The fifth and final season of the American

action Action may refer to: * Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person * Action principles the heart of fundamental physics * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video gam ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

Chuck Chuck () is a masculine given name or a nickname for Charles or Charlie. It may refer to: People Arts and entertainment * Chuck Alaimo, American saxophonist, leader of the Chuck Alaimo Quartet * Chuck Barris (1929–2017), American TV produce ...

'' was announced on May 13, 2011. It included 13 episodes, which premiered on October 28, 2011, and concluded on January 27, 2012, with a two-hour finale. Continuing from the eponymous

cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious situation, facing a difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction or bef ...

ending of the fourth season finale, "

Chuck Versus the Cliffhanger "Chuck Versus the Cliffhanger" is the fourth season finale of the American NBC action-comedy television series ''Chuck''. Aired on May 16, 2011, it is the season's 24th episode, and the 78th overall episode of the series. The episode was direct ...

", the fifth season featured the series returning to its roots. With their new-found wealth,

(

Zachary Levi Zachary Levi Pugh ( ; born September 29, 1980) is an American actor. He starred as Chuck Bartowski in the action comedy series ''Chuck (TV series), Chuck'' (2007–2012), and as Captain Marvel (DC Comics), the titular character in the superher ...

) and Sarah Bartowski (

Yvonne Strahovski Yvonne Jaqueline Strzechowski (born 30 July 1982), known professionally as Yvonne Strahovski (), is an Australian actress. She is known for roles as Sarah Walker in the spy comedy drama series '' Chuck'' (2007–2012), Hannah McKay in the dra ...

) own the fictional

big-box store A big-box store, a hyperstore, a supercenter, a superstore, or a megastore is a physically large retail establishment, usually part of a chain of stores. The term sometimes also refers, by extension, to the company that operates the store. The ...

Buy More ''Chuck'' is an American action comedy Spy fiction, spy drama television series created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named Chuck Bartowski, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an enc ...

, as well as their new freelance spy organization, Carmichael Industries, which includes John Casey (

Adam Baldwin Adam Baldwin (born February 27, 1962) is an American actor. He made his film debut in '' My Bodyguard'' (1980). He later appeared in ''Full Metal Jacket'' (1987) as Animal Mother, and in the television series ''Firefly'' and its continuation f ...

) and

Morgan Grimes Morgan Guillermo Grimes is a major character on the television series ''Chuck''. He is portrayed by actor Joshua Gomez, and is the best friend of Chuck Bartowski. Morgan is the manager of the Burbank Buy More. He is also an employee of Chuck and ...

(

Joshua Gomez Joshua Gomez (born November 20 1975) is an American actor best known for his role as Morgan Grimes on ''Chuck'' tv series. Career Born in Bayonne, New Jersey, he is the younger brother of actor Rick Gomez. Gomez appeared in a recurring role in ...

). Meanwhile, Morgan acts as the human possessor of the

government database A government database collects information for various reasons, including climate monitoring, securities law compliance, geological surveys, patent applications and grants, surveillance, national security, border control, law enforcement, public he ...

known as the Intersect, and Chuck is forced to act as Morgan's protector in the same way that Sarah and Casey were to Chuck in past seasons.

Production

Series co-creators

Josh Schwartz Joshua Ian Schwartz (born August 6, 1976) is an American screenwriter and television producer. He 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 dev ...

and Chris Fedak expressed a desire to produce a fifth season of ''

'' as early as March 2011, when it was revealed that the fourth season finale would be titled "

". Fedak later confirmed that the episode, as the title suggests, would have a

ending leading into the fifth season. Despite a notable decline in viewership, the series was renewed for a fifth and final season of 13 episodes on May 13, 2011. The season was scheduled to premiere October 21, 2011 and mark the transition of the series' timeslot from Monday nights to Friday nights at 8/7c, before being rescheduled to one week later, October 28. It was announced on September 8, 2011, that series star

would direct the fifth episode of the season. Levi had previously directed an episode each in the

third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (di ...

and fourth seasons.

Cast

Series stars

, and

all expressed an interest to reprise their roles of former

Special Agent In the United States, a special agent is an official title used to refer to certain investigators or detectives of federal, military, tribal, or state agencies who primarily serve in criminal investigatory positions. Additionally, some special ...

s Charles "Chuck" and Sarah Bartowski, and

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

John Casey, and an interview with Ryan McPartlin about the future of the series suggested he would also return as Dr. Devon "Captain Awesome" Woodcomb. Chris Fedak later confirmed that

would reprise his role of

. The

, which Chuck purchased in the fourth-season finale, is also featured in the fifth season, with

Mark Christopher Lawrence Mark Christopher Lawrence (born May 22, 1964) is an American character actor, stand-up comedian and voice-over artist. He is known for his role as esoteric D.J. Tone Def in the 1994 satirical rap mockumentary '' Fear of a Black Hat''. He has ap ...

