There are a lot of rumors floating around about how the CW would pick up Chuck in the event that NBC doesn't. But I think fans should cross their fingers that NBC renews Chuck, which we think is still a very possible outcome.
I know there are a lot of you who don't want to hear any more about Chuck, but I'm writing this now just to be out of the way with it, and I promise that unless there is some juicy news or something extremely cool to say about Chuck, I won't write anything about it again until next week! And as a bonus, I won't have to write it next week, the week after, or during the pandemonium that would no doubt ensue should NBC not renew the show.
I'm not sure if the rumors are completely bogus, but I'm not anywhere near sure they're in the same zip code as the truth either. As for where these rumors start, I'll chalk it up to two things:
1.) on the surface it makes some sense since The CW is half owned by Warner Brothers, and the studio that produces Chuck is Warner Brothers
2.) the rabble rousing "Nick C" who has stated in our comments, going back <i>months</i> now that CW chief Dawn Ostroff had a pact with Josh Schwartz, the executive producer and co-creator of Chuck to save his baby, should NBC pass on it.
It's merely a guess, but I'm guessing that Dawn would rather see Lilly (Gossip Girl spin off) work out and have Schwartz produce it. Schwartz is also the executive producer of Gossip Girl, and produced the Lilly pilot that I think just winds being a back-door pilot in part of a Gossip Girl episode later this year ) And I'm not sure that Lilly would break Schwartz's heart.
In Chuck, Schwartz gets to pay constant homage to the 1980s. In Lilly, he gets to do a show SET in the 1980s. Some people are just 1980s-philes. I was 17-27 for the decade of the 1980s, and I remember it very well, and apparently not nearly as fondly as Mr. Schwartz! But I'm sure Schwartz would love to see Chuck, Gossip Girl and Lilly all work out.
Again, on the surface, it does sound plausible. Chuck would get lower ratings on the CW than it does on NBC, but it would probably do as well as Smallville and Supernatural which are among the CW's best performing shows overall and Dawn O. could perhaps silence the critics a bit. There are many critics, ourselves included who think the CW should have another show or three that target broader demographics than girls and young women. But I don't see much chance of it happening. I see no chance of it happening, really.
The big reason I don't see it happening is money. Think of the CW more like a cable network, because ratings-wise, it's much closer to USA Network -- a network that regularly outperforms the CW, in prime time, at least in terms of total viewers.
Not as many people will watch Chuck on the CW as watch on NBC, so the CW can't make as much money selling ads for it as NBC can. I couldn't see any case where the CW would pay even 75% of what NBC pays for it. So right away, the studio would be looking at a 25% haircut in the licensing fees, that it of course would want to pass down to everybody who works on the show. The DVD and online revenues for Chuck aren't such that I see the studio wanting to do it. While it might make the fans happy, if it isn't an outcome that makes the studio and the people working on the show happy, it's not a good outcome.
It's for these same reasons I don't see it moving to the USA Network either.
I know this sounds like a ridiculous question, but would HBO or Showtime ever be interested in Chuck? Sure, it’s not as risque as some of their other programming, but I don’t know why having the ability to drop f bombs on your network should automatically exclude you from doing business with a more family-oriented program.
Can’t blame you for not wanting to write more about Chuck.
And if it’s any consolation, I was 12-22 in the 80′s. (Doesn’t help, does it.)
I totally agree that the CW seems determined to eschew its entire audience outside of that 12-25 female group. The CW wouldn’t be a good fit. But does anybody know the average cost for USA to produce its original series, like Monk or Burn Notice? Chuck is in the $2-$3 million range to produce, if I remember correctly. If they could get it down to about $1.5 million per ep, would that make it more appealing to USA? Fewer location shoots, trim off some appearances by “outside 7″ on that show (those who aren’t Zachary, Yvonne, or Adam), that sort of thing.
Not really sure what USA charges in advertising for their shows, but short of NBC renewing it, I don’t know if you couldn’t make it work on USA. They’re a money-making machine right now.
I can’t see it being moved to either networks just as you said. Chuck seems like a REALLY expensive show, something that would be hard for the CW to fork over. Everything lies on NBC, which I hope they give Chuck the third season it deserves. Maybe moving it away from Mondays (damn House….) would be the best way to save it.
This article depressed me a little bit. So, it’s basically NBC or nothing at all?! I was really hoping the CW would consider it if NBC decided to cancel Chuck after this season.
Figure USA typically charges half or less for advertising than the NBC mothership. It’s easier to be a money making machine when you have a low expense structure and lack the albatross that the local affiliates are to the broadcast network. But licensing fees for Chuck would be slashed if it moved to USA.
They can slim it down like Burn Notice. If it is NBC or bust then I am concerned. Talk about having no options. I am so frustrated right now, I mean they moved Life around but Chuck is stuck on Mondays and then they want to cancel it becasue it’s ratings are poor. Seriously I am getting a little freaked out.
Robert, something I have noticed watching Chuck these past few weeks, not sure if its a new thing or if it’s been happening all along and I never noticed, is the large number of movie previews for films produced by Warner Brothers. Do you think that there is something in the licensing deal with NBC where WB agrees to “buy ad time” during the shows they produce? There was a lot of talk about Terminator and WB basically buying the series off FOX’s hands just to keep it on the air. I have to wonder if that (the movie studio subsidizing TV shows as part of its ad budget), on a smaller scale, isn’t going on for every show WB produces.
