with Ghost Whisperer. Now I don’t watch either show, but they are obviosly similiar. Not knowing about the JJ Abrams show (dark, light, action, etc) and not knowing the future plan of how the creators would like to go with Chuck makes it very difficult to speculate on whether the shows would be complimentary, competition, or both fine, but not paired.
My last thought is that if Chuck doesn’t come up in the demos (the coveted segment of the target audience), it may not matter. All of the articles I posted seem to take a pretty rosy view because, well, let’s face it, Chuck is on NBC and has turned out to be one of their higher rated shows. But if tptb feel they can get better ratings from the JJ Abrams show, they could can Chuck to save money. I obviously don’t want that to happen, but we have to be realistic.
If they do end up going with more of darker and serious tone for the series, they need to hire some new writers. Someone to handle the spy storylines and villains it works now because the show is goofy. But once you go serious it just doesn’t cut it.
The other thing with Abram’s show is that NBC can sell it to viewers by running promos “From the creator of Lost, Alias and Fringe”. That’s guaranteed to grab tons of people.
Harrumph! I hate being cynical, but this – the ratings wars – is one place where I turn into a real curmudgeon.
All I have to do is look at the names of some of the shows they’re considering “safe for renewal”, and the shows that are drawing viewers (%^&#* reality shows…) and I feel my blood pressure rising. Jersey Shore, indeed.
I have to admit that there are actually some nights when more than one show is worth watching on any given hour. Monday is definitely one. But most nights? Forget it. Springsteen should re-write his old song. 200 Stations and Nothin’ On.
Sometimes it seems if you’re not a fan of CSI/Law & Order type shows, viewing gets extremely limited very quickly.
And that’s the point. It’s not the the shows themselves are such low quality. It’s that there’s this incredible “follow the herd” mentality. If one unique show is successful at all, twenty more just like it show up the next season. Any individual that wasn’t swept up is out of luck.
In a completely unrelated comment, I finally figured out how to do tinyurls so I won’t take up half a post with long form URLs! Ain’t technology grand?!
actually Amy it might help to know how to link to something without actually typing the whole address in the page. 🙂
Like for example I can link my blog: Faithdalakerfan without actually physically showing you the link—also called a hyperlink. To do that you press “link” (it’s next to b-quote) on the edit box.
There’s a quick and dirty how to on wordpress on my blog’s sidebar.
Thanks! I’ll check it out. I’m not too savvy on this stuff, but you figured that out already!
I think the 2.2 rating was more the strength of the other stations advertising and offerings, but I do think ep 3.8 will be helped by 3.7’s controversy, and how all the main stream media rallied to protect TPTB causing some to watch for curiosity. But, in order to maintain a strong number, the show has got to start getting better. A political theory is great policy leaves 70% indifferent, and rallies the other 30%. I would think same could be said of tv, a great ep 3.8 will rally 30% of the fans, and leave 70% saying that was ok. I think ep 3.7 did just the opposite, 30% hated it and 70% didn’t care. Seeing mostly negative reactions to the release of the quick summary of 3.9, making most think 3.8’s end will be very bleak, a broken chuck with everything lost, including the intersect.
Sorry if this is slightly off-topic, but –
Jason,
Where did you find a short summary of 3.9? I haven’t come across it here or at ChuckTV.net that I can remember. I could have missed it, but I didn’t find it in a quick google search either.
Can you give us a link, if possible? Or even just relay the info?
Thanks.
msn tv has an episode guide for chuck
I agree Jason, I’m very concerned about that blurb (sorry WDM, I don’t remember where I saw it). Unfortunately, it does track with JS’s comment that 3.08 wouldn’t fix anything. It is possible it will be the nadir of the season. I hope not, I’m pretty depressed about the show right now anyway.
The one bit of hope I do see, is that Ali Adler is writing it; and I believe I saw a tweet from her during the 3.07 uproar to the effect of “give me a chance to fix it” (paraphrase only). If Chuck is proffessionally shattered at the end of 3.08 (slugging your boss is not generally a good career move), but there is an opening of hope for Chuck and Sarah; well, I think most of us could live with that.
Okay, thanks, Jason. I found it now.
From MSN: Episode 3.9: Chuck vs. The Beard-
When Chuck can’t flash, he gets left behind while Shaw, Casey and Sarah go on a mission, Chuck gets into a sticky situation back at the base.
Am I missing something?
I don’t necessarily read that as negative. It’s not exactly positive either, but, I think I’m willing to ride it out. Is there something else I don’t know playing into the pessimism?
Shaw may still be around, but haven’t we all been kind of griping about how we don’t want Chuck to be able to just flash his way out of a bad situation?
I think this could be awesome if the “sticky situation” forces Chuck to rely on his own strength and intelligence.
Of course, I think “The Beard” could mean one of three things:
1. Someone bearded bad guy
2. Chuck reverting to “vagrant Serpico” depression
3. Morgan
I think the most likely is Morgan, which could mean that the sticky situation is Morgan finally finding out about Chuck’s secret and discovering Castle.
So, what is it exactly that you guys are nervous about in this episode? I want to know if I should be worried too.
I think we’re nervous that a Chuck who can’t flash sounds like a depressed Chuck. Which indicates 3.08 may not fix much. Which means this season remains depressing and generally no fun.
As I said above, if we see the melt down as partial (especially if its more professional, and Sarah is a bit of a life-line) it might not be so hard to live with. But I for one would be furious to see anything like the Chuck of Pink Slip reapperaing.
Maybe this is the point in which Chuck realizes he is a spy, even without the Intersect. We’ve all noted that he has been doing more and more on sheer intellect. He has been doing missions with Casey and Sarah for more than two years, so he picked things up. Maybe the epiphany is enough for him to shake off the not flashing and being the hero anyway. That brings him back to more of the guy Sarah fell for too, so that would be a bonus (I’m a shipper, sue me!).
True enough, Amy. Chuck’s been acting more on his own intellect. But I’ve also noticed that in the last 3 episodes he’s been flashing far more at-will, too. Professionally, Chuck’s come a long way.
So for that reason alone, I’d expect a stumble. I’m flashing back right now to when I first learned how to ride a bike. I was fine for a couple of days, then I decided I could do anything on a bike. Uh, no, not exactly. I took a bad spill, of course. The funny thing about experience is that getting it takes time.
Maybe this is why Doc. Brown is called in! – for Chuck to get over his first full speed fall.
msn has a tv episode guide:
http://tv.msn.com/tv/series-episodes/chuck/
don’t think it is official, but I also think it has been accurate most / all season long:
Here is what it said: When Chuck can’t flash, he gets left behind while Shaw, Casey and Sarah go on a mission, Chuck gets into a sticky situation back at the base.
http://tv.msn.com/tv/series-episodes/chuck/
Sorry, Jason. These got trapped by the spam filter.
From Ali Adler’s twitter
Ep3.17 Chuck vs The Living Dead
Written by Lefranc & Judkins dir by Jay Chandrasakhar
First thought was obviously Bryce but I wondering if it ties back into the Suburbs episode.