Chuck: Hope in the Face of Low Ratings - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 10-09-2008, 07:29 PM

Chuck needs help. Will you watch it if all of us Chuck fans ask you really nicely? We swear, you'll enjoy it. I wrote earlier this week about Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and how the end might be near for that series, due to its abysmally low ratings for a network series. Chuck's ratings are almost exactly the same as Terminator's, and both shows inhabit the same Mondays at 8pm time slot. The difference is that Chuck has already been picked up for a full second season by NBC. Does that mean that Chuck is really, truly safe? Or, is it a false emergency blanket, the kind of thing that gives fans hope before NBC cruelly rips the carpet out from under us, leaving viewers with a Chuck-less existence?

Critically, Chuck is enjoying a stellar start to its second season. The show is finding a groove, and its first two episodes this season have been as enjoyable and fun as anything we saw in season one. The self-aware spy comedy, like Pushing Daisies in a way, lacks pretension and is only concerned with giving viewers a care-free good time. NBC clearly has confidence in Chuck as a creative endeavor, as evidenced by their almost unprecedented decision to order a full season before the season remiere even aired. NBC may regret this decision now after the awful ratings Chuck has received over its first two episodes (it's averaging around 6 million viewers per episode – for comparison's sake, Saturday Night Live is averaging more viewers than Chuck this season), but NBC has shown recently that ratings aren't the be all end all.

Say what you will about the Ben Silverman regime over at NBC, but it hasn't lacked new ideas and outside the box thinking. Silverman has ushered in a plethora of risky and often critically acclaimed series, and shown otherworldly patience in shows that don't receive great ratings. More so than any other network, NBC has embraced the idea that, in today's world of iTunes, Hulu and rampant DVD sales, pure ratings numbers aren't the most important gauge of television success.

If NBC had based their decisions completely on ratings, The Office would have been discarded unceremoniously after its first six-episode season. 30 Rock likely would have been jettisoned after half of a season. Or, in the greatest example of Silverman and NBC sticking up for a critically acclaimed show, there's the continued existence of Friday Night Lights. That show would have been canceled by any other network, but NBC loves the show so much, and understands the need to create great programming, that they set up a deal with DirecTV specifically to keep Friday Night Lights alive.

NBC, like with Friday Night Lights, has confidence in Chuck. They know that sometimes, if you let a good show simply exist for an extended period of time, if you let the DVDs percolate in the marketplace, a TV show will eventually find its audience. While FOX will probably grow impatient and cancel Terminator fairly soon, I bet NBC will show some wherewithal and stay with Chuck, even if the ratings remain low. And, for that, we can thank NBC for being the most modern of networks, one that, despite sometimes questionable programming decisions, will keep a good show on the air simply because it's a good show.

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/chuc...low-23470.aspx

Mr. Television · 10-09-2008, 07:33 PM

Chuck is such a great show. I hope it can survive. NBC is in shambles on just about every night so you would think they have more problems to worry about than Chuck.

Brian Damage · 10-09-2008, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clint Eastwood Fan

Chuck is such a great show. I hope it can survive. NBC is in shambles on just about every night so you would think they have more problems to worry about than Chuck.

I think NBC is desperate for a hit drama somewhere on there schedule. I really think this can be a marginal hit if they just stick with it.

ekkostar · 10-09-2008, 08:06 PM

I watched the incredible John Larroquette episode this week and I may watch again in the near future. Chuck reminds me of Psych. It has the same type of humor and Chuck reminds me a lot of Shawn.

JulieSomoski · 10-09-2008, 08:40 PM

This show is safe - I'm guessing it'll get its full 22 episode order, and probably be renewed for next season. NBC is in such shambles that it renews shows like this over and over because each season, they think it's miraculously going to jump up in ratings.

