"Chuck" Sunday (and Monday) OAD 1/10 & 1/11

[frederic1943]

"Chuck" will be back with two new one hour episodes this Sunday January 10th starting at 9pm. Then there will be a new one hour episode at it's regular time on Monday January 11th at 8pm.

[bobukcat]

I was giddy with anticipation when the season premiere started last night, perhaps too much so as I found myself a little dissapointed with the way it started how could Chuck not choose to run-away with Sarah?!?! but it picked up steam quickly. Now I'm looking forward to episode 3 tonight which is supposed to feature a Cpt. Awesome storyline.

My favorite line from 3.01: Casey to Sarah:" I've seen guys getting their fingernails ripped off treated more humanely than what you did to that kid"

Some things I noted (not plot / spoiler related): it looks lilke they are using less grain in the picture as opposed to the first two seasons. I noticed right from the beginning as the first season especially used a lot of film grain but the picture this year appears to be very sharp. I wonder if this is a cost-cutting issue or just a production choice?

I noticed the explosions and some of the action sequences looked like they were a little less refined than previous years, I'm guessing this is a cost-cutting by-product.

I'm very happy to have my favorite show (in many, many years) back on the air - I may go have Subway for lunch just to thank them.

[Grentz]

It does not have the vibe it used to IMO, but I am still very excited for this season and enjoyed the episodes. Still one of the best shows on TV.

I really think they played the Chuck/Sarah thing a bit much though, it was getting a bit annoying....seems like they should have just run off then and Sarah's new cold side was not really fun to watch. We all kinda expected them to be together and now this blew that all apart...almost to try and extend things.

[dpeters11]

I was giddy with anticipation when the season premiere started last night, perhaps too much so as I found myself a little dissapointed with the way it started how could Chuck not choose to run-away with Sarah?!?! but it picked up steam quickly. Now I'm looking forward to episode 3 tonight which is supposed to feature a Cpt. Awesome storyline.

My favorite line from 3.01: Casey to Sarah:" I've seen guys getting their fingernails ripped off treated more humanely than what you did to that kid"

Some things I noted (not plot / spoiler related): it looks lilke they are using less grain in the picture as opposed to the first two seasons. I noticed right from the beginning as the first season especially used a lot of film grain but the picture this year appears to be very sharp. I wonder if this is a cost-cutting issue or just a production choice?

I noticed the explosions and some of the action sequences looked like they were a little less refined than previous years, I'm guessing this is a cost-cutting by-product.

I'm very happy to have my favorite show (in many, many years) back on the air - I may go have Subway for lunch just to thank them.

Explosions brought to you by Subway. The Honda/Olympics ad threw me for a few seconds as well.

[bobukcat]

Explosions brought to you by Subway. The Honda/Olympics ad threw me for a few seconds as well.

That one caught us off-guard too, great marketing tie in though!

[bobukcat]

It does not have the vibe it used to IMO, but I am still very excited for this season and enjoyed the episodes. Still one of the best shows on TV.

I really think they played the Chuck/Sarah thing a bit much though, it was getting a bit annoying....seems like they should have just run off then and Sarah's new cold side was not really fun to watch. We all kinda expected them to be together and now this blew that all apart...almost to try and extend things.

I agree with what you're saying however I do think they did a good job of "book-ending" that piece by the end of the second episode when Sarah watches the video of Chuck in the vault explaining why he did what he did and has tears in her eyes. My guess is that they will move past this part pretty quickly now but I do think they have to continue the tension between Chuck and Sarah or the show will really suffer. I would love to see them together but many previous shows have proven that once you take the sexual / love tension away from the main characters the show is done.

I am really looking forward to tonight and the rest of the season - no more Mr. Nice Spy! :)

[Doug Brott]

Show started of as a learning experience as there is much different now .. Can't believe they killed of Emmet :eek: Glad the Buy More is still involved as Chuck would not be the same without it.

