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Produced by College Hill Pictures, Fake Empire, [[Wonderland Sound and Vision]] and [[Warner Bros. Television]], the series premiered on September 24, 2007, on [[NBC]], airing on Monday nights at 8/7c.<ref>{{cite web | title=All related listing for ''Chuck'' | url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch.aspx?id=chuck&view=listings | work=The Futon Critic | accessdate=May 18, 2009}}</ref><ref name="timeslot1">{{cite press release |title=NBC showcases fall primetime entertainment series beginning week of September 24 |url=http://www.nbcumv.com/entertainment/release_detail.nbc/entertainment-20070716000000-nbcshowcasesfallp.html |publisher=NBC |date=July 16, 2007 |accessdate=May 18, 2009}}</ref> The show was aired in India and the rest of south Asia on [[Animax (India)|Animax]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Animax India's official website for Chuck|url=http://www.animaxindia.com/shows/chuck|publisher=[[Animax India]]|accessdate=5 April 2011}}</ref>
Produced by College Hill Pictures, Fake Empire, [[Wonderland Sound and Vision]] and [[Warner Bros. Television]], the series premiered on September 24, 2007, on [[NBC]], airing on Monday nights at 8/7c.<ref>{{cite web | title=All related listing for ''Chuck'' | url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch.aspx?id=chuck&view=listings | work=The Futon Critic | accessdate=May 18, 2009}}</ref><ref name="timeslot1">{{cite press release |title=NBC showcases fall primetime entertainment series beginning week of September 24 |url=http://www.nbcumv.com/entertainment/release_detail.nbc/entertainment-20070716000000-nbcshowcasesfallp.html |publisher=NBC |date=July 16, 2007 |accessdate=May 18, 2009}}</ref> The show was aired in India and the rest of south Asia on [[Animax (India)|Animax]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Animax India's official website for Chuck|url=http://www.animaxindia.com/shows/chuck|publisher=[[Animax India]]|accessdate=5 April 2011}}</ref>


''Chuck'' was renewed and began in January 2010 for a third season following a campaign mounted by fans to have the network renew the show.<ref name="Variety-2009may17">{{cite web |last=Littleton |first=Cynthia | title='Chuck' back, but on tighter budget | url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118003850.html | work=Variety |date=May 17, 2009 | accessdate=May 18, 2009}}</ref> A major sponsorship deal between NBC and the [[Subway (restaurant)|Subway restaurant chain]] was also announced to help cover costs of the third season.<ref>{{cite web |title='Chuck' Returns To NBC On Sunday, January 10 | url=http://www.nbc.com/news/2009/11/19/chuck-returns-to-nbc-on-sunday-january-10/ | work=[[NBC]] |date=November 19, 2009 | accessdate=December 30, 2009}}</ref> A fourth season was picked up by NBC and began airing on NBC's fall 2010 schedule.<ref name="fourth-season-renewal">{{cite web | url = http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/05/13/its-official-chuck-renewed-by-nbc/51367?success | title = NBC renews 'Chuck' | work = The Live Feed | date = May 13, 2010 | first = James | last = Hibberd}}</ref> 23 episodes of a scheduled 24 have aired as of May 9, 2011. The season finale entitled "Chuck Versus the Cliffhanger" will air on Monday, May 16, 2011. On May 11th, 2011 it was announced that a deal for 13 episodes had been finalized to extend the show to a fifth season.{{cite web | url = http://www.deadline.com/2011/05/primetime-pilot-panic-chuk-to-return-and-other-bubble-show-updates/ | title = PRIMETIME PILOT PANIC: 'Chuck', 'Rules' To Return And Other Bubble Show Updates | work = Deadline | date = May 11,2011 | accessdate = May 11, 2011}}
''Chuck'' was renewed and began in January 2010 for a third season following a campaign mounted by fans to have the network renew the show.<ref name="Variety-2009may17">{{cite web |last=Littleton |first=Cynthia | title='Chuck' back, but on tighter budget | url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118003850.html | work=Variety |date=May 17, 2009 | accessdate=May 18, 2009}}</ref> A major sponsorship deal between NBC and the [[Subway (restaurant)|Subway restaurant chain]] was also announced to help cover costs of the third season.<ref>{{cite web |title='Chuck' Returns To NBC On Sunday, January 10 | url=http://www.nbc.com/news/2009/11/19/chuck-returns-to-nbc-on-sunday-january-10/ | work=[[NBC]] |date=November 19, 2009 | accessdate=December 30, 2009}}</ref> A fourth season was picked up by NBC and began airing on NBC's fall 2010 schedule.<ref name="fourth-season-renewal">{{cite web | url = http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/05/13/its-official-chuck-renewed-by-nbc/51367?success | title = NBC renews 'Chuck' | work = The Live Feed | date = May 13, 2010 | first = James | last = Hibberd}}</ref> 23 episodes of a scheduled 24 have aired as of May 9, 2011. The season finale entitled "Chuck Versus the Cliffhanger" will air on Monday, May 16, 2011. On May 11th, 2011 it was announced that a deal for 13 episodes had been finalized to extend the show to a fifth season.<ref name="fifth-season-renewal">{{cite web | url = http://www.deadline.com/2011/05/primetime-pilot-panic-chuk-to-return-and-other-bubble-show-updates/ | title = PRIMETIME PILOT PANIC: 'Chuck', 'Rules' To Return And Other Bubble Show Updates | work = Deadline | date = May 11,2011 | accessdate = May 11, 2011}}</ref>


