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''Chuck'' is an American action comedy/ spy-drama television series created by
Josh Schwartz Joshua Ian Schwartz (born August 6, 1976) is an American screenwriter and television producer. Schwartz is best known for creating and executive producing the Fox teen drama series '' The O.C.'' which ran for 4 seasons. Schwartz is also known for ...
and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named
Chuck Bartowski Charles Irving Bartowski is the title character of the American spy show ''Chuck'' on NBC. He is portrayed by Zachary Levi. UGO.com named him one of the best TV nerds. Character profile At the outset of the show, Chuck Bartowski is presented a ...
, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working for the
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
. The message embeds the only remaining copy of a software program containing the United States' greatest spy secrets into Chuck's brain, leading the CIA and the
NSA The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collec ...
to assign him handlers and use him on top-secret missions. Produced by
Fake Empire Productions Fake Empire Productions is the production company that was formed in 2010 by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage to develop and produce television series and feature films. Their most notable productions include the series '' Gossip Girl'' (devel ...
(known as College Hill Pictures during the first three seasons before folding afterwards), Wonderland Sound and Vision, and Warner Bros. Television, the series premiered on September 24, 2007, on NBC, airing on Monday nights at 8:00 p.m./7:00 p.m. Central. The opening theme song is a wordless edit of "
Short Skirt/Long Jacket "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" is the first single by American alternative rock band Cake from their 2001 album ''Comfort Eagle''. Lyrics and background The lyrics begin to describe an ideal fantasy woman, beginning with the simple desire for a woman ...
" by the American rock band
Cake Cake is a flour confection made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients, and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elaborate ...
. As the second season finished, flagging ratings put ''Chuck'' in danger of cancellation, but fans mounted a successful campaign to encourage NBC to renew the show. The campaign was unique in that fans specifically targeted a sponsor of the show, the Subway restaurant chain, leading to the chain striking a major sponsorship deal with NBC to help cover costs of the third season. The series' renewal was uncertain in each subsequent season. The fifth season was the last, beginning on October 28, 2011, and moving to Friday nights at 8 p.m./7 Central. The series concluded on January 27, 2012, with a two-hour finale.


Episodes


Series summary

Chuck Bartowski Charles Irving Bartowski is the title character of the American spy show ''Chuck'' on NBC. He is portrayed by Zachary Levi. UGO.com named him one of the best TV nerds. Character profile At the outset of the show, Chuck Bartowski is presented a ...
( Zachary Levi) is in his mid-twenties and works at Buy More, a
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, who ...
, consumer-electronics chain store. He is an intelligent, but unmotivated, computer service expert and works alongside his best friend, Morgan Grimes (
Joshua Gomez Joshua Eli Gomez (born November 20, 1975) is an American actor best known for his role as Morgan Grimes on ''Chuck''. Career He is the younger brother of actor Rick Gomez. Gomez appeared in a recurring role in the CBS series ''Without a Trace'' a ...
). He had been expelled from
Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is conside ...
on false charges that he cheated in one of his classes, which likely damaged his drive and morale. He lives with his sister, Ellie ( Sarah Lancaster), and her boyfriend, Devon "Captain Awesome" Woodcomb (
Ryan McPartlin Ryan John McPartlin (born July 3, 1975) is an American actor, known for his role as Devon "Captain Awesome" Woodcomb on the NBC action-comedy series ''Chuck''. Early life McPartlin was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Steve and Lois McPartlin. He ...
), who are doctors that constantly encourage Chuck to make progress in his professional and romantic life. Bryce Larkin (
Matthew Bomer Matthew Staton Bomer (born October 11, 1977) is an American actor. He is the recipient of accolades such as a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. In 2000, he made his television debut o ...
), Chuck's former
Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is conside ...
roommate and now a
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
(CIA) agent, steals the Intersect, the entire merged database of the CIA and
National Security Agency The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collecti ...
(NSA), and destroys the computer storing it. The sole surviving copy becomes subliminally embedded in Chuck's brain via encoded images when he opens an email from Bryce. The NSA's Major John Casey ( Adam Baldwin) and CIA Officer Sarah Walker ( Yvonne Strahovski) are dispatched to investigate. Chuck is recruited to use the knowledge he now possesses to help thwart assassins and international terrorists, upending his previously mundane life. The Intersect causes Chuck to receive involuntary "flashes" of information from the database, activated by triggers such as faces, voices, objects, and keywords. In order to protect his family and friends, Chuck must keep his second occupation a secret. Casey and Walker are assigned to watch over Chuck. They are forced to establish an uneasy alliance and cover-identities. Walker poses as Chuck's girlfriend and takes a job at a fast food restaurant near the Buy More. Casey reluctantly becomes part of the Buy More sales team. The main antagonists driving the plot are a series of rogue spy cabals, first internal to the United States intelligence community and then global in scope. A core part of the threat is the danger of the Intersect being either captured, making Chuck as much a liability as an asset to the government, or replicated, making Chuck obsolete or outmatched by less scrupulous spies. Chuck, Sarah, and Casey all face professional conflicts as they grow to respect each other. A genuine romantic interest develops between Chuck and Sarah. Chuck's desire to maintain his close relationships and eventually return to a normal life is challenged by the dangers and growing responsibilities of his secret life, so that he gradually becomes a more competent, confident, and willing spy. In later seasons, upgrades to the Intersect would include skills in espionage as well as information (the reason the Intersect was originally conceived), giving Chuck temporary knowledge of hand-to-hand combat and other skills such as playing the guitar, using a zipline, foreign languages, dancing, and firearms training. In the course of events, Chuck unravels mysteries from his life before the series, often dealing with the Intersect, such as why his parents left, why Bryce got him kicked out of Stanford, and why he's unusually suited for the Intersect. Meanwhile, Casey and Sarah confront unresolved issues from their lives before the series, including their families, Sarah's history with Bryce, and the spies they previously worked with. And as Chuck grows more comfortable with his own role, those closest to him are gradually drawn into his spy life.