Not to put a downer of fans of Chuck and Life but USA already has hit series and aren’t going to be accepting NBC’s scraps even if does suit their branding. Law & Order: Criminal Intent was the exception because it was still making money for NBC Universal through syndication and international sales, USA already shows CI reruns and they are part of the same company.
I remember reading that when Angel was cancelled, Dawn Ostroff turned it down when it was offered to UPN as she didn’t want other networks scraps so I can’t see Chuck getting moved to CW unless Warner Bros offers a very good deal.
Move any NBC show into that slot and it will get killed.
I think Chuck’s ratings are going to go up more in the next two episodes and NBC will renew it so none of this speculation will matter.
What I don’t understand about the push for USA or The CW to pick-up Chuck should NBC cancel it is, why would they? I’m just not sure what either network would get out of picking up a show that was dropped by NBC at this point.
I can see a case being made for USA doing it on the back of the success of Criminal Intent but I think we have to remember that those are two very different animals and not as comparable as they first seem. As far as The CW goes I’m really not sure what they’d get from picking up Chuck, it just further erodes the idea that they’re out to compete and grow when they pick up a show that’s been dropped by the fourth place network. If they were picking up one of the CBS ‘hits’ that’s going to have to end this season then I could (kind of) see the logic I’m just not sure its there for Chuck and I really don’t believe that Schwartz is that big a hitter that The CW would pick up Chuck to ‘keep him happy’.
Jack please don’t go there… there’s no way to tell that for sure so just don’t provoke any people who could give any counterpoint… and chuck will be renewed… just believe in power of positiv thinking, just like Big Mike in season one finale… and he was in bigger trouble…
I agree, I would like to see how well Heroes or Medium would fair in the 8pm timeslot, I’m guessing not as well as Chuck. Next week will be a pivotal show considering there will be no new episodes of House or Big Bang/How I Met. If NBC can promote Chuck more, which they are really not doing, they may be able to attain some fairly decent numbers next week. Id like to see 6.5+mil and a 2.4-2.5 demo number, thats not too much to ask considering what it will be up against.
FrankJ if (and I repeat if because I don’t know if they are) Warner Brothers are having to buy up ad time in Chuck to subsidies the show and keep it turning a profit for NBC then that’s a very bad sign for the future of the show, because essentially that means Warner Brothers are paying to keep it on the air and running it at a massive loss which they can’t afford to do over the long term. Having said that I don’t think they are, I suspect you’ve only just started to see the movie promotion because we’re heading into summer and the blockbuster releases are starting to get hyped up everywhere, not just during Chuck.
Jack says:
April 15th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Move any NBC show into that slot and it will get killed.
Completely agree there. CBS seems pretty happy to take third place on Mondays; otherwise they wouldn’t have renewed Big Bang Theory so quickly. NBC’s best move, if no other network makes a Monday change, is to put Biggest Loser or some other reality show there, since it would still make them a profit with a smaller audience. (preferably a younger-skewing reality show, since the older folks will still watch DWTS.)
This isn’t Chuck-related, but what kind of idiot would program a network geared solely toward the teenage girls demo? That has to be one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard of.
Actually is House even on next week? I heard FOX was putting Bones there next week.
To answer your question, Rich, Dawn Ostroff.
Frank I believe its an original Bones next Monday because Fox have fifty new episodes they need to burn off this season.
And Patrick you’re forgetting Mamma’s Boys (and possibly Superstars of Dance as well). NBC tried throwing cheap reality into the slot and they got burnt and again I’ll say I don’t see any reason for them to mess with the succesful Biggest Loser Tuesday slot. That would be madness. As it stands I think scripted content is NBC’s best option for Monday’s at 8. Whether Chuck is that scripted show is another matter entirely.
I think if NBC renews Chuck they keep it Monday’s at 8.
And if NBC renews Chuck and keeps it Monday’s at 8, Chuck fans will probably want to hope that Fox doesn’t opt to go with House on Monday nights all of next season. Meanwhile NBC will probably hope that Fox won’t go House/Fringe on Monday’s because that would probably sink Day One.
Alex says:
April 15th, 2009 at 10:55 am And Patrick you’re forgetting Mamma’s Boys (and possibly Superstars of Dance as well). NBC tried throwing cheap reality into the slot and they got burnt and again I’ll say I don’t see any reason for them to mess with the succesful Biggest Loser Tuesday slot. That would be madness. As it stands I think scripted content is NBC’s best option for Monday’s at 8. Whether Chuck is that scripted show is another matter entirely.
I didn’t entirely forget about those. There is a difference in reality shows, as Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor/Bachelorette, and The Apprentice in its heyday offered something more than cheap manipulative crap or copycat entertainment, which pretty much describes Momma’s Boys, The Osbournes Variety show, and just about every Fox reality show not named American Idol. Biggest Loser does have a niche audience, but it doesn’t skew as old as Dancing with the Stars. Would it do as well on Mondays? Of course not. But does it have to? I’m thinking along the lines of putting the cheapest show available, or one that gives NBC the best ROI for the approximate numbers it would get, since there’s nothing out there that will get NBC out of 4th place on Mondays.
For myself, moving BL wouldn’t be my first choice, as you correctly point out how successful it is on Tuesdays. The key is to maximize NBC’s profit in the slots, even the ones they have no shot in winning. Hell, even two hours of Deal or No Deal would be a better ROI than the status quo. (Howie’s ego aside, of course.)