==Plot==
==Plot==

Revision as of 04:23, 12 May 2011

Chuck
Created by
Starring
Opening theme"Short Skirt/Long Jacket" by Cake (instrumental version)
ComposerTim Jones
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes77 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Running time43 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 24, 2007 (2007-09-24) –
present

Chuck is an action-comedy television program from the United States created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working in the CIA; the message embeds the only remaining copy of the world's greatest spy secrets into Chuck's brain.[1][2]

Produced by College Hill Pictures, Fake Empire, Wonderland Sound and Vision and Warner Bros. Television, the series premiered on September 24, 2007, on NBC, airing on Monday nights at 8/7c.[3][4] The show was aired in India and the rest of south Asia on Animax.[5]

Chuck was renewed and began in January 2010 for a third season following a campaign mounted by fans to have the network renew the show.[6] A major sponsorship deal between NBC and the Subway restaurant chain was also announced to help cover costs of the third season.[7] A fourth season was picked up by NBC and began airing on NBC's fall 2010 schedule.[8] 23 episodes of a scheduled 24 have aired as of May 9, 2011. The season finale entitled "Chuck Versus the Cliffhanger" will air on Monday, May 16, 2011. On May 11th, 2011 it was announced that a deal for 13 episodes had been finalized to extend the show to a fifth season.[9]

Plot

Main article: List of Chuck episodes

Template:Prune Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi) is in his late twenties, living in the Echo Park section of Los Angeles, California and working as a computer expert in the Nerd Herd at the Burbank Buy More a large retail consumer-electronics chain, with his best friend, Morgan Grimes. Chuck is well educated but lacks ambition. His sister Ellie and her now-husband Devon "Captain Awesome" Woodcomb are doctors who are constantly encouraging Chuck to make progress in his professional and romantic life. At the beginning of the series, Chuck receives an e-mail from Bryce Larkin, his former Stanford University roommate, who became an CIA agent gone rogue. The entire database of all the US government's secret information — a neural supercomputer called the Intersect — is subliminally embedded into his brain upon opening the email. Both the NSA and the CIA want the intelligence returned to them and dispatch agents of their own — Major John Casey and Agent Sarah Walker — to retrieve the data.

Since the information was stolen by Bryce and the government's copy is destroyed in his attempted escape, and since Chuck experiences "flashes" of information from the database activated by certain triggers around him (such as faces, voices, in-context keywords, and various objects), he must use the knowledge he now possesses to help the government thwart assassins and international terrorists — upending his previously uneventful life. In order to preserve their safety, Chuck must keep his newfound occupation a secret from his family and friends, forcing Casey and Walker to establish an uneasy alliance and secret identities; Walker poses as Chuck's girlfriend and takes a cover job at a local restaurant near the Buy More while Casey reluctantly goes undercover as part of the Buy More team.

