Can’t wait to hear more on this.. I’ll be keeping my site updated when more news come in so be sure to check it out

As of now we have no idea what Subway’s return on the series is going to be, and what precisely the details of the deal between NBC, WB and Subway are. It could be as simple as name-dropping, or that there will just be a lot of Subway sandwiches devoured by Big Mike and the rest of the Buy More crew this season.

All that’s been revealed is that Subway IS going to have a presence somewhere.

Chuck can be a cornerstone show to build around. If not. then I hope CBS picks up another NBC mistake ( we all know NBC will eventually and unfortunately will cancel Chuck) remember JAG that in turn became
NBC should become a Jay Leno Dateline wasteland

TDL hits it closer to the mark, I think. If Chuck had followed up the Superbowl with Versus the Best Friend (which based on the production codes was the original order prior to the 3D tie-in being announced) or even Versus the Suburbs–both of which were much stronger episodes–and it hadn’t been preempted by Obama it MIGHT have been a different outcome (obviously it’s not guaranteed)

Rick brings up a VERY good point about the Subway campaign. There’s a LOT about Chuck that throws the book out on broadcaster/advertiser relationships. The rules are really being rewritten here, as this is the first fan “Save Our Show” campaign I’m aware of that DIRECTLY targeted a series’ advertisers. Subway has even gone on record that the “Finale Footlong” campaign had a significant impact on their sales the day of the S2 Finale. Their direct involvement in the renewal of the show is also unprecedented. It also caused some corporations not even INVOLVED with the series to take notice (Nestle/Wonka had a huge shipment of Nerds sent to NBC’s offices).

Maybe it’s too much to hope that this is the first nail in the coffin of the Nielsens, but Networks would be insane not to take notice. This is really uncharted territory.

Even so, I would love if all the online interest translates into an increase in viewers for Season 3. My wishful-thinking heart keeps hoping that Chuck will come back with better numbers than when it left. My rational-thinking head knows this is probably not true, but I would love to be pleasantly surprised.

The superbowl promotion did actually drastically increase the numbers on the 3D episode. You are right in that Obama’s speech the following week didn’t help though and it also didn’t help that the episode that got promoted was gimmicky and overall mediocre. Fact is though that promotion got that episode very good ratings. It worked.

HAHAHAHA! I LOVE this! In addition to Zach, Adam and Yvonne, they should start getting JEFFSTER! out there. Do a guest musical number on SNL, Leno or Conan. And have them actually do it in character, with Scott and Vic interviewing AS Jeff and Lester. Jeff’s bizarreness is sure to get a lot of people’s attention on its own.

As for the DVD, Season 2′s DVD is already out in the UK, so the set IS ready to go. It was going to be released in August until the series was scheduled for spring, at which point it was pushed back (within a couple weeks of release, IIRC), so it’s not like they can’t get it out.

Also, one note about the “failure” of the Summer Olympics promotion: Chuck’s second season didn’t premier until 2-3 months after the Olympics ended. Season 3 is scheduled to start the night AFTER.

Axe Trauma – it’s expensive and unwatchable.
Plan on axing Mercy (unwatchable and underperforming on what could be a winnable timeslot) – but use it as filler in a timeslot you already know will kill anything – Mondays at 8 or 9.

Bring Chuck back in November on Wed 8. It could win timeslot and bring some more viewers to the show and network in general (especially use to promote Thursday comedies more). Listen, Idol is a juggernaut on Wed Jan-May. But, with DVR and channel flipping, you can still retain fans despite Idol – and finishing 2nd behind Idol would still be a gain for NBC.

As a fan I don’t want Chuck in the middle of NBC’s hot mess that is the fall schedule. But if I were an NBC exec I see the benefit is staying afloat and a small (but one of few) opportunities to find success.

Put it on Wednesday, NBC. It will do fine, especially by your standards.

I really think it’s safer premiering after the Olympics. Let more of NBC’s new series tank. Then the bar will be set lower and Chuck won’t have to perform that well in the ratings to get a renewal. An early start now will be a hard, hard thing for Chuck to get by. Remember, it was a bubble show last season, this isn’t an assured hit (and even NBC’s assured hits are failing them), so an awkward late-October start won’t do it any favors.

I love Chuck as much as anybody, and part of me wishes they would go ahead and start airing them in October. Outside of Thursday nights, the fall schedule is woefully lacking in shows that I watch. It would be great for one of my favorite shows to be on Mondays or Wednesdays. But I also believe that Chuck pretty much has to pull season 3 off seamlessly in order for it to get to a season 4. I think forcing them to air episodes early would be a horrible way to start.