Scott Krinsky Scott Krinsky (born November 24, 1968) is an American actor and comic best known for his role as Jeffrey "Jeff" Barnes on the hit TV series ''Chuck'' and his role as Darryl on ''The O.C.'' He was born in Washington, D.C., in 1968 and attended S ...

, and

Vik Sahay Vikram Sahay is a Canadian actor best known for playing Kevin Calvin on '' Radio Active'', Lester Patel on the television series ''Chuck'', and Rama in the '' Roxy Hunter'' saga. Life and career Vik Sahay was born in Ottawa, Ontario, to Indian p ...

reprising their roles as Michael "Big Mike" Tucker, Jeffrey "Jeff" Barnes, and Lester Patel, respectively. It was confirmed at the 2011

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...

that

Sarah Lancaster Sarah Lancaster (February 12, 1980) is an American actress and director. She is known for her long-running roles as Rachel Meyers in the series '' Saved by the Bell: The New Class'' and Ellie Bartowski in the comedy-spy series ''Chuck'', as w ...

would also reprise her role as Dr. Eleanor "Ellie" Bartowski Woodcomb. John Casey was given a romantic interest in Gertrude Verbanski, the head of Carmichael Industries' biggest spy competition, Verbanski Corp., said by Fedak to be "the best spy company in the world". It was later announced that ''

The Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in the The Matrix (franchise), ''Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ca ...

'' actress

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 ...

would play Verbanski. At Comic-Con, Fedak revealed his desire for

Linda Hamilton Linda Carroll Hamilton (born September 26, 1956) is an American actress. Known for portraying tough, resilient characters, she made her film debut in 1979 before achieving fame with her starring role as Sarah Connor (Terminator), Sarah Connor i ...

to return as

Mary Elizabeth Bartowski Mary Elizabeth Bartowski (née Gunter) is a character on the television series ''Chuck'', the estranged mother of Chuck and Ellie Bartowski, portrayed by Linda Hamilton. Biography Few details about Mary's life have been revealed on the show. Sh ...

. It was later confirmed that she would appear in the final episode.

Brandon Routh Brandon Routh (; born October 9, 1979) is an American actor. He portrayed Superman in the 2006 film ''Superman Returns'', which garnered him international fame. In 2011, he played the title character of the film '' Dylan Dog: Dead of Night''. H ...

returned to the series as

Daniel Shaw Daniel Shaw is a fictional Character (arts), character in the television series ''Chuck (TV series), Chuck''. Shaw is introduced in the third season episode "Chuck Versus Operation Awesome" as a government agent specializing in the terrorism, terr ...

, a villain that the team had previously defeated.

Angus Macfadyen Angus Macfadyen (born 1963) is a Scottish actor. His roles include Robert the Bruce, both in ''Braveheart'' and ''Robert the Bruce'', Komodo in '' Warriors of Virtue'', Vice-Counsel Dupont in ''Equilibrium'', Jeff Denlon in the ''Saw'' franch ...

appeared in the final four episodes as the series' final recurring villain, Nicholas Quinn. Other recurring cast members include

Bonita Friedericy Bonita Anne Friedericy (born October 10, 1961) is an American actress, best known for her role as Diane Beckman in the television series ''Chuck''. Her husband is actor John Billingsley. Early life Friedericy was born in Charlottesville, Virg ...

as Brigadier General

Diane Beckman Brigadier General M. Diane Beckman, USAF is a fictional character in the NBC television series ''Chuck''. Beckman is a senior official of the National Security Agency, working within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. She holds ...

, the head of the

NSA The National Security Agency (NSA) is an 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, collection, and proces ...

and an ally to Carmichael Industries,

Mekenna Melvin Mekenna Melvin 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 independent film release ...

as Alex McHugh, Casey's daughter and Morgan's girlfriend, and

Richard Burgi Richard William Burgi (, born July 30, 1958) is an American film and television actor best known for the roles of Det. Jim Ellison on '' The Sentinel'' and as Karl Mayer on ''Desperate Housewives''. He also portrayed Paul Hornsby in the ABC da ...

as Clyde Decker, a CIA agent involved in a rogue operation to take down Chuck. It was confirmed at the Comic-Con panel that ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' actor

Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Luke Skywalker in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, and the Joker (character), Joker in various animated DC Comics projects, starting with ''Batm ...

would play a villain in the fifth-season premiere. Comedian

Craig Kilborn Craig Lawrence Kilborn (born August 24, 1962) is an American television host, actor, comedian, and sports commentator. Kilborn began a career in sports broadcasting in the late 1980s, leading to an anchoring position at ESPN's '' SportsCenter'' f ...

also appeared in the season premiere as Roger Bale, a dangerous man who steals money from other dangerous villains. '' Lost''s

Jeff Fahey Jeffrey David Fahey (, born November 29, 1952) is an American actor. His notable roles include Duane Duke in ''Psycho III'' (1986), Pete Verill in Clint Eastwood's ''White Hunter Black Heart'' (1990), Jobe Smith in ''The Lawnmower Man'' (1992), ...

and ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...

