It’s good news (for me), bad news (for NBC): Since its numbers are down and its new and returning shows are mainly DOA (Southland was axed before new episodes even aired!), Chuck’s third season might get to premiere sooner than the March date that’s been bandied about thus far.
“How much sooner” you ask?
As early as late October, my moles tell me. And while it remains unclear whether the little show that could (and has and shall again) would return to its Monday timeslot or find itself a new perch, NBC insiders who’ve seen the first four episodes are calling this season the best yet.
I am a fan of the show and I would not find this good news for the show.
Let NBC wait and at least try to get its sea legs, and if not, fine, wait until after the Olympics anyway. As a fan, you certainly don't want to see Chuck come back on Friday nights to take Southland's spot. So, that's out.
Do you really want it taking Trauma's spot? on Monday or get slotted back at 8pm and bump Heroes to 9 (just like last year, I could sort of see them doing this), but do you want to face House? No, no you don't.
I know some of you want it Thursdays at 8pm, but that's not going to happen. So Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays are out. That leaves you Monday and Wednesday.
Of the two, I'd take Wednesday, of course, but as a fan, I'd rather wait until after the Olympics.
As a web publisher, the end of October would be just swell though! 
I would prefer to see “Chuck” on Wednesday evenings at 8:00 to any other time slot, but I’ll take Sunday morning at 6:00am if I have to! I stumbled onto “Chuck” when it premiered in 2007 during a period of time when I no longer watched primetime network television. It became the one show that our entire family sat down together for, which really was a first for us. I have been trying to take an interest in other programs this fall, but “Chuck,” is the show I have really been hungering for.
Can you say, “burn off”?
I am with you Rob. Wait until March. Get away from the current stink that is going on and launch the show with the promotion the Olympics provide.
The last thing Chuck needs is another interrupted season. Right now they have a tight 13 episode story arc in place that could really buy the show a lot of new fans. If they add more episodes to make a full season of 22, please oh please, make the additional episodes a new story/mini-season!
The short term pleasure of getting the show back early, with no promotion at all, could spell the last season of Chuck.
I am really torn about this.
I think NBC is going to get rid of Trauma. It got a 1.7- what else do they have to put in its place but Chuck?
I love it. I would probably prefer a little winter olympics exposure though. Wednesdays would be fine also.
As bad as Trauma and Co. are, at least part of the horrible ratings are up to NBC’s general bad state, so does anyone really expect Chuck to even come back to its own abysmal ratings from last year at this point? NBC should just stick it out until March or whenever they were planning to bring Chuck in, because it’s not like it’s going to magically make them win weeks or even days in the ratings game. It’s most likely not even good for any signiicant change at all.
If they want to pull a winner out they’ll just have to put some money into development and try some gutsier things. Dressing up Chuck like a winner= They tried that. Twice. It failed. Spectacularly.
Whoa, the show would FLOP if it made its debut in a few weeks! There’s been no promos, no awareness, no nothing! Unless NBC just wants this show to die (too)…putting Chuck on now would be a big mistake.
this site is going to explode with web traffic soon.
Yeah I’m not looking forward to this at all. I think it will put up numbers comparable to last year, but those same numbers put it in trouble in the first place. They delayed the release of the Season 2 dvds until just before a March 1st season 3 start date which means it will be a lot harder for me to convince my friends to watch the show since I can’t loan them Season 2 episodes. And how many people watch NBC right now anyways? the chance someone who watched this show last year knowing it is coming back early will also be unlikely. I was really hoping for an Olympic advertising to bring some fresh eyes to the show.
Plus with how far they are into production a there is probably no chance we would get a thanksgiving or xmas episode this year. Those are always pretty fun.
OldDarth, I agree coming back so soon would ultimately be worse news!
Michael, I agree Trauma probably isn’t long for the world, and I didn’t say there was no way Chuck would come back only, only that I preferred it if it didn’t.
If Trauma goes NBC could do some shuffling between Mondays and Wednesdays (it could move Mercy to 9pm on Monday after Heroes, it could move Heroes to 9pm on Mondays, and Mercy to 8), but short of another hour of Dateline or some specials for a while, if they get rid of another hour drama, they will definitely need to replace it with something.
I am a huge “Chuck” fan and I would love to see it back this month but not if they put it on fridays. That day is the kiss of death for most tv shows. Wednesdays would be a great night. Come on NBC do something right for a change. Bring back the the best show on television.
There’s no time for them to promote the show even if it comes out in November… I vote Wedsday at 8.
So, Chuck replaces Trauma in November, performs poorly because there was no time to promote it, plus it’s one of the worst timeslots in primetime, so NBC cancels it, blames it on the poor ratings.
By Febraury, NBC cancels Mercy, puts Parenthood in its place, and cancels it and blames it on the ratings.
Then, in May, NBC cancels Heroes and decided to cut the 8pm hour of its comedy block on Thursdays. So, their schedule in fall 2010 will look like this:
Monday-Thursday:
8pm – The Today Show: Today’s Recap
9pm – Dateline
10pm – Jay Leno
Friday
8-10 – Law & Order, Law & Order SVU
10pm – The Jay Leno Show
Sunday
8pm – NFL
Hooray!
Oh, I forgot… They’ll have The Biggest Loser on Tuesdays, and now permanently extended episodes of The Office on Thursdays… Plus, three hour editions of The Celebrity Apprentice on Sundays in midseason.
It’s must-see television!
No! Not October. There’s nothing going on for NBC at the moment, and launching Chuck at this time is not good. NBC = failure.
Another thing with regard to promotion: minus the fact that NBC will really have little time to promote it, I would think that Subway, being a huge sponsor of the show now would want to promote it. Like some Chuck members in a funny Subway commercial with a little tag line of “eat Fresh and watch Chuck Mondays on NBC”. Or that they would change some signage in the Subway to promote the show.
Ausiello’s moles report that Trauma’s ratings/price tag are absurdly bad and Chuck is sitting around mostly filmed. What a scoop!
But to the point:
A Monday of Chuck/Heroes will be ugly in the ratings (House effect and no PR).
A Monday of Heroes/Chuck… will not be scheduled. I would be flabbergasted if NBC threw their own production under the House bus to raise a WB show that didn’t get any better ratings than Heroes does in the same slot.
A Wednesday of Chuck/SVU could be ugly in the ratings (too many comedies in the slot?). Mercy probably performs worse on Monday.
I expect Monday to be Chuck/Heroes, the ratings will blow, and it will be done in February along with Heroes. Merry Christmas!
My opinion is if it comes back early on Monday it will be in trouble, but either Wed at 8:00 or Thursday at 8:00 and I believe it will do just fine because both nights are weak on all networks. I actually think it would get much better numbers bringing it back early on Wed or Thurs than to wait until March and bring it back on Monday against major competition.
Nobody’s worked it out yet have they, NBC want to air Jay 8-11 5 days a week and the only way to do that is cancel every other program for low ratings.
NBC – Needs Bright CEO
if Bill were here he’d remind you all of this:
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/04/01/nbc-to-become-247-today-tonight-show-network/
But he’s not here, so I’m doing it in his stead.