I notice the Train Station, the Training Grounds and Mexico all seemed to be filmed at the same Set from different angles .. Also noticed the explosions looked a lot like A-Team redux .. well, this is OK as Chuck is a bit campy and no point in spending money on stuff like that when it's the Chuck/Sarah/Casey interaction that really make the show work. Glad it's back

[Doug Brott]

Oh, I moved it to a new thread, so .. No need to spoilerize now.

[Earl Bonovich]

Can't believe they killed of Emmet :eek: Glad the Buy More is still involved as Chuck would not be the same without it.


We were EXTREMELY shocked by it, and actually how graphic they showed it as well. Emmet didn't deserve to die, he was an idiot-jerk, but seriously, that was a new direction that didn't really fit into the CHUCK show that we have seen for the last two years.

They could have easily done a similar "TANG" (SP?) method like in season one, but this was WAY over the top, and I was genuine disappointed that they took that route with a non-spy / non-true bad guy character.

The 2nd episode was definently more to the traditional CHUCK, the first just seem so forced and porely directed. I am guessing there are pieces somewhere on the chopping room floor, that would have made the episode flow better.

The 2nd episode was fun, and it was nice to see the Buy More gang back in. I am presumming that Big Mike is still with Morgan's Mom? I was also a bit surprised at how soon they moved Elle and Awsome out of the apartment, my guess that by the end of the year their characters will be written out, if not sooner.

Which will be a disappointment, as they served as a constant reminder on why Chuck is who he is, why he makes some of the choices that he does, and just provides a buffer between family and duty.

I am glad to see though, that continue to do the "lets get dressed" for the op sceens. That was a nice minute or so of eye-candy.

[bobukcat]

We were EXTREMELY shocked by it, and actually how graphic they showed it as well. Emmet didn't deserve to die, he was an idiot-jerk, but seriously, that was a new direction that didn't really fit into the CHUCK show that we have seen for the last two years.

They could have easily done a similar "TANG" (SP?) method like in season one, but this was WAY over the top, and I was genuine disappointed that they took that route with a non-spy / non-true bad guy character.

The 2nd episode was definently more to the traditional CHUCK, the first just seem so forced and porely directed. I am guessing there are pieces somewhere on the chopping room floor, that would have made the episode flow better.

The 2nd episode was fun, and it was nice to see the Buy More gang back in. I am presumming that Big Mike is still with Morgan's Mom? I was also a bit surprised at how soon they moved Elle and Awsome out of the apartment, my guess that by the end of the year their characters will be written out, if not sooner.

Which will be a disappointment, as they served as a constant reminder on why Chuck is who he is, why he makes some of the choices that he does, and just provides a buffer between family and duty.

I am glad to see though, that continue to do the "lets get dressed" for the op sceens. That was a nice minute or so of eye-candy.

I was a little surprised by that as well, and then they did they whole CSI-Miami thing with the blood-splattered glasses. I didn't think it was too over the top and if they have to eliminate characters to keep costs down I'm all for it being Emmitt instead of any of the others. That also opened up the door for Big Mike to return to his rightful position at the Buy More.

I was dissapointed in the first episode at first but I watched it again at lunch today and think it was much better the 2nd time around.

All the blogs and sneak peeks I've been read indicate that Cpt. Awesome will have a pretty significant role in this season. I suppose they could have him written out by the end but I don't think it will happen soon.

[Grentz]

I am glad they put those two episodes together yesterday, it would have been really weak just the one. Interested to see what tonights is like.

[Doug Brott]

I am glad they put those two episodes together yesterday, it would have been really weak just the one. Interested to see what tonights is like.

Agreed, and that may be exactly why the did it. The second was much more Chuck-like .. Felt like I was re-learning the show with the first episode.

[bobukcat]

I thought tonight's (Monday 1/11 (the last of the binary dates until Oct / Nov of this year)) episode was, dare I say it - AWESOME! It was more like a season 1 or 2 episode in that it was about a mission and less about Charah, with just enough Ellie/Devon thrown in to make it interesting. I'm even more stoked about next Monday's episode now, keep it up team Bartowski!!

