Early return for Chuck? [Text View]

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wprager

10-12-2009, 03:26 PM

Not exactly news -- this is from three days ago, but I didn't see a thread. Ausiello is reporting that Chuck S3 may be back sooner than expected. Yes, even sooner than we all expected. Could be as early as late October! And, of course, that would probably mean a full season order (assuming they do well).

Insiders who have seen the first 4 episodes say it's the best season yet. This could be the birthday present I've been waiting for.

http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/10/09/exclusive-nbc-may-move-up-chuck-launch/

DevdogAZ

10-12-2009, 03:31 PM

It was mentioned in the threads talking about the demise of Southland and Day One, but that's great news. Hopefully they'll bring it back early and then will have to increase the order for this season. Hopefully the general suckiness of NBC this season won't kill the show prematurely.

wprager

10-12-2009, 03:39 PM

Ausiello mentions that anything above a 2 rating in the 18-49 demos should do the trick (for a full season order). Toward the end of the season Chuck rose from 2.1 to 2.3 then 2.4 and back again to 2.3 for the finale. It looks petty good for them to continue in the low 2s, and if the first 4 episodes are really as good as advertised, maybe the mid-2s are not far behind.

The title of the first episode is:
Chuck versus the pink slip.

Two possible meanings to that title. You know which one I'm rooting for :)

Jesda

10-12-2009, 03:42 PM

I had a really hard time getting into the show. The promos explained nothing and the premise was REALLY hard to suspend reality for, but I love the storytelling.

Shaunnick

10-12-2009, 05:06 PM

The title of the first episode is:
Chuck versus the pink slip.

Two possible meanings to that title. You know which one I'm rooting for :)

Pervert!
:p

pcguru83

10-12-2009, 11:17 PM

This is awesome! I've been extremely underwhelmed with this fall season of TV.

betts4

10-12-2009, 11:45 PM

Do we know when the day and time it will be on?

DancnDude

10-12-2009, 11:45 PM

While I can't wait to see more new episodes of Chuck, I hope they don't just decide to pop it on the air without first doing a bunch of promos. The Chuck audience was told it wasn't coming back until next year so I hope they get the word out that the show is starting again soon. So if the end of October is a possibility, they need to start promoting NOW. I would hate for them to lose viewers because the base audience didn't know it was coming back so soon.

Peter000

10-13-2009, 04:42 AM

Hopefully DVR users at least have kept their SPs from last year, and it'll pick up automatically.

And NBC is not one to skimp on self-promotion of their shows.

Dmon4u

10-13-2009, 11:50 AM

And NBC is not one to skimp on self-promotion of their shows.

If they promo it on 'Leno' would that be skimping ?

Bierboy

10-13-2009, 12:35 PM

If they promo it on 'Leno' would that be skimping ?

No, that would be instant death for Chuck.

wprager

10-22-2009, 03:33 PM

Ausiello is now reporting that the latest on Chuck is a January or February return date.

Win Joy Jr

10-23-2009, 08:43 AM

Ausiello is now reporting that the latest on Chuck is a January or February return date.

Not sure that this is good for Chuck. But the other side of the coin is that it has a chance to establish an audience prior to the Olympic Break and maybe get an early OK for renewal...

LoadStar

10-29-2009, 09:56 AM

terpfan1980

10-29-2009, 10:06 AM

Good news - multiple sources are reporting that NBC is very close to extending the order. They are adding on 6 additional episodes, bringing the total number to 19. (Why not a full 22 episode season? Dunno.)

I'm not sure why not 22, but here's some confirmation on the 19:

NBC’s ‘Chuck’ Gets New Life Thanks to ‘Southland’ Not Subway (http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tvbizwire/2009/10/nbcs-chuck-gets-new-life-thank.php)

The network--which came close to canceling the series in May and relented only because of a fan-driven Subway sandwich campaign--ordered six more episodes to run midseason, bringing its total order to 19 episodes.

(apparently the news originally came from Variety)

I feel for the Southland fans, but definitely love the news that Chuck gets a bigger order and closer to a full season :) It remains one of my favorite shows :up:

Rob Helmerichs

10-29-2009, 10:14 AM

(Why not a full 22 episode season? Dunno.)
Probably because so much of the season is already over. They wouldn't have room to put more in, since they're starting after the holidays and there's the Olympics in the middle.

wprager

10-29-2009, 11:02 AM

I'll take it.

MickeS

10-29-2009, 11:50 AM

I'll celebrate by eating at Subway tonight.