Cast and characters


Main cast


Recurring cast

*
Tony Todd Tony Todd (born December 4, 1954) is an American actor who made his debut as Sgt. Warren in the film ''Platoon'' (1986), and portrayed Kurn in the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1990–1991) and ''Star Trek: Deep Space Ni ...
as
Langston Graham Langston Graham is a fictional recurring character in the NBC television series ''Chuck''. Graham was the director of the CIA, and oversaw Operation Bartowski, a fictional top-secret project to guard Chuck Bartowski ( Zachary Levi) and the Inters ...
(seasons 1, 2 and 5) *
Matthew Bomer Matthew Staton Bomer (born October 11, 1977) is an American actor. He is the recipient of accolades such as a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. In 2000, he made his television debut o ...
as Bryce Larkin (seasons 1 and 2) * C.S. Lee as Harry Tang (season 1) * Rachel Bilson as Lou Palone (season 1) * Mini Andén as Carina Miller (season 1, 3 and 4) * Tony Hale as Emmett Milbarge (season 2 and 3) * John Larroquette as Roan Montgomery (seasons 2 and 4) * Nicole Richie as Heather Chandler (seasons 2 and 4) * Jordana Brewster as
Jill Roberts ''Chuck'' is an American television series developed by writer/producers Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak and is broadcast by NBC. The title character of the series is Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi), an affable and anxious Nerd Herd associate at Buy ...
(season 2) * Arnold Vosloo as Vincent Smith (season 2) *
Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of '' Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...
as Ted Roark (season 2) * Scott Bakula as Stephen Bartowski (seasons 2 and 3) * Brandon Routh as
Daniel Shaw Daniel Shaw is a fictional character in the television series ''Chuck''. Shaw is introduced in the third season episode " Chuck Versus Operation Awesome" as a government agent specializing in the terrorist organization known as the Ring, and who be ...
(seasons 3 and 5) * Kristin Kreuk as Hannah (season 3) * Steve Austin as Hugo Panzer (seasons 3 and 4) *
Mekenna Melvin Mekenna Melvin (born January 23, 1985) is an American actress best known for playing Alex McHugh in ''Chuck'', Angela in '' Three Rivers'' and Stefanie Fife in ''Lie to Me''. She also co-created and starred as Amber Hannold in ''Amber Lake'', an ...
as Alex McHugh (seasons 3-5) * Linda Hamilton as
Mary Elizabeth Bartowski Mary Elizabeth Bartowski (née Gunter) is a character on the television series ''Chuck''. Mary is the estranged mother of Chuck and Ellie Bartowski. She is portrayed by Linda Hamilton. Biography Few details about Mary's life have been revealed ...
(seasons 4 and 5) * Timothy Dalton as
Alexei Volkoff Alexei Volkoff () is the alias and alter ego of Hartley Winterbottom (codename Agent X), a fictional character on the television series ''Chuck''. Volkoff is the head of Volkoff Industries. For the first six episodes of the fourth season, he ...
(season 4) *
Mercedes Masohn Mercedes Mason (formerly Masöhn; born 1982/1983) is a Swedish-born American actress and former model. She is known for playing the role of Zondra in the television series ''Chuck'', and as Isabel Zambada in the procedural drama ''The Finder''.Ca ...
as Zondra Rizzo (season 4) * Lauren Cohan as Vivian McArthur (season 4) * Ray Wise as Riley (season 4) * Robin Givens as Jane Bentley (season 4) * Richard Burgi as Clyde Decker (seasons 4 and 5) *
Carrie-Anne Moss Carrie-Anne Moss (born August 21, 1967) is a Canadian actress. After early roles on television, she rose to international prominence for her role of Trinity in ''The Matrix'' series (1999–present). She has starred in '' Memento'' (2000) for w ...
as Gertrude Verbanski (season 5) * Angus Macfadyen as Nicholas Quinn (season 5)