Which is a good thing, because this show isn't bad. I don't see why more people aren't watching it, though.

robyrob · 10-09-2008, 10:21 PM

I love Chuck, but sadly I can't watch it any more because we no longer have an NBC affiliate on cable in our area

ryan423 · 10-10-2008, 09:37 AM

You can still watch in online from iTunes or hulu though

http://www.hulu.com/chuck

10-09-2008, 07:29 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	Chuck: Hope in the Face of Low Ratings Chuck needs help. Will you watch it if all of us Chuck fans ask you really nicely? We swear, you'll enjoy it. I wrote earlier this week about Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and how the end might be near for that series, due to its abysmally low ratings for a network series. Chuck's ratings are almost exactly the same as Terminator's, and both shows inhabit the same Mondays at 8pm time slot. The difference is that Chuck has already been picked up for a full second season by NBC. Does that mean that Chuck is really, truly safe? Or, is it a false emergency blanket, the kind of thing that gives fans hope before NBC cruelly rips the carpet out from under us, leaving viewers with a Chuck-less existence? Critically, Chuck is enjoying a stellar start to its second season. The show is finding a groove, and its first two episodes this season have been as enjoyable and fun as anything we saw in season one. The self-aware spy comedy, like Pushing Daisies in a way, lacks pretension and is only concerned with giving viewers a care-free good time. NBC clearly has confidence in Chuck as a creative endeavor, as evidenced by their almost unprecedented decision to order a full season before the season remiere even aired. NBC may regret this decision now after the awful ratings Chuck has received over its first two episodes (it's averaging around 6 million viewers per episode – for comparison's sake, Saturday Night Live is averaging more viewers than Chuck this season), but NBC has shown recently that ratings aren't the be all end all. Say what you will about the Ben Silverman regime over at NBC, but it hasn't lacked new ideas and outside the box thinking. Silverman has ushered in a plethora of risky and often critically acclaimed series, and shown otherworldly patience in shows that don't receive great ratings. More so than any other network, NBC has embraced the idea that, in today's world of iTunes, Hulu and rampant DVD sales, pure ratings numbers aren't the most important gauge of television success. If NBC had based their decisions completely on ratings, The Office would have been discarded unceremoniously after its first six-episode season. 30 Rock likely would have been jettisoned after half of a season. Or, in the greatest example of Silverman and NBC sticking up for a critically acclaimed show, there's the continued existence of Friday Night Lights. That show would have been canceled by any other network, but NBC loves the show so much, and understands the need to create great programming, that they set up a deal with DirecTV specifically to keep Friday Night Lights alive. NBC, like with Friday Night Lights, has confidence in Chuck. They know that sometimes, if you let a good show simply exist for an extended period of time, if you let the DVDs percolate in the marketplace, a TV show will eventually find its audience. While FOX will probably grow impatient and cancel Terminator fairly soon, I bet NBC will show some wherewithal and stay with Chuck, even if the ratings remain low. And, for that, we can thank NBC for being the most modern of networks, one that, despite sometimes questionable programming decisions, will keep a good show on the air simply because it's a good show. http://www.buddytv.com/articles/chuc...low-23470.aspx
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10-09-2008, 07:33 PM	#2
Mr. Television 23 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,133	Chuck is such a great show. I hope it can survive. NBC is in shambles on just about every night so you would think they have more problems to worry about than Chuck.
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10-09-2008, 08:06 PM	#4
ekkostar Coffee, Tea & Larroquette! Senior Member Join Date: Apr 16, 2005 Posts: 1,077	I watched the incredible John Larroquette episode this week and I may watch again in the near future. Chuck reminds me of Psych. It has the same type of humor and Chuck reminds me a lot of Shawn.
	__________________ "All my sitcoms had an audience, with four or five cameras, so working this way has always been appealing to me." - John Larroquette A living legend, five Emmys and a Tony award! Your favorites could never...

10-09-2008, 08:40 PM	#5
JulieSomoski Roseanne Reboot - March 27! Forum Veteran Join Date: Nov 06, 2004 Location: Michigan Posts: 7,558	This show is safe - I'm guessing it'll get its full 22 episode order, and probably be renewed for next season. NBC is in such shambles that it renews shows like this over and over because each season, they think it's miraculously going to jump up in ratings. Which is a good thing, because this show isn't bad. I don't see why more people aren't watching it, though.
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10-09-2008, 10:21 PM	#6
robyrob certified wackball#3 Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Aug 03, 2003 Location: hiding under the third booth at Arnold's Posts: 58,189	I love Chuck, but sadly I can't watch it any more because we no longer have an NBC affiliate on cable in our area
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10-10-2008, 09:37 AM	#7
ryan423 Member Senior Member Join Date: Oct 15, 2007 Posts: 1,829	You can still watch in online from iTunes or hulu though http://www.hulu.com/chuck