Can the combined powers of the blogosphere rescue “Chuck” from oblivion?

Will Chuck be renewed for a third season? A lot of folks don't seem to think so, and co-creator Josh Schwartz is urging fans to send their nerds to NBC. No, don't run down to MIT and box up a gang of them - he's talking about the candy of course.

If, in two weeks, that is the last episode of the show to ever air, it will be one of the least satisfying finales of all time. Chris Fedak, the guy who created the show, said people will set their living rooms on fire.

Is that your plan to win a third season?

It wasn’t so much a strategy for survival, it’s the story that we wanted to do for a while, before we ever knew our ratings information. But it certainly was designed that in the third season, the show would shift and become something even bigger than what is now. There was always a way designed to, like, kick out the jams and take it to 11, in the next season. Am I being cagey in my description? But it does. It whets your appetite for what could come.

Being who you are, and someone that a network would want to have a good relationship with, does that give NBC an incentive to renew the show?

I guess it doesn’t hurt. But it certainly isn’t a guarantee. People far bigger than I am have had their shows go down much more quickly. So it’s never 100 percent. That being said, I’ve got a lot of ideas for a lot of other shows. I don’t know how to answer that without sounding totally arrogant. The good news is that NBC does really like the show, creatively. They’re rooting for it. They’re not like, “Eh.” They are invested in the show, which is remarkable, considering they don’t own it. Often those are the shows that become orphans.

Can these grassroots “Save Chuck” campaigns really mean the difference between renewal and cancellation?

The difference between being a hit show and being an on-the-bubble show is so small now. The metrics have become so narrow that everything does help. If you do have a loyal fan base that really can make a difference. Now, more than ever, that kind of fan support can really have an impact. The cost of launching a television series is as high as it’s ever been. And obviously the odds have never gotten any better. If you look at NBC they’ve had a history of being patient with “The Office,” “30 Rock.” “Friday Night Lights” is a show where they’ve found a way to maintain its audience. Word of mouth is the most old-fashioned trend in entertainment and it still holds true. To sustain and hold onto our audience would be significant enough.

So there we have it folks. Get your nerds out and ship them off to NBC :)

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Posted Thu, Apr 23 2009 0:13 by admin