Production


Conception

Josh Schwartz Joshua Ian Schwartz (born August 6, 1976) is an American screenwriter and television producer. Schwartz is best known for creating and executive producing the Fox teen drama series '' The O.C.'' which ran for 4 seasons. Schwartz is also known for ...
and Chris Fedak wrote the script for the first episode, which was initially given a put pilot commitment by NBC before a pilot order was green lit by the network in January 2007. Schwartz and Fedak both attended the
University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...
. Fedak pitched the idea to Schwartz, who agreed to develop the project with him. Joseph McGinty Nichol, Schwartz's fellow executive producer on '' The O.C.'', directed the first hour of the series and consequently became an executive producer via his production company, Wonderland Sound and Vision. Fedak, Peter Johnson, Scott Rosenbaum, Matthew Miller, and Allison Adler also serve as co-executive producers. NBC gave the series an early pick-up and a thirteen-episode order on May 10, 2007. On November 26, 2007, ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corporat ...
'' reported that NBC had picked up the series for a full, 22 episode season.


Casting

Zachary Levi and Adam Baldwin were the first two to be cast in February 2007 in the roles of Chuck Bartowski and veteran NSA agent Major John Casey, respectively. Fedak always had Baldwin in mind for the role of John Casey and the producers found that the actor was a "perfect fit" for the character during the first casting session. Relative newcomer Yvonne Strahovski was chosen for the female lead role of what was then
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
officer Sarah Kent in the same month. Casting continued throughout March with Sarah Lancaster,
Joshua Gomez Joshua Eli Gomez (born November 20, 1975) is an American actor best known for his role as Morgan Grimes on ''Chuck''. Career He is the younger brother of actor Rick Gomez. Gomez appeared in a recurring role in the CBS series ''Without a Trace'' a ...
, and Natalie Martinez landing the parts of Dr. Ellie Bartowski (Chuck's older sister), Morgan Pace (Chuck's best friend), and Kayla Hart (Chuck's neighbor and love interest), respectively. The Kayla Hart character was dropped before filming because creators Chris Fedak and
Josh Schwartz Joshua Ian Schwartz (born August 6, 1976) is an American screenwriter and television producer. Schwartz is best known for creating and executive producing the Fox teen drama series '' The O.C.'' which ran for 4 seasons. Schwartz is also known for ...
found it unlikely and too complicated to the storyline that two women would be pining over Chuck. Morgan's surname was later changed to "Grimes" and Sarah's surname was changed to "Walker".


Filming locations

Although Chuck's apartment was set in Echo Park, the pilot was shot in
El Cabrillo El Cabrillo is a two-story, ten-unit Spanish-style courtyard condominium building located at the southeast corner of Franklin Avenue and Grace Avenue in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. The Spanish Colonial Revival style building was designe ...
in Hollywood. After the series was picked up, the apartment and the building's courtyard were re-created on a Warner Bros. soundstage. Aerial views throughout the show combine shots of Echo Park and El Cabrillo. The exterior shots of the Burbank Buy More where Chuck and Morgan work are of a former
Mervyn's Mervyn's was an American middle-scale department store chain based in Hayward, California, and founded by Mervin G. Morris (1920–2021). It carried national brands of clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, electronics, ...
store in the Fallbrook Mall in West Hills. The inside of the Burbank Buymore was also built on the Warner Bros. lot.


Marketing

In May 2007, NBC announced that their official website would launch "MyNBC" allowing users to be more interactive with selected shows. MyNBC would allow fans to delve inside Chuck's "brain" which will host hot spots of top-secret government information that the title character possesses. It will also had bonus video features. In addition, NBC further announced in July 2007 that tie-in micro websites where fans who log onto Buy-More.net would be directed to NerdHerdHelp.com giving them access to exclusive content of the show and a blog written by the title character's best friend and sidekick, Morgan, would be launched in September 2007. NBC was expected to spend about $8 million in total promoting the show.