''s

Justin Hartley Justin Scott Hartley (born January 29, 1977) is an American actor, television producer, and director. He has played Fox Crane on the NBC daytime soap opera '' Passions'' (2002–2006), Oliver Queen on the WB/ CW television series ''Smallvill ...

guest starred in the season's second episode, as Karl Sneijder, "the president and CEO of diamond giant Natal Jewelers," and his kidnapped brother Wesley, respectively. The fourth episode featured ''

The Office ''The Office'' is the title of several mockumentary sitcoms based on a British series originally created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as '' The Office'' in 2001. The original series also starred Gervais as manager and primary charac ...

''s

David Koechner David Michael Koechner ( ; born August 24, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. His prominent roles include Champ Kind in the '' Anchorman'' film series (2004–2013) and Todd Packer in ''The Office'' (2005–2013). Koechner first became i ...

and ''

The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series created by Shawn Ryan and starring Michael Chiklis that aired on FX from March 12, 2002 to November 25, 2008 for seven seasons. The show is known for its portrayal of corrupt police ...

''s Catherine Dent as Crazy Bob, "a jolly Buy More manager," and Jane Robertson, another Buy More manager and "a close friend of Bob's," respectively. The two cross paths with Chuck and Sarah at the company’s Employee of the Year Convention. The fifth episode featured cameo appearances by ''

Community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

''s

Danny Pudi Daniel Mark Pudi (born March 10, 1979) is an American actor and director. His roles include Abed Nadir on the NBC sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015), for which he received three nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supp ...

and

Yvette Nicole Brown Yvette Nicole Brown (born August 12, 1971) is an American actress. She starred as Shirley Bennett on the NBC sitcom ''Community'', as Dani in the 2015 reboot of '' The Odd Couple'' on CBS, and as Dina Rose on the ABC sitcom '' The Mayor''. Br ...

.Chuck Vs. the Hack Off Imdb Credits Page. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2034914/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast. Imdb.com. Retrieved 2013-07-07. The sixth episode featured

Rebecca Romijn Rebecca Alie O'Connell ( , ; later Romijn-Stamos; born November 6, 1972) is an American actress and former model. She is known for her role as Mystique in the original trilogy (2000–2006) of the ''X-Men'' film series, as Joan from '' The P ...

as Robyn Cunnings, a cold, cunning CIA agent known for her abrasive interrogation technique who is a member of a rogue group which tries to frame Chuck.

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

portrayed himself in the seventh episode, encountering Chuck "in the most unexpected of places." The eighth episode featured

Cheryl Ladd Cheryl Ladd (born Cheryl Jean Stoppelmoor; July 12, 1951) is an American actress, singer, and author best known for her role as Kris Munroe in the ABC television series '' Charlie's Angels'', whose cast she joined in its second season in 1977 ...

as Emma, Sarah's mother, and

Tim DeKay Timothy Robert DeKay (born June 12, 1963) is an American actor. He starred in the USA Network series ''White Collar'' (2009–2014). Early life Tim DeKay was born June 12, 1963, to Jim DeKay and Jill Vaughn in Lansing, New York, where he and ...

as Kieran Ryker, Sarah's former handler. The tenth episode featured

Bo Derek Bo Derek (born Mary Cathleen Collins; November 20, 1956) is an American actress and model. She began her career as a child model before deciding to pursue acting on the advice of a talent agent she met through actress Ann-Margret, who was acqua ...

as herself.

Mark Pellegrino Mark Ross Pellegrino (born April 9, 1965) is an American actor of film and television. He is best known for his work as Lucifer in ''Supernatural'', Paul Bennett in '' Dexter'', Jacob in '' Lost'', James Bishop in '' Being Human'', Clayton H ...

returned in the final episode as a

FULCRUM A fulcrum (: fulcra or fulcrums) is the support about which a lever pivots. Fulcrum may also refer to: Companies and organizations * Fulcrum (Anglican think tank), a Church of England think tank * Fulcrum Press, a British publisher of poetry * Fu ...

agent. Fedak has stated that the writers intended to include various guest stars from past episodes in cameo appearances in the finale, but that it was not possible to include them all.

Cast and characters

Main cast

as Agent Chuck Bartowski (13 episodes) *

as Agent Sarah Walker (13 episodes) *

(13 episodes) *

Ryan McPartlin Ryan John McPartlin (born July 3, 1975) is an American actor, known for his role as Devon "Captain Awesome" Woodcomb on the action-comedy series ''Chuck''. Early life McPartlin was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Steve and Lois McPartlin. He was ...

as Dr. Devon Woodcomb (10 episodes) *

as Michael "Big Mike" Tucker (9 episodes) *

as Jeffrey Barnes (11 episodes) *

as Lester Patel (11 episodes) *

as Dr. Ellie Woodcomb (10 episodes) *

as Colonel John Casey (13 episodes)