AJRitz

10-29-2009, 12:18 PM

Probably because so much of the season is already over. They wouldn't have room to put more in, since they're starting after the holidays and there's the Olympics in the middle.

Yep. This is my bet. The Olympics break limits the number of episodes that there's time in the "season" to show. Of course, if they were smart, they'd realize that the whole concept of a "season" is stupid, and if they kept running new eps after everyone else has stopped, they'd have an audience almost all to themselves . . .

Rob Helmerichs

10-29-2009, 12:32 PM

Of course, if they were smart, they'd realize that the whole concept of a "season" is stupid, and if they kept running new eps after everyone else has stopped, they'd have an audience almost all to themselves . . .
Problem is, overall viewership drops dramatically in the summer, even when there's something to watch. Apparently, to the point where scripted shows at network rates no longer can make money.

I'm sure they'd love to show shiny new shows year-round, but I'm also sure they've looked at their experiments over the years and calculated what the profitability threshold is, and it looks like reality shows can generate enough audience in the off-season to make money, and scripted shows can't.

DevdogAZ

10-29-2009, 12:37 PM

wprager

10-30-2009, 09:39 AM

Networks have been doing summer shows for years. Seinfeld is an example of one that became a huge hit. It may also be the exception to the rule. However other shows (Northern Exposure, Freaks and Geeks) were able to achieve some success. Back in the 70s the networks had quite a few music/variety shows that started in the summer (Sonny and Cher, for one). The audience is there if you want it. It's just not a smart thing to do shows with a central arc (because of vacations), and you might want to limit what you show at 8 (since people could be outside, still).

LoadStar

10-30-2009, 10:02 AM

Yeah, I think starting shows during the summer months is a little different from having spring shows carry over into the summer. I think DevdogAZ is on the money; viewers have been trained to think that shows end for the year in spring or early summer, then that's it until the new season starts... but I think that while viewers may not be looking out for new shows, they will keep watching shows they're already watching.

Kamakzie

11-01-2009, 05:12 PM

http://insidetv.aol.com/2009/10/29/nbc-cancels-medical-drama-trauma/?i%20cid=main|main|dl1|link6 (http://insidetv.aol.com/2009/10/29/nbc-cancels-medical-drama-trauma/?i%20cid=main|main|dl1|link6)

Just a month after the show's premiere, NBC is pulling the plug on its new medical series 'Trauma,' according to the The Hollywood Reporter. The network will still air all 13 episodes of the drama, which featured a team of paramedics working in San Francisco. 'Trauma' has been following NBC's once-promising 'Heroes,' averaging around 5.5 million viewers per week.

After the series runs its course, the slightly more popular 'Chuck' will fill the Monday at 9PM time slot. In the wake of 'Trauma''s cancellation, it was also announced that 'Chuck' has been granted 19 episodes for its forthcoming season.

Owing to the nightly 10PM time slot occupied by 'The Jay Leno Show,' 'Trauma' was one of the few new hourlong shows introduced by NBC this fall TV season -- and, according to the Los Angeles Times, it was also one of the most expensive to produce. A casual viewer could be forgiven for wondering if NBC's glory days are truly over.

With this latest cancellation, the amount of original, scripted content that the network is producing is dwindling fast. Even 'Friday Night Lights,' the one NBC drama that is still receiving constant critical acclaim, won't air new episodes until next summer.

Winter is looking to be long and cold for the peacock ... maybe even a bit traumatic.

marksman

11-02-2009, 01:28 AM

Problem is, overall viewership drops dramatically in the summer, even when there's something to watch. Apparently, to the point where scripted shows at network rates no longer can make money.

I'm sure they'd love to show shiny new shows year-round, but I'm also sure they've looked at their experiments over the years and calculated what the profitability threshold is, and it looks like reality shows can generate enough audience in the off-season to make money, and scripted shows can't.

Yeah I don't think they have done proper expirements though. I can't think of many good shows that got good summer runs for them to have any real data. I know American Idol and Survivor both premiered in the Summer and had monster numbers in both cases (survivor was absurd with over 50 million viewers for their august finale).

The reality is the Network's create so many self-fullfilling prophecies with their scheduling and they like to just leach re-runs as much as possible, but not actually do it in a way that is convient to viewers.

I don't believe people stop watching tv in the summer time. Sure some people have changes in their schedule. I think the same thing exists with Saturdays. Networks give up on Saturday night, yet 30 years ago and beyond Saturday Night was a very big night for tv shows. The problem is they just put mediocre shows on and then say, oh yeah not worth it.