Reception


Ratings

Despite heavy promotion from NBC and positive critical reviews, ''Chuck'' suffered in domestic ratings due to stiff competition from established hits from ABC (''
Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the form ...
''), Fox (''
House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...
''), and CBS ('' How I Met Your Mother'', '' Rules of Engagement'') in the Monday 8:00–9:00 pm ET timeslot. Its ratings were also affected by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike in the first season and President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
's prime time news conference that led to the show being preempted for a week in the second season, shortly after NBC had done heavy promotion for the show around the
Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the gam ...
. In May 2010, it was reported that ''Chuck'' ranked in the top 20 TV shows in the SocialSenseTV ratings report of social media interactions, measuring posts and reads on forums, blogs, and other social media over a three-month period.


Critical reception

In its first year, Chuck received critical acclaim. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' magazine included the show on its fall 2007 "We Like to Watch" list, saying the show "wipes the floor with the other fall debuts".Sheffield, Rob (September 20, 2007), "We Like to Watch". ''Rolling Stone'' (1035):44 ''Chuck'' landed on ''USA Todays list of the "10 Picks for 2007" and they called Levi's performance "incredibly winning", giving the comedy three-out-of-four stars.Bianco, Robert (September 7, 2007) "10 picks for 2007". ''USA Today''. ''Chuck'' drew numerous comparisons to another critically acclaimed comedy that debuted in Fall 2007—'' Reaper''—which also starred a twenty-something underachiever who works in a large retail, " big-box" store (Work Bench) and is drawn into heroism against his will. As 2008 drew to a close, the show received further acclaim. In December ''Time'' magazine named the show one of the top 10 TV series of the year. It also made the year-end top 10 list of the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'', Television Without Pity's list of ''TV Shows We Wish More People Watched'', ''
The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to '' The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of ...
''s ''Top TV shows of 2008'' (#4), ''
The Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a city in western Miami-Dade County and the Miami metropolitan area, several miles west of Downtown Miami.The New York Observer ''The New York Observer'' was a weekly newspaper printed from 1987 to 2016, when it ceased print publication and became the online-only newspaper ''Observer''. The media site focuses on culture, real estate, media, politics and the entertainmen ...
''s ''Top 10 TV Shows of the Year'' (#6), and the ''
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the Alle ...
'' mentions ''Chuck'' as one of the few bright spots in television in 2008. The ''Chicago Tribunes Maureen Ryan wrote that "the show pays attention to the mechanics of storytelling and doesn't just try to coast on the comedy." She continued, " iventhe level of attention paid to all those other things—emotion, suspense, plotting, character—''Chuck'' ends up being one of the TV scene's greatest pleasures at the moment." '' Television Without Pity's'' Angel Cohn finds ''Chuck'' to be a well-written show, saying "it features some of the smartest and most quick-witted dialogue on TV". She praises the ensemble cast and notes "while the first season was good, this show has really hit its stride in its second season." James Poniewozik of ''Time'' magazine says the show is a "delight" and that with the second season the "new episodes quickly jump back in, with higher stakes and sharper jokes." ''
The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to '' The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of ...
'' Alan Sepinwall calls ''Chuck'' "the most purely entertaining show currently on television, whether you're talking network or cable." He states that "what makes ''Chuck'' so special ... is that there's a fundamental warmth and humanity underneath the jokes", with "a cast of appealing characters played by very good actors." Going into 2010, Aaron Barnhart of the ''
Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and ...
'' described the show's premise as "fresh, appealing and limited", expressing concern that "a lot of TV shows overstay their welcome" and fearing that in its third season the show is "about to run out of new, workable ideas". ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'' called the show NBC's "best scripted hour". In an article in ''The Journal of Popular Culture'', Joseph J. Darowski recognizes the series' exploration of technology's impact on individual identity. He discusses the series' themes as a natural progression of the popular culture tradition of man-made technology encroaching first into nature, then into human bodies, and finally into human minds.


Awards and honors

Season 1 of ''Chuck'' enjoyed much formal recognition. The program was mentioned multiple times in IGN's 2007 year-in-review awards. Along with winning the honor of Best New TV Series, Sarah Walker won the award for best TV character, and Chuck and Sarah as a couple won the "Couple That We Rooted for the Most" award. ''Chuck'' was also nominated for "Best New TV Comedy Series" at the 2008
People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls until ...
, which aired on January 8, 2008, but lost to '' Samantha Who?'' The series stunt coordinator Merritt Yohnka won the 2007–2008
Primetime Emmy The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime E ...
for "Outstanding Stunt Coordination". ''Chuck'' was also nominated for "Outstanding Main Title Design" in 2007, but did not win. Merritt Yohnka also won the 2008–2009
Primetime Emmy The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime E ...
for "Outstanding Stunt Coordination", back-to-back wins for the same award.