Chuck, Sarah and Casey all face professional conflicts as they grow to respect each other and a genuine romantic interest develops between Chuck and Sarah. Chuck’s desire to maintain his close relationships and eventually return to a normal life is challenged by the dangers and growing responsibilities of his new secret life, and he gradually becomes a more competent, confident and willing spy.

Chuck's father, Stephen Bartowski (Scott Bakula), returns for Ellie's wedding. Stephen reveals himself to be a former CIA agent and creator of the Intersect shortly before he is captured and forced to create the Intersect 2.0. This advanced Intersect allows the user to perform physical tasks they previously could not (e.g. martial arts, foreign languages, and musical instrument skills) in addition to the functions of the original Intersect. A series of events leads Chuck to embed the new Intersect into his brain to keep it from being taken.

Chuck has willingly decided to become a real spy. Although he fails "spy school," his effectiveness in the field leads General Beckman to give him a second chance and reinstate him as a member of the team, where Daniel Shaw is introduced to encourage his development as an agent. Chuck struggles to learn to balance his emotions to control the Intersect, which is complicated by his lingering feelings for Sarah. Sarah and Shaw begin dating, but Shaw is turned by the Ring. In "Chuck Versus the American Hero" Chuck is officially inducted as an agent by General Beckman, and in the next episode, "Chuck Versus the Other Guy," he attempts his first kill, shooting Shaw in order to protect Sarah. Chuck and Sarah immediately return to a long-delayed relationship. Chuck's best friend Morgan Grimes also becomes privy to Chuck's "spy secret," following which General Beckman inducts him as part of Chuck's "spy team" and orders John Casey to train him.

Shaw is revealed to be alive and has downloaded the Intersect as well, and attempts to kill Sarah, Chuck and Casey, and compromise both the NSA and CIA. Chuck thwarts this plan, although his father is killed and his sister finally discovers his double life. The side-effects from the Intersect cause Chuck to regain a childhood memory in which he learns that he accidentally downloaded an early copy of the Intersect into his brain when he was still a young child. Chuck retires from the CIA,and later discovers his father's secret spy base, dedicated to locating and protecting Chuck's mother and performing spy work that "governments are afraid to do."

Chuck and Morgan search around the world looking for Chuck's mother, Mary Elizabeth Bartowski (Linda Hamilton). After being unable to secure job outside of the government, Chuck rejoins the CIA without Ellie's knowledge. Chuck and Sarah continue to have communication issues, and Chuck's search for his mother entangles him in a fight with Russian international arms dealer Alexei Volkoff (Timothy Dalton) and his far-reaching organization Volkoff Industries, whom she was assigned to infiltrate 20 years earlier. Sarah tells Chuck that she is going undercover as a double agent to bring down Volkoff Industries and bring back Mary Bartowski. Sarah works undercover in Volkoff for a few weeks until Chuck devises a plan to take Volkoff down. With the arrest of Volkoff, the family rushes to the hospital where Ellie is in labor. Clara Woodcomb is born as Chuck proposes to Sarah and she says yes. Following Volkoff's arrest Chuck and Sarah are sent to find Volkoff's successor, whom is later discovered to be his daughter, Vivian Volkoff.

Cast and characters

Main article: List of Chuck characters
See also: List of Chuck cast members

Main cast

Recurring cast

  1. ^ a b c d e The character was recurring cast during the first season, and became a main cast member at the start of the second season.
  2. ^ The character was recurring cast during the first three seasons, and became a main cast member at the start of the fourth season.
  3. ^ a b c The character departed after the second season, then returned for one or more guest appearances in the third season.
  4. ^ The character made a few guest appearances in the third season, and became a recurring cast member in the fourth.