[LOCODUDE]

I recorded it, but haven't watched as yet........ :)

[Doug Brott]

I'm a commercial skipper by trade, but I've gotta admit .. I enjoy watching the new character embedded commercials that have appeared on Chuck. Yeah, clearly it's an ad .. but it's interesting so I watch it.

[bobukcat]

I'm a commercial skipper by trade, but I've gotta admit .. I enjoy watching the new character embedded commercials that have appeared on Chuck. Yeah, clearly it's an ad .. but it's interesting so I watch it.

I'm a skipper too, so much so that I waited until after 9:30 to start watching the premiere on Monday night (I was very, very tempted to start watching it earlier!) but I actually stopped and went back to watch the Honda commercials with Ellie, Awesome and Morgan. The one last night was even funnier with Morgan and Awesome saying "no more power ballads" after crying to "Don't You Forget About Me" - great stuff!

[phrelin]

Well, I liked the three episodes. But those of us who record the show and watch it the next day had better start eating a lot of Subway sandwiches making a lot of noise about "Chuck" when we buy them (and maybe some Hondas). Here's the total viewer ratings and the show lost out to everything but a rerun of "One Tree Hill" on The CW on Monday:

http://www.phrelin.com/Dish/chuck.jpg

While on NBC being last among the "big 4" is just a given, they might want to alter that next fall by bringing us "How The Cleveland Housewives & Sisters Met A Bachelor" which apparently could draw a couple million more live viewers than "Chuck.";)

[bobukcat]

Well, I liked the three episodes. But those of us who record the show and watch it the next day had better start eating a lot of Subway sandwiches making a lot of noise about "Chuck" when we buy them (and maybe some Hondas). Here's the total viewer ratings and the show lost out to everything but a rerun of "One Tree Hill" on The CW on Monday:


While on NBC being last among the "big 4" is just a given, they might want to alter that next fall by bringing us "How The Cleveland Housewives & Sisters Met A Bachelor" which apparently could draw a couple million more live viewers than "Chuck.";)

I certainly don't understand the ratings game (I do think it's an extremely out-dated model that needs to be replaced) perhaps these numbers are still "good-enough" for an NBC show, at least compared to anything else they have available to throw into those time slots?? There is no doubt that FOX moving House (I cannot understand the appeal of that show for the life of me, but to each his own) to Monday at 8:00 is going to really hurt Chuck but if it can gain a little more following and start placing 4th I think it would guarantee another season (this is probably wishful thinking on my part).

FWIW - "Chuck" did trend on Twitter both Sunday and Monday night for several hours, probably due to the incredible support from it's fans, including a lot of TV critics with which it is almost unanimously a hit.

[Earl Bonovich]

First of all... we just got to watch episode three. We are SO GLAD that they had previews for next week. We were EXTREMELY ticked at the writers.

I am going to watch Chuck each and every week.... just never at it's air time.
We don't even get the chance to sit down till at least 9pm (Central) to even consider starting to watch TV.

[bobukcat]

First of all... we just got to watch episode three. We are SO GLAD that they had previews for next week. We were EXTREMELY ticked at the writers.

I am going to watch Chuck each and every week.... just never at it's air time.
We don't even get the chance to sit down till at least 9pm (Central) to even consider starting to watch TV.

I actually think the NBC promo department screwed that up, they should have kept us hanging and pondering it all week so that people would be sure to come back on Monday to see what happened to Awesome. I personally had read enough spoilers for the season to know they didn't kill him off already but not everyone else knows that.

[djlong]

I'm *glad* they showed what they showed in the preview. My fiancee and I were as worried as we could get (for a tv series) about that development at the end. I'd been telling her about the "Chuck" budget cuts - and how that was probably why they offed a character on Sunday's show the way they did and why a certain female cast member is no longer on.

We were definitely worried about The Awesomes.

Some people might have seen what transpired and vowed never to watch again as it was too much depressing drama for a show that's supposed to have comedy.

The preview may have saved some viewers.