Campaign for series renewal, 2009

Despite being one of the first series to be renewed by NBC for the 2008–2009 television season, ''Chuck'' was classified as a show "on the bubble" between renewal and cancellation in April 2009 after NBC decided to delay its decision on its renewal for a third season until early May. The show's second season did not improve on or maintain the audience numbers received in the first season and consistently obtained low ratings, making it one of the least-watched shows in its Monday 8:00 pm ET timeslot. Concerned that the show would not be renewed for a third season, fans launched a "Save Chuck" campaign that gained momentum with the use of social-networking websites like Twitter and Facebook. Fansite ChuckTV.net launched the first organized fan effort, the Watch/Buy/Share campaign (an idea thought up by "Chuck, vs the podcast" founder Gray Jones), on March 18, 2009; a letter writing campaign was later added to the effort. The week of April 6, 2009, television blogger Kath Skerry changed the name of her website GiveMeMyRemote.com to GiveMeMyChuck.com and used Twitter to notify her readers to support the show, prompting television columnists Alan Sepinwall of ''
The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to '' The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of ...
'', Maureen Ryan of ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' and Josef Adalian of '' TelevisionWeek'' to write ''Chuck''-related news on their websites and Twitter feeds. Sepinwall also wrote an open letter to NBC on reasons for renewal, while Ryan encouraged fan support by listing the various ways they could contribute to the campaign to save ''Chuck''. One fan, Wendy Farrington, was inspired by a product placement in second-season episodes to organize a campaign to purchase "Footlong" submarine sandwiches from
Subway Subway, Subways, The Subway, or The Subways may refer to: Transportation * Subway, a term for underground rapid transit rail systems * Subway (underpass), a type of walkway that passes underneath an obstacle * Subway (George Bush Intercontin ...
on the air date of the second-season finale. This movement gained support from various cast and crew members, with actor Zachary Levi seen leading hundreds of fans to a Subway restaurant in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
, England. Members of the show's cast and crew participated in a special "rally cry" episode of Chuck vs the Podcast on April 24, 2009, just before the season finale, to encourage fans to keep the campaign going and thank them for their support. On the campaign, co-creator
Josh Schwartz Joshua Ian Schwartz (born August 6, 1976) is an American screenwriter and television producer. Schwartz is best known for creating and executive producing the Fox teen drama series '' The O.C.'' which ran for 4 seasons. Schwartz is also known for ...
remarked that it "has been one of the most amazing experiences of islife to witness—and certainly the most creatively gratifying". Other fan efforts include the "Have a Heart, Renew ''Chuck''" campaign, involving ''Chuck'' fans donating money to the
American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deat ...
on behalf of NBC. By the NBC
Upfront ''UpFront'' is a current affairs discussion, debate and analysis programme on Al Jazeera English. The show premiered on 4 September 2015 shortly after Al Jazeera moved into their new Washington D.C. hub. The show has a politics focus although othe ...
on May 19, 2009 over $17,000 was raised. The campaign also prompted press and media coverage, with ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...
'' calling ''Chuck'' the "most discussed bubble show online". Linda Holmes, writing for NPR, noted the support the campaign has received from both fans and critics, and comments: "It's very common for chasms to open between critics and viewers... But here, critics find themselves passionately advocating for something that's extraordinarily enjoyable to watch." James Poniewozik of ''Time'' magazine wrote about the efficacy of save-this-show columns and fan protests, saying, "The sad fact of advertising-supported television is that, unlike cable, it still rewards breadth, not depth, of viewership. Four million people who watch a show really hard are still just four million people to an ad buyer. Unless they spend money." He stated that the "Finale & Footlong" campaign was a far more effective way to demonstrate support since Subway is one of the show's major sponsors. However, Josh Bernoff of ''
Advertising Age ''Ad Age'' (known as ''Advertising Age'' until 2017) is a global media brand that publishes news, analysis, and data on marketing and media. Its namesake magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930. ''Ad Age'' appears in mu ...
'' remarks, "Thousands of visible, loyal viewers does not equal millions of actual viewers. Objects in the groundswell may be smaller than they appear. People who congregate online are not a representative sample." In support of the show,
Nestlé Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Switzerland, Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other me ...
sent more than 1,000 packs of its Wonka Nerds candies to NBC after Josh Schwartz made such a suggestion to fans in an April 20, 2009 interview with ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. Additionally, ''Chuck'' won the annual "Save Our Shows" poll by ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'' in which 43,000 people voted, topping the poll with 54% of respondents favoring renewal, beating other bubble shows such as '' Cold Case'' (45%) and ''
Without a Trace ''Without a Trace'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Hank Steinberg that aired on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009 with the total of seven seasons and 160 episodes. The series focuses the cases of ...
'' (41%). The petition campaigns were also mentioned on the May 12, 2009 episode of '' The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''. NBC's decision to renew the show for a thirteen-episode third season was announced on May 17, 2009. At that time, both NBC's
Ben Silverman Benjamin Noah Silverman (born August 15, 1970) is an American media executive. He is the co-CEO and chairman of the entertainment production company Propagate. From 2007–2009, Silverman served as co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universa ...
and co-creator Chris Fedak confirmed that there was an option nine more episodes. Although Silverman said that NBC was not looking to lower costs, Schwartz said that series production studio Warner Bros. Television had asked the producers to make budget cuts to meet a decrease in the license fee by NBC. Silverman, Fedak and Schwartz promised that the show's quality would not be impacted. By October 28, 2009 NBC had picked up an additional six episodes for a total of 19 episodes in Season 3.