Production

Conception

Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak wrote the script for the first episode which was initially given a put pilot commitment by NBC before a pilot order was green lit by the network in January 2007.[10] Schwartz and Fedak both attended the University of Southern California and the latter pitched the idea to Schwartz who agreed to develop the project with him.[11] Joseph McGinty Nichol, Schwartz's fellow executive producer on The O.C., directed the first hour of the series and consequently became an executive producer via his production company, Wonderland Sound and Vision. Fedak, Peter Johnson, Scott Rosenbaum, Matthew Miller and Allison Adler also serve as co-executive producers.[12] NBC gave the series an early pick-up and a thirteen-episode order on May 10, 2007.[13] On November 26, 2007, TV Guide reported that NBC had picked up the series for a full, 22 episode season.[14]

Casting

Zachary Levi and Adam Baldwin were the first two to be cast in February 2007 in the roles of Chuck Bartowski and veteran NSA agent Major John Casey, respectively. Fedak always had Baldwin in mind for the role of John Casey and the producers found that the actor was a "perfect fit" for the character during the first casting session.[11][15] Relative newcomer Yvonne Strahovski was chosen for the female lead role of what was then CIA officer Sarah Kent in the same month.[16] Casting continued throughout March with Sarah Lancaster, Joshua Gomez, and Natalie Martinez landing the parts of Dr. Ellie Bartowski (Chuck's older sister), Morgan Pace (Chuck's best friend), and Kayla Hart (Chuck's neighbor and love interest), respectively.[17] The Kayla Hart character was dropped before filming because creators Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz found it unlikely and too complicated to the storyline that two women would be pining over Chuck. Morgan's surname was later changed to "Grimes" and Sarah's surname was changed to "Walker".

Filming locations

Although Chuck's apartment is set in Echo Park, the pilot was shot in El Cabrillo in Hollywood. After the series was picked up, the apartment and the building's courtyard were re-created on a Warner Bros. soundstage.[18] Aerial views throughout the show combine shots of Echo Park and El Cabrillo.

The exterior shots of the Burbank Buy More where Chuck and Morgan work are of a former Mervyn's store in the Fallbrook Mall in Canoga Park.[19]

Reception

Ratings

Despite heavy promotion from NBC and positive critical reviews, Chuck has suffered in domestic ratings due to stiff competition of established hits from ABC (Dancing with the Stars), FOX (House), and CBS (How I Met Your Mother, Rules of Engagement) in the Monday 8:00–9:00 pm ET timeslot. Its ratings have also been affected by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike in the first season and President Barack Obama's prime time news conference that led to the show being preempted for a week in the second season, shortly after NBC had done heavy promotion for the show around the Super Bowl. In May 2010, it was reported that Chuck ranked in the top 20 TV shows in the SocialSenseTV ratings report of social media interactions, measuring posts and reads on forums, blogs, and other social media over a three-month period.[20]

Season Timeslot (EDT) Season premiere Season finale TV season Rank U.S. viewers
in millions
1 Monday 8:00 pm (September 24, 2007 – December 3, 2007)
Thursday 8:00 pm (January 24, 2008)
Thursday 10:00 pm (January 24, 2008) 		September 24, 2007 January 24, 2008 2007–2008 #65 8.68[note 1][21]
2 Monday 8:00 pm (September 29, 2008 – April 27, 2009) September 29, 2008 April 27, 2009 2008–2009 #71 7.36[22]
3 Sunday 9:00-11:00 pm (January 10, 2010)
Monday 8:00 pm (January 11, 2010 – May 24, 2010) 		January 10, 2010 May 24, 2010 2009–2010 #71 5.99[23]
4 Monday 8:00 pm (September 20, 2010) September 20, 2010 May 16, 2011[24] 2010–2011 N/A N/A
5 TBA Fall 2011 TBA 2011-2012 N/A N/A
  1. ^ Only 11 out of the season's 13 episodes were taken into account.

