NBC hasn’t had a lot of good news these days. With all the chaos going on with the NBC’s scheduling, the strong ratings for the improbable third season of “Chuck” are a bright spot for the beleaguered network. The story behind the show’s journey to Monday nights is a testament to the devotion of fans — and the power of advertising.
After squandering the momentum of a post-Super Bowl episode, the show’s ratings fell during the last half of its ’08-’09 season. By the season finale, the show’s hopes were grim. With NBC then adopting a Jay Leno brushfire burning up a third of the weekly schedule, it looked like the action-comedy was a goner. But strong fan response online, paired with a Subway promotion that mirrored “Jericho,” saved “Chuck” from termination.
Now that the show has returned with an expanded series order, how has it fared versus budget cuts and a nine-month break? The answer, to steal from one of the show’s characters, is “awesome.”
The basic premise hasn’t changed since we last wrote about the show 15 months ago. The title character, a hapless nerd-turned-super spy, has slowly eased into his new role as mission hero. The Intersect, the computer of government secrets embedded in poor Chuck’s head, has been upgraded from mere knowledge to secret skills and random bouts of kung fu chops. Although this twist, unveiled as at the end of last season, threatened to take everything loyal fans love about Zachary Levi’s character, it has so far been implemented with skill. The Intersect 2.0 can only function when Chuck is level headed, and the skills he can access range from combat to escape.
Whether you watch the show for the spy missions, for the romantic angles or for the fun of it, there’s something for everyone.
The premiere episode was clunky, with Chuck in the wilderness for months after being fired, but it was a nice nod to the show’s revival and return to action. The “Chuck” still relies too heavily on the will-they-won’t-they relationship between Chuck and his fellow spy Sarah. But now that their relationship has to remain platonic for Chuck to keep his emotions in check, there is hope for either a resolution or a détente.
With a reduced number of episodes this season, the pace of the plot is tighter, but in the end this is a standalone show with weekly missions and stock villainy. In fact, the scope of the show is expanding. Chuck is easing into his role as a spy, even as more and more of his personal life is brought into the fold.
“Chuck” is a wonderful mix of spy show, comedy, geeky humor and romance. It’s a quality show to start the workweek, and the high-profile guest stars lined up for later in the season add to that quality. Thanks to vocal fans, a desperate network, and now a lack of other successes at NBC, hopes are high for this Monday-night escape. Initial ratings are, by NBC standards, strong. Even though signs are good for more “Chuck” beyond April, anyone interested should tune in, and check out past episodes online. For “Chuck” newcomers, the pilot of the show is available through this weekend.
“Chuck” airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. on NBC. Online streams are available on Hulu the night after airing.