Series renewal, 2010

Questions about the series' continued viability began before the third season aired. Just hours before the third-season premiere, when asked whether NBC suddenly moving Jay Leno out of primetime lowered the bar for ''Chuck'', NBC chairman Jeff Gaspin replied, "I wouldn't say the bar's lower, but we obviously have less choice at the moment, so he's got a better shot." When asked about the series' chances of being renewed for a fourth season and whether fans would have to step in again, Angela Bromstad replied, "Well, it's got to maintain, and it depends on development," but said that the show is a "pleasant surprise, and they're doing great work." The ratings for ''Chuck'' slipped, falling to a series-low 1.9 demo for two weeks running as of the 11th episode of the season, "
Chuck Versus the Final Exam The third season of ''Chuck'' was announced on May 17, 2009 with 13 episodes, with NBC reserving the option of nine more episodes. Production for the third season began on August 6, 2009. On October 28, 2009, NBC added 6 more episodes to the third ...
." The "TV By The Numbers" website reported on March 23, 2010 that this was "below the ratings level that would indicate likely renewal" despite the overall ratings difficulties that NBC was facing. However, on March 30, 2010, the season's 12th episode, " Chuck Versus the American Hero" saw an increase to a 2.1 share and a 0.2 million viewer rise. ''Chuck'' was also a contestant in E!'s online Save One Show contest for the second year running, where it won with 52% of the vote. The runner up was ''One Tree Hill'', which garnered 20% of the vote. On May 13, 2010, it was announced that ''Chuck'' had been renewed by NBC for a fourth season. The season received a 13-episode order with an option of an additional nine episodes. The fourth season premiered during NBC's fall 2010 schedule. It retained its current timeslot. The premiere episode of the fourth season was titled "
Chuck Versus the Anniversary "Chuck Versus the Anniversary" is the fourth season premiere of ''Chuck''. It originally aired September 20, 2010. When the CIA gains control over the Buy More, Chuck Bartowski begins searching for his mother (Linda Hamilton). Sarah and Casey ...
", and aired on September 20. Season four guest starred Linda Hamilton, Dolph Lundgren, Harry Dean Stanton, Olivia Munn, Steve Austin,
Dave Batista David Michael Bautista Jr. (born January 18, 1969) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler. He had several stints in WWE between 2002 and 2019. In his acting career, he is most widely known for his portrayal of Drax the Destro ...
,
Summer Glau Summer Lyn Glau (; born July 24, 1981) is an American actress best known for her roles in science fiction and fantasy television series: as River Tam in ''Firefly'' (2002) and its continuation film ''Serenity'' (2005), as Tess Doerner in ''The ...
, Timothy Dalton and
Eric Roberts Eric Anthony Roberts (born April 18, 1956) is an American actor. His career began with a leading role in '' King of the Gypsies'' (1978) for which he received his first Golden Globe Award nomination. He was nominated again at the Golden Globes ...
. It was announced on October 19, 2010 that NBC had ordered an additional 11 episodes of ''Chuck'', bringing the episode total for Season 4 to 24. Speculating on the possibility of a fifth season, Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah Walker) commented that she felt "... he chancesare pretty good, I will be surprised if we don't get a season five." Her co-star Adam Baldwin (John Casey) concurred.


Series renewal, 2011

It was announced on May 13, 2011 that ''Chuck'' would be renewed for a fifth, and final, season consisting of thirteen episodes, set to premiere on October 21, 2011. The show was moved from Monday and aired on Friday nights, in what some consider to be a
Friday night death slot The "Friday night death slot" or "Friday evening death slot" is a perceived graveyard slot in American television. It implies a television program in the United States scheduled on Friday evenings (typically, between 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. ET) ...
. The premiere was later pushed a week later to October 28.