Critical reception

Early reviews for Chuck were strong. Rolling Stone magazine included the show on its fall 2007 "We Like to Watch" list, saying the show "wipes the floor with the other fall debuts."[25] Chuck landed on USA Today's list of the "10 Picks for 2007", and they called Levi's performance "incredibly winning", giving the comedy three-out-of-four stars.[26][27] Chuck drew numerous comparisons to another critically acclaimed comedy that debuted in Fall 2007—Reaper—which also starred a twenty-something underachiever who works in a large retail, "big-box" store (Work Bench) and is drawn into heroism against his will.[25][26][28][29]

As 2008 drew to a close, the show received further critical acclaim. In December of that year Time magazine named the show one of the top 10 TV series of the year.[30] It also made the year-end top 10 list of the Chicago Tribune,[31] Television Without Pity's list of TV Shows We Wish More People Watched,[32] The Star-Ledger's Top TV shows of 2008 (#4),[33] The Miami Heralds TV's Top 5 list,[34] The New York Observers Top 10 TV Shows of the Year (#6),[35] and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette mentions Chuck as one of the few bright spots in television in 2008.[36]

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan wrote that "the show pays attention to the mechanics of storytelling and doesn't just try to coast on the comedy." She continued, "[Given] the level of attention paid to all those other things—emotion, suspense, plotting, character—Chuck ends up being one of the TV scene's greatest pleasures at the moment."[37] Television Without Pity's Angel Cohn finds Chuck to be a well-written show, saying "it features some of the smartest and most quick-witted dialogue on TV". She praises the ensemble cast and notes "while the first season was good, this show has really hit its stride in its second season."[38] James Poniewozik of Time magazine says the show is a "delight" and that with the second season the "new episodes quickly jump back in, with higher stakes and sharper jokes."[39] The Star-Ledger's Alan Sepinwall calls Chuck "the most purely entertaining show currently on television, whether you're talking network or cable."[40] He states that "what makes Chuck so special ... is that there's a fundamental warmth and humanity underneath the jokes", with "a cast of appealing characters played by very good actors."[41]

Going into 2010, Aaron Barnhart of the Kansas City Star described the show's premise as "fresh, appealing and limited", expressing concern that "a lot of TV shows overstay their welcome" and fearing that in its third season the show is "about to run out of new, workable ideas".[42] USA Today called the show NBC's "best scripted hour."[43] However, SLANT Magazine bemoaned Season 3's reinstatement of Chuck and Sarah's relationship, saying "as it stands the situation with Chuck and Sarah is worn down, tired, and typical," though he added "with a show as genuinely enjoyable as Chuck, status quo is far from a death sentence."[44]

Awards

Season 1 of Chuck enjoyed much formal recognition. The program was mentioned multiple times in IGN's 2007 year-in-review awards. Along with winning the honor of Best New TV Series, Sarah Walker won the award for best TV character, and Chuck and Sarah as a couple won the "Couple That We Rooted for the Most" award. Chuck was also nominated for "Best New TV Comedy Series" at the 2008 People's Choice Awards, which aired on January 8, 2008, but lost to Samantha Who?[45] The series stunt coordinator Merritt Yohnka won the 2007–2008 Primetime Emmy for "Outstanding Stunt Coordination". Chuck was also nominated for "Outstanding Main Title Design" in 2007, but did not win.[46] Merritt Yohnka also won the 2008–2009 Primetime Emmy for "Outstanding Stunt Coordination", back-to-back wins for the same award.[47]

Award Year Category Nominee(s) Result
ALMA Award 2008 Outstanding Male Performance in a Comedy Television Series[48] Joshua Gomez Nominated
American Cinema Editors 2008 Best Edited One-Hour Series for Commercial Television[49] Norman Buckley Won
Casting Society of America 2008 Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Television Pilot - Comedy Patrick Rush Nominated
Emmy Awards 2008 Outstanding Stunt Coordination Merritt Yohnka Won
Outstanding Main Title Design Karin Fong
Jonathan Gershon
Dana Yee 		Nominated
2009 Outstanding Stunt Coordination Merritt Yohnka Won
2010 Outstanding Stunt Coordination Merritt Yohnka Nominated
People's Choice Awards 2008 Favorite New TV Comedy — Nominated
Satellite Awards 2007 Best Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical Zachary Levi Nominated
Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical — Nominated
Saturn Award 2008 Best Actor on Television Zachary Levi Nominated
Best Network Television Series — Nominated
Teen Choice Awards 2008 Choice TV Breakout Star Male Zachary Levi Nominated
2010 Actor - Action[50] Zachary Levi Won
2010 Actress - Action[50] Yvonne Strahovski Won
Young Artist Awards 2009 Best Performance in a TV Series - Guest Starring Young Actress Stefanie Scott Nominated
IGN 2010 Best of 2010 - Best Villain[51] Brandon Routh Won