[Earl Bonovich]

Some people might have seen what transpired and vowed never to watch again as it was too much depressing drama for a show that's supposed to have comedy.

The preview may have saved some viewers.

Honestly, that was the boat we were starting to pattle. My wife had already hit the internet to find out the reaction and what the rumors were about the character. If they actually did kill off awsome, we probably would have been done watching the show.

While I am not against shows taking dramatic changes, but that is NOT what "Chuck" is. I am still surprised the way they off-ed Emmit. They already established a "non-lethal" way to eliminate non/spy characters. Heck, they didn't even kill his dad and he was a wanted man by multiple sides of the spy fence.

While Awsome kinda crossed the line a little bit, it would be the same if Morgan was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and they killed him. This isn't 24, this is Chuck a "Action/Comedy". And that is what has made Chuck fun to watch.

[bobukcat]

Honestly, that was the boat we were starting to pattle. My wife had already hit the internet to find out the reaction and what the rumors were about the character. If they actually did kill off awsome, we probably would have been done watching the show.

While I am not against shows taking dramatic changes, but that is NOT what "Chuck" is. I am still surprised the way they off-ed Emmit. They already established a "non-lethal" way to eliminate non/spy characters. Heck, they didn't even kill his dad and he was a wanted man by multiple sides of the spy fence.

While Awsome kinda crossed the line a little bit, it would be the same if Morgan was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and they killed him. This isn't 24, this is Chuck a "Action/Comedy". And that is what has made Chuck fun to watch.

I can certainly see your point, but Awesome's character is part of Chuck's family, not just some Buy Moron like Emmit, so I don't think there is any way they would create that kind of negative vibe in the show - at least not this early in the season! Fedak and Schwartz said they off'd Emmit to bring some attention back to the fact that, even though it's an action / comedy, the characters are facing real dangers and putting themselves in perilous situations. They have said repeatedly that "no one is safe" this season, I hope that doesn't completely change the feel of the show, but I don't think it will. Monday's episode brought back a lot of the same kind of fun that I loved about the first two seasons and I think we'll see more and more of that now that they have the "what happened while you were away" stuff cleaned up.

My favorite comment I've read about this season so far is: "Sarah is Chuck's Spinach and Kryptonite, all in one!"

[Earl Bonovich]

I just don't want to see them try to turn the show into 24.

[Doug Brott]

I'll miss Emmit, but I gotta admit .. I thought it was kinda funny how he met his demise.

[Grentz]

Last nights episode was pretty good. Interesting how they are developing some characters a bit more (Devin mostly in this ep.).I can tell they are really going to be changing the direction of the series with all this setting up going on. Seems like Chuck may get to be a "real" spy after all. ;)

I just hope they don't lose all the vibe and connection the original threesome have/had as that is what really made this series.

[Church AV Guy]

The "Devin lying to Ellie" scene was about a Chuck as you can get. So he isn't awesome at everything, because he clearly can't make up a convincing lie. A bear? Really? I was laughing pretty hard during that one.

[trainman]

The "Devin lying to Ellie" scene was about a Chuck as you can get. So he isn't awesome at everything, because he clearly can't make up a convincing lie.

He's so awesome that he doesn't have experience with lying -- hasn't had much of a need to do it in the past.

[bobukcat]

That scene was great, as was the one in the bunker when Devin, Chuck, and Sarah are talking about Angie Harmon knowing everything about him except who the real spy is. Casey says "who can blame her, he looks like a real spy while Chuck looks like..... Chuck" and Chuck quickly says "yep."

I think the show is definitely as good as the first two seasons and I expect this season to keep getting better. The one thing that concerns me is that I read they had the overall story line laid out for the first 13 episodes that NBC originally ordered. When NBC ordered 6 more they decided to stay with that and add the last six as a "mini-series" instead of extending the overall story line to 19 episodes. This could be a good thing or a bad thing: on the good side we could essentially have two season finale type shows, or we could have some patch-work storyline thrown together for the last six. They have some great writers and producers though so I think they'll do a great job of it!