You’ve got a well thought out, reasoned opinion. Mine differs, but it’s no less thought out and it DOESN’T overlook the fact that, YES, more people will be watching NBC during the Olympics. It just doesn’t put as much stock in the Olympic “boost” as your view does.

So let’s proceed then with this. I DO understand your premise, but then how do we explain how OTHER SHOWS seem to survive “interruptions” and do quite fine (and I’m not just talking about extremely popular shows like LOST). Why is CHUCK so susceptible to failing because of interruptions? As much as I LOVE the show – it’s my favorite – if CHUCK can’t garner a large enough audience and then KEEP it – especially after what will be its THIRD season – then maybe it doesn’t deserve to be around for much longer (as much as that pains me to say).

I still think that the vicious Monday night time slot is more responsible for CHUCK’s problems than any interruptions. You’re up against a wall when your competition is literally a television PHENOMENON – DWTS, and then add HOUSE and the CBS comedies and you’ve got problems.

Someone at another site (chucktv.net?) suggested that if the show comes back “early,” then go with the 13 episode arc that many (maybe correctly) seem to see as the key to success – then the dreaded “interruption” – followed by a 9 episode arc. It’s almost like have two seasons within a season. That seems logical, reasonable – and you can still “use” the Olympics to promote, promote, promote your “Back 9.” If the “Back 9″ does well in the ratings and if Subway shows a good return on their investment as well, then S4 has a good shot.

I want the show to survive just as much as you do. And I want to continue to work side-by-side with you and all the other Chuckaholics to see that it does – even if that means eating Subway until it comes out of my ears. Let’s just hope that whatever the network brass decide to do, it WILL work!

Time will tell.

You know as well as I do that Chuck aired the 3D episode after the SuperBowl, not the most representative show of the series, and then was, wait for it, INTERRUPTED the following week. So the SuperBowl promo momentum was nullified.

A quality arc for Chuck would improve its chances of renewal though, don’t you think?

This early return will bring Christmas and Olympic interruptions and we have seen the impact on the show when that happens. All these things auger against Chuck returning now.

While it may not be masterfull, it’s very very good, often great and imo the most fun show last season.
Maybe not the funniest one, the laugh per minute ratio is little lower than in best sitcoms, but still very funny, not best plotted, but it had perfectly good one for a comedy show, but the combination of comedy, good action, some family and romantic drama and all around great cast made it the most fun show to watch in it’s second season.

The Superbowl is one of, if not THE largest viewed television event in American Television. CHUCK had all kinds of “pub” before and during the Superbowl. And what did we get out of it – a ratings boost for a 3D episode which PROBABLY did more in the long run to hurt rather than help ratings – and a rest of the season where we were tetering on cancellation – and WOULD have been cancelled had not some fan come up with the Subway campaign. Conclusion: Big Television event promotional campaigns are not a guarantee for CHUCK’s success.

It’s not about “instant gratification,” it’s about believing that the Olympics are likely not going to be the “save all” for Chuck. Could a GOOD Olympics promo campaign help – probably, yes – but it’s no anointed savior for the show. And since when did a “tight 13 episode arc” ever guarantee the success of a TV show? The guys at this web site would know far better than me, but I think that the more popular/higher Nielsen rated shows have longer seasons than 13 episodes. Are you saying the writers of Chuck aren’t up to the task of making an outstanding 22 episode storyline for S3? I think they are.

Is an “interrupted season” a risk? Sure it is. I’m right with you there. But if you interrupt it cleverly enough – and then use the beloved Olympics as a promo for it’s RETURN – then you can still pull this off.

Bottom line is that there’s no guarantee that CHUCK is going to have a S4 coming back now or in March. If it comes back now and winds up getting cancelled – then we’ll (hopefully) have had 22 episodes of its final season to enjoy instead of just 13. But hopefully there will be a S4.

I’ll keep the faith that if it comes back relatively soon, it still has a fighting chance. As always, it will rely heavily on the fan base – but, hey – we didn’t it once before. Who says we can’t do it again.

So we may not see eye to eye – but THANKS for loving the show and for all that you do to promote it!!

Maybe in the end this is all just more fuel for “Chuck Chatter” and March is a done deal anyway.

But what will they cancel to make room for Chuck early btw ?

The big issue is an early return of Chuck brings ANOTHER interrupted season and we have seen how the show has fared so far under those conditions. Do it again and this could be the show’s last season? You want to gamble against that just for a couple months of earlier instant gratification?

Chuck is poised to deliver a cable quality, tightly scripted 13 episode arc. This was a singular opportunity that the show may never get again to run at such a high level of quality. That is worth waiting for.

It would likely be paired with Heroes again, and…yeah, that Monday night wouldn’t live to see next fall.

On the off-chance it got Wednesday at 8 instead…the outcome wouldn’t be much better I don’t think.