Campaign for series renewal, 2009

Despite being one of the first series to be renewed by NBC for the 2008–2009 television season, Chuck was classified as a show "on the bubble" between renewal and cancellation in April 2009 after NBC decided to delay its decision on its renewal for a third season until early May.[52][53][54] The show's second season did not improve on or maintain the audience numbers received in the first season and has consistently obtained low ratings, making it one of the least-watched shows in its Monday 8:00 pm ET timeslot.[53] Concerned that the show would not be renewed for a third season, fans launched a "Save Chuck" campaign that gained momentum with the use of social-networking websites like Twitter and Facebook.[55]

Fansite ChuckTV.net launched the first organized fan effort, the Watch/Buy/Share campaign (an idea thought up by "Chuck, vs the podcast" founder Gray Jones), on March 18, 2009; a letter writing campaign was later added to the effort.[56] The week of April 6, 2009, television blogger Kath Skerry changed the name of her website GiveMeMyRemote.com to GiveMeMyChuck.com and used Twitter to notify her readers to support the show, prompting television columnists Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger, Maureen Ryan of Chicago Tribune and Josef Adalian of TelevisionWeek to write Chuck-related news on their websites and Twitter feeds.[57] Sepinwall also wrote an open letter to NBC on reasons for renewal, while Ryan encouraged fan support by listing the various ways in which they could contribute to the campaign to save Chuck.[58][59] One fan, Wendy Farrington, was inspired by a product placement in second season episodes to organize a campaign to purchase "Footlong" submarine sandwiches from Subway on the air date of the second season finale.[60] This movement gained support from various cast and crew members, with actor Zachary Levi seen leading hundreds of fans to a Subway restaurant in Birmingham, England.[55][61] Members of the show's cast and crew participated in a special "rally cry" episode of Chuck vs the Podcast on April 24, 2009, just before the season finale, to encourage fans to keep the campaign going and thank them for their support.[62] On the campaign, co-creator Josh Schwartz remarked that it "has been one of the most amazing experiences of [his] life to witness—and certainly the most creatively gratifying".[63] Other fan efforts include the "Have a Heart, Renew Chuck" campaign, involving Chuck fans donating money to the American Heart Association on behalf of NBC.[64][65] By the NBC upfront on May 19, 2009 over $17,000 was raised.[66][67]

The campaign also prompted press and media coverage, with The Hollywood Reporter calling Chuck the "most discussed bubble show online".[68] Linda Holmes, writing for NPR, noted the support the campaign has received from both fans and critics, and comments: "It's very common for chasms to open between critics and viewers... But here, critics find themselves passionately advocating for something that's extraordinarily enjoyable to watch."[69] James Poniewozik of Time magazine wrote about the efficacy of save-this-show columns and fan protests, saying, "The sad fact of advertising-supported television is that, unlike cable, it still rewards breadth, not depth, of viewership. Four million people who watch a show really hard are still just four million people to an ad buyer. Unless they spend money."[70] He stated that the "Finale & Footlong" campaign was a far more effective way to demonstrate support since Subway is one of the show's major sponsors.[70] However, Josh Bernoff of Advertising Age remarks, "Thousands of visible, loyal viewers does not equal millions of actual viewers. Objects in the groundswell may be smaller than they appear. People who congregate online are not a representative sample."[71]

In support of the show, Nestlé sent more than 1,000 packs of its Wonka Nerds candy to NBC after Josh Schwartz made such a suggestion to fans in an April 20, 2009 interview with The New York Times.[72][73] Additionally, Chuck won the annual "Save Our Shows" poll by USA Today in which 43,000 people voted, topping the poll with 54% of respondents favoring renewal, beating other bubble shows such as Cold Case (45%) and Without a Trace (41%).[74] The petition campaigns were also mentioned on the May 12, 2009 episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.[75]