Broadcast and distribution


Broadcast history

The first showing of the pilot occurred on July 27, 2007 at
Comic-Con International San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is ...
in San Diego. The series was originally slated to air on Tuesday nights at 9/8c as announced at the 2007 upfronts but this was later changed to Monday nights at 8/7c as announced during the 2007 Television Critics Association summer press tour. The season premiere aired on September 24, 2007 on NBC. The pilot was leaked onto
torrent Torrent or torrents may refer to: * A fast flowing stream Animals * Torrent duck, a species of the family Anatidae * Torrent fish * Torrent frog, various unrelated frogs * Torrent robin, a bird species * Torrent salamander, a family of sa ...
websites on July 22, 2007. All thirteen episodes produced before the
2007 Writers Guild of America strike 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, ...
have aired. The last two episodes of the original thirteen aired on January 24, 2008, with episode 12 airing at 8/7c and episode 13 at 10/9c, three days after they aired in Canada. Despite receiving a full season pickup, the first season contained only thirteen episodes; production was stalled due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Season Two premiered on September 29, 2008. While the series originally had a 13 episode order, NBC ordered another nine, ensuring the series would get the full 22-episode treatment. The theme song is "
Short Skirt/Long Jacket "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" is the first single by American alternative rock band Cake from their 2001 album ''Comfort Eagle''. Lyrics and background The lyrics begin to describe an ideal fantasy woman, beginning with the simple desire for a woman ...
" by
Cake Cake is a flour confection made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients, and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elaborate ...
. On February 2, 2009, ''Chuck'' broadcast a full-length
3D television 3D television (3DTV) is television that conveys depth perception to the viewer by employing techniques such as stereoscopic display, multi-view display, 2D-plus-depth, or any other form of 3D display. Most modern 3D television sets use an ...
episode. The episode was broadcast using the ColorCode 3-D stereoscopy system, and could be viewed by wearing a pair of glasses distributed as part of a national promotion for the movie " Monsters Vs. Aliens", which was sponsored by Intel. Season 4 appeared on the fall lineup and later received an order for 11 additional episodes on October 18, 2010. Season 1-3 were broadcast on
Virgin 1 Channel One was a British short-lived television channel owned and operated by Virgin Media Television and then Sky plc. The channel was launched on 1 October 2007 at 21:00 on Freeview, Virgin Media and Sky as Virgin1, replacing Ftn. The ch ...
in the UK and Season 4 on Sky Living. In June 2022, all series became available on ITV Hub.


Online distribution

In an aggressive marketing campaign by NBC, the pilot episode was released across a broad range of media from
satellite broadcasting A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...
to popular
social networking A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for ...
websites such as Facebook, shown on
United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.
flights, freely distributed on
video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of ...
on about 30 cable and satellite systems including
Comcast Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...
,
Time Warner Cable Time Warner Cable, Inc. (TWC) was an American cable television company. Before it was acquired by Charter Communications on May 18, 2016, it was ranked the second largest cable company in the United States by revenue behind only Comcast, opera ...
,
Cox Communications Cox Communications, Inc. (also known as Cox Cable and formerly Cox Broadcasting Corporation, Dimension Cable Services and Times-Mirror Cable) is an American digital cable television provider, telecommunications and home automation services. It i ...
and
Dish Network DISH Network Corporation (DISH, an acronym for DIgital Sky Highway) is an American television provider and the owner of the direct-broadcast satellite provider Dish, commonly known as Dish Network, and the over-the-top IPTV service, Sling ...
, on
Yahoo Yahoo! (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake company Yahoo! Inc. (2017–present), Yahoo Inc., which is 90% owned by investment funds ma ...
, and from
Amazon Unbox Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pri ...
. Also, prior to the airing of ''Chuck'' in the United Kingdom, the pilot episode was released as a free temporary download on iTunes. A full week before the second season's U.S. premiere, iTunes offered a free download of the first episode as a 'pre-air premiere'. This promotion was also available on the Xbox Live Marketplace. ''Chuck'' can also be seen on
Virgin Media Virgin Media is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, television and internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, England. It is owned by Virgin Media O2, a 50:50 joint ventu ...
's
On Demand On-demand or on demand may refer to: Manufacturing * Build-on-demand * Just-in-time manufacturing, a methodology for production * Print on demand, printing technology and business process in which new copies of a document are not printed until an ...
service in association with Warner TV All episodes of Seasons 1 through 5 are available for purchase in the U.S. at the
iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
, PlayStation Network, Amazon Video, and Xbox Live Marketplace.