This goes back to my rant though that tv shows are too expensive. They have to reign in costs. They cost way more than they need to cost. The networks end up cherry picking fewer and fewer time slots (nbc giving up on 9:00/10:00pm), because of costs. I think USA has more original scripted programming than NBC now. Sure seems like it.

So maybe it is not cost effective for them to do it, but that does not mean there are not large numbers of people ready to watch shows during the summer time. Cable networks run a lot of shows during the summer and do well. It is not a wasteland with nobody watching.

Also Beverly Hills 90210 started its 2nd and 3rd seasons in early to mid July, and it is one reason why it was able to stay on the air. It found a bigger audience in that summer.

DevdogAZ

11-02-2009, 03:57 PM

Yeah I don't think they have done proper expirements though. I can't think of many good shows that got good summer runs for them to have any real data. I know American Idol and Survivor both premiered in the Summer and had monster numbers in both cases (survivor was absurd with over 50 million viewers for their august finale).

The reality is the Network's create so many self-fullfilling prophecies with their scheduling and they like to just leach re-runs as much as possible, but not actually do it in a way that is convient to viewers.

I don't believe people stop watching tv in the summer time. Sure some people have changes in their schedule. I think the same thing exists with Saturdays. Networks give up on Saturday night, yet 30 years ago and beyond Saturday Night was a very big night for tv shows. The problem is they just put mediocre shows on and then say, oh yeah not worth it.

This goes back to my rant though that tv shows are too expensive. They have to reign in costs. They cost way more than they need to cost. The networks end up cherry picking fewer and fewer time slots (nbc giving up on 9:00/10:00pm), because of costs. I think USA has more original scripted programming than NBC now. Sure seems like it.

So maybe it is not cost effective for them to do it, but that does not mean there are not large numbers of people ready to watch shows during the summer time. Cable networks run a lot of shows during the summer and do well. It is not a wasteland with nobody watching.

Also Beverly Hills 90210 started its 2nd and 3rd seasons in early to mid July, and it is one reason why it was able to stay on the air. It found a bigger audience in that summer.
Your paragraph about the costs of TV shows is the answer to your earlier paragraphs. Even though there are plenty of people watching TV in the summer or on Saturday nights, there just aren't enough to make it worthwhile for the networks to produce their regular stable of quality shows and charge their normal ad rates. In addition, the networks make a ton of money when they air reruns.

LoadStar

11-20-2009, 01:23 PM

And, it's official. Chuck returns January 10 (Sunday) with a 2 hour special; it then returns to it's normal slot January 11 at 8/7 central, right before Heroes.

(The story I read obviously can't understand time zones.)

Bierboy

11-20-2009, 01:51 PM

And for more from NBC... (http://www.nbc.com/chuck/video/clips/chuck-returns/1177568/)

ronsch

11-20-2009, 03:19 PM

And for more from NBC... (http://www.nbc.com/chuck/video/clips/chuck-returns/1177568/)

Awesome!

Bettamojo5

11-20-2009, 03:28 PM

Awesome!

I agree! Looking forward to another season of Chuck.:)

From the preview: It looks like the Buy More Crew is back and I am happy to see them.:up:

DreadPirateRob

11-20-2009, 03:52 PM

This makes me so happy. :)

DevdogAZ

11-20-2009, 03:56 PM

I agree! Looking forward to another season of Chuck.:)

From the preview: It looks like the Buy More Crew is back and I am happy to see them.:up:
There's some great information on Season 3 at Alan Sepinwall's blog (http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/search/label/Chuck). He's the TV critic for the NJ Star Ledger and he hosted the Chuck panel at Comic Con. There's also a very good interview by Mo Ryan (http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2009/07/chuck-vs-season-3-whats-coming-next-on-the-spy-dramedy.html) of the Chicago Tribune with the creators and Zach Levi.

Steveknj

11-20-2009, 04:01 PM

There's some great information on Season 3 at Alan Sepinwall's blog (http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/search/label/Chuck). He's the TV critic for the NJ Star Ledger and he hosted the Chuck panel at Comic Con. There's also a very good interview by Mo Ryan (http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2009/07/chuck-vs-season-3-whats-coming-next-on-the-spy-dramedy.html) of the Chicago Tribune with the creators and Zach Levi.

Alan has been a big Chuck supporter, and has championed the cause of getting this back on the air when it looked like it was a goner.