NBC's decision to renew the show for a thirteen-episode third season was announced on May 17, 2009.[6] Both NBC's Ben Silverman and co-creator Chris Fedak have confirmed that the option remains for a pickup of nine more episodes.[76] Although Silverman has claimed that NBC is not looking to lower costs, Schwartz has stated that series production studio Warner Bros. Television had asked the producers to make budget cuts to meet a decrease in the license fee by NBC.[77] Silverman, Fedak and Schwartz have all stated that the show's quality will not be impacted.[76][77]

On October 28, 2009, numerous media sources began to run reports that NBC had picked up an additional six episodes.[78][79]

Series renewal, 2010

Questions about the series' continued viability began before the third season aired. Just hours before the third season premiere, when asked whether NBC suddenly moving Jay Leno out of primetime lowered the bar for Chuck, NBC chairman Jeff Gaspin replied, "I wouldn't say the bar's lower, but we obviously have less choice at the moment, so he's got a better shot."[80]

When asked about the series' chances of being renewed for a fourth season and whether fans would have to step in again, Angela Bromstad replied, "Well, it's got to maintain, and it depends on development," but said that the show is a "pleasant surprise, and they're doing great work."[81]

The ratings for Chuck slipped, falling to a series-low 1.9 demo for two weeks running as of the 11th episode of the season, "Chuck Versus the Final Exam." The "TV By The Numbers" website reported on March 23, 2010 that this was "below the ratings level that would indicate likely renewal now" despite the overall ratings difficulties that NBC is facing.[82] However, on March 30, 2010, the season's 12th episode, "Chuck Versus the American Hero" saw an increase to a 2.1 share and a 0.2 million viewer rise.[83]

Chuck was also a contestant in E!'s online Save One Show contest for the second year running, where it won with 52% of the vote. The runner up was One Tree Hill, which garnered 20% of the vote.[84]

On May 13, 2010, it was announced that Chuck had been renewed by NBC for a fourth season.[85] The season received a 13-episode order with an option of an additional nine episodes. The fourth season premiered during NBC's fall 2010 schedule. It will retain its current timeslot.[86] The premiere episode of the fourth season was titled "Chuck Versus the Anniversary",[87] and aired on September 20.[88] Season four will guest star Linda Hamilton, Dolph Lundgren, Harry Dean Stanton, Olivia Munn, Steve Austin, Dave Batista, Summer Glau, Timothy Dalton and Eric Roberts. It was announced on October 19, 2010 that NBC had ordered an additional 11 episodes of Chuck, bringing the episode total for Season 4 to 24.[89]

There has been no official announcement from NBC as to whether or not the series will be renewed for a fifth season. Yvonne Strahovski (Agent Sarah Walker), commented that she felt "...[the chances] are pretty good, I will be surprised if we don't get a season five."[90]

Broadcast and distribution

Broadcast history

Main article: List of Chuck episodes

The first showing of the pilot occurred on July 27, 2007 at Comic-Con International in San Diego.[91] The series was originally slated to air on Tuesday nights at 9/8c as announced at the 2007 Upfronts but this was later changed to Monday nights at 8/7c as announced during the 2007 Television Critics Association summer press tour. The season premiere aired on September 24, 2007 on NBC.[4][92] The pilot was leaked onto torrent websites on July 22, 2007.[93] All thirteen episodes produced before the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike have aired. The last two episodes of the original thirteen aired on January 24, 2008, with episode 12 airing at 8/7c and episode 13 at 10/9c, three days after they aired in Canada.

Despite receiving a full season pickup, the first season contained only thirteen episodes; production was stalled due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike.[94][95]

Season Two premiered on September 29, 2008. While the series originally had a 13 episode order, NBC ordered another nine, ensuring the series would get the full 22-episode treatment.[96] The theme song is "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" by Cake.