Home media

Both the DVD and
Blu-ray Disc The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
box sets are distributed by
Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Vide ...
. The DVD and Blu-ray Disc box sets of ''The Complete First Season'' contain the same special features: deleted scenes ("Declassified Scenes"); "Chuck's World—an inside look at character development and casting sessions"; "Chuck on Chuck"—commentaries by Zachary Levi,
Joshua Gomez Joshua Eli Gomez (born November 20, 1975) is an American actor best known for his role as Morgan Grimes on ''Chuck''. Career He is the younger brother of actor Rick Gomez. Gomez appeared in a recurring role in the CBS series ''Without a Trace'' a ...
,
Josh Schwartz Joshua Ian Schwartz (born August 6, 1976) is an American screenwriter and television producer. Schwartz is best known for creating and executive producing the Fox teen drama series '' The O.C.'' which ran for 4 seasons. Schwartz is also known for ...
and Chris Fedak; bloopers ("Chuck vs. the Chuckles"); and "Chuck's Online World—a gallery of web originated mini-featurettes". On October 28, 2009, Warner Home Video announced that the second season of ''Chuck'' would be released on January 5, 2010. Like its predecessor, ''Chuck: The Complete Second Season'' was made available in both DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats. ''Time'' magazine put the DVD on its short list for January 2010, saying "Nerd wish fulfillment doesn't get funnier than this." "The Complete Third Season" was released on September 7, 2010 on both DVD and Blu-ray Disc in Region 1 and October 25, 2010. On June 1, 2011, Warner Home Video announced that the fourth season of ''Chuck'' release date for both DVD and Blu-ray Disc was September 6, 2011, but this was changed to October 11, 2011. In February 2012 Warner Brothers announced a complete Seasons 1-5 box set available on both Blu-ray and DVD to be released May 8 in conjunction with the Season 5 box set. This box set contains 19 discs (Blu-ray) or 23 discs (DVD) and includes all special features available in current releases. In the UK, only DVD box sets are released and not Blu-ray. Chuck Season 5 was released on September 24, 2012 on iTunes in the UK with the release of the DVD box set being released less than a month later on October 15, 2012. In Australia, the complete Seasons 1-5 DVD box set became available on August 1, 2012 in conjunction with the release of the Season 5 DVD set. Chuck has also been released individually on Blu-Ray alongside the DVD releases.


Other media


Comics

Wildstorm Wildstorm Productions, (stylized as WildStorm), is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee under the name "Aegis Entertainment" and expanded in subsequent years by other creators, Wild ...
, a
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...
imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...
, produced a six-issue mini-series written by Peter Johnson and Zev Borow (series co-executive producer and writer, respectively), with art by
Jeremy Haun Jeremy Haun is a freelance comic book artist. Beginning in 2002, Haun worked for Image Comics, IDW Publishing, Oni Press, Devil's Due Publishing, Top Cow, and Marvel Comics. Since 2008, he has worked for DC Comics. He is best known for his work on ...
and Phil Noto. It started in June 2008. A trade paperback collection was published in July 2009. It also includes a public service announcement on brushing one's teeth from Captain Awesome and two gag adventures with Morgan based on
film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...
and '' The Odyssey''. (WildStorm also releases Brian K. Vaughan's '' Ex Machina'', a series which sees its main character fused with a technological structure, issue No. 39 of which is used within ''Chuck'' to conceal the Intersect Operating manual from General Beckman, Casey and Sarah for Chuck's studies from Season 2, episode No. 17 onwards.)


Charitable Reunion

On April 17, 2020, Entertainment Weekly reunited the entire cast to do a table read via Zoom of the Season 3, Episode 9. The reunion was part of EW's #UnitedAtHome campaign. It also served as a charity drive for Feeding America's COVID-19 Response Fund.


Possible film

In March 2013, Levi told ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...
'' that
Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
' use of
Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
to fund previously shut-down TV series could possibly open the door for a ''Chuck'' film. However, he cited conflicts with ''Chuck'' broadcasts in other countries, such as
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
, as the main reason that a film would not be started anytime soon. In March 2017, Levi told Larry King that he was "working on it" (the film) and that it was a "steady but sure process". In March 2020, Levi told on Instagram Live session that he is still interested in making the film happen. In December 2021, Levi told Robert Littal of Black Sports Online that he would love to see a "Chuck" movie while speaking about his movie ''
American Underdog ''American Underdog'' is a 2021 American biographical sports film about National Football League (NFL) quarterback Kurt Warner. Directed by Andrew and Jon Erwin, the film follows Warner's journey as an undrafted player who ascended to winnin ...
'', which starred Levi and his former Chuck co-star Adam Baldwin.


See also

*


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chuck (Tv Series) 2000s American comedy-drama television series 2000s American workplace comedy television series 2000s American workplace drama television series 2007 American television series debuts 2010s American comedy-drama television series 2010s American workplace comedy television series 2010s American workplace drama television series 2012 American television series endings American action television series American action comedy television series American spy comedy television series American spy thriller television series English-language television shows Espionage television series NBC original programming Television series about the Central Intelligence Agency Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television series by Wonderland Sound and Vision Television shows set in Burbank, California Television shows set in Los Angeles Television shows filmed in Los Angeles Works about the National Security Agency