On February 2, 2009, Chuck broadcast a full-length 3D television episode. The episode was broadcast using the ColorCode 3D stereoscopy system, and could be viewed by wearing a pair of glasses distributed as part of a national promotion for the movie "Monsters Vs. Aliens", which was sponsored by Intel.[97]

Season 4 appeared on the fall lineup and later received an order for 11 additional episodes on October 18, 2010.[98][99]

Online distribution

In the U.S., the entire first and second seasons are available for purchase at the Zune Marketplace, the iTunes Store, Playstation Network, Amazon Unbox, and Xbox Live Marketplace. Season 3 episodes (with commercials) are available the morning after US broadcast at the NBC, Hulu, IMDb (low definition Hulu), and Fancast web sites. In an aggressive marketing campaign by NBC, the pilot episode was released across a broad range of media from satellite broadcasting to popular social networking websites such as Facebook, shown on United Airlines flights, freely distributed on video on demand on about 30 cable and satellite systems including Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Dish Network, on Yahoo, and from Amazon Unbox.[100] Also, prior to the airing of Chuck in the United Kingdom, the pilot episode was released as a free temporary download on iTunes. A full week before the second season premiere in the US, iTunes offered a free download of the first episode as a 'pre-air premiere'. This promotion was also available on the Xbox live marketplace. Chuck can also be seen on Virgin Media's On Demand service in association with Warner TV.

Home media

Complete Season Ep # Release dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
1st 13 September 16, 2008 (DVD)[101]
November 11, 2008 (Blu-ray Disc)[102] 		August 18, 2008[103] November 12, 2008[104]
2nd 22 January 5, 2010[105] October 5, 2009 April 7, 2010[106]
3rd 19 September 7, 2010 October 25, 2010 March 2, 2011[107]
4th 24 TBA TBA TBA

Both the DVD and Blu-ray Disc box sets are distributed by Warner Home Video.

The DVD and Blu-ray Disc box sets of The Complete First Season contain the same special features: deleted scenes ("Declassified Scenes"); "Chuck's World—an inside look at character development and casting sessions"; "Chuck on Chuck"—commentaries by Zachary Levi, Joshua Gomez, Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak; bloopers ("Chuck vs. the Chuckles"); and "Chuck's Online World—a gallery of web originated mini-featurettes".[108]

On October 28, 2009, Warner Home Video announced that the second season of Chuck will be released on January 5, 2010.[105] Like its predecessor, Chuck: The Complete Second Season was made available in both DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats.[105] Time magazine put the DVD on its short list for January 2010, saying "Nerd wish fulfillment doesn't get funnier than this."[109]

"The Complete Third Season" was released on September 7, 2010 on both DVD and Blu-ray Disc in Region 1 and October 25, 2010.

Other media

Marketing

In May 2007, NBC announced that their official website would launch "MyNBC" allowing users to be more interactive with selected shows. MyNBC will allow fans to delve inside Chuck's "brain" which will host hot spots of top-secret government information that the title character possesses. It will also have bonus video features.[110] In addition, NBC further announced in July 2007 that tie-in micro websites where fans who log onto Buy-More.net would be directed to NerdHerdHelp.com giving them access to exclusive content of the show and a blog written by the title character's best friend and sidekick, Morgan, would be launched in September 2007.[111] NBC is reportedly expected to spend about $8 million in total promoting the show.[112]

Comics

Wildstorm, a DC Comics imprint, produced a six-issue mini-series written by Peter Johnson and Zev Borow (series co-executive producer and writer, respectively), with art by Jeremy Haun and Phil Noto. It started in June 2008.[113][114] A trade paperback collection was published in July 2009.[115] It also includes a public service announcement on brushing one's teeth from Captain Awesome and two gag adventures with Morgan based on film noir and The Odyssey. (WildStorm also releases Brian K. Vaughan's Ex Machina, a series which sees its main character fused with a technological structure, issue #39 of which is used within Chuck to conceal the Intersect Operating manual from General Beckman, Casey and Sarah for Chuck's studies from Season 2, episode #17 onwards.)

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