Chuck Me Baby One More Time (2011)!

“Chuck” has managed to do something Batman, Wonder Woman and Captain Kirk were not able to do: get their shows renewed for a fifth season!

Other shows with better ratings have fallen by the wayside (RIP “V” and “Human Target”), triggering a backlash against “Chuck”. Many are wondering how a little-watched show (five million viewers is low in America) could take preference over more popular offerings. Is it the fan-base (Hulu’s Best In Show 2011 Winner) giving the show a presence beyond mere television? Is it the in-show advertising from Subway, Toyota and Call Of Duty? Or is it because of the positive reviews from influential critics? All could well be true, but maybe this time it just comes down to money.

Because of its tech-savvy demographic, ad rates for the show are still relatively high. Couple that with a lowered fee from a Warner Brothers studio motivated by extra episodes for syndication, and that gives a profitable formula for NBC -- which means extra episodes for Chuck, Sarah and Casey!

It has been a fun, if choppy, Season Four for “Chuck”. I did like Casey (Alex Baldwin) and Morgan (Josh Gomez) becoming apartment mates, the Gretas, the search for Chuck’s mom, and Alexei Volkoff. I didn’t like care much for Casey reconciling with his ex-wife, the Gretas, Chuck (Zac Levi) trying to please Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) and his mom (while pleasing no one), and Vivian Volkoff. Maybe I am being too hard on Lauren Cohan, the actress who plays Vivian. Timothy Dalton is so good at playing Alexei when he was the season’s main villain, Cohan may be compared to Dalton unfairly. Either way I hope this gets resolved by season’s end.

The main reason why this season was so choppy is because of NBC’s handling of “Chuck”. Originally scheduled for only 13 episodes, NBC upped the order to 24, leaving the producers and writers scrambling for new ideas. Some worked and some didn’t. A case in point is Chuck Vs. The Wedding Planner. It started off as a slapstick comedy (Sarah imitating Chuck’s flash and Chuck going spastic on a Super Shuttle van) before turning into a poignant drama (Sarah resolving her feelings for her father and Casey reconciling with his ex-wife) at the end. This choppiness was evident for the whole season.

Choppiness will not be Chuck’s problem next year. NBC will announce that Season Five will be the show’s final year. “Chuck” flirted with cancellation every year, but will end its run as a rare show that never had to be cancelled! “Chuck” can end on its own terms, while we are treated to one last season. And after next year, maybe Yvonne can be the star in the retooled “Wonder Woman” show I keep hearing about!

I know there’s still one more episode May 16th, but I’m going to do my best list now. Does anybody really believe that Sarah’s going to die in this year’s season finale?

My Favorite Episode: Chuck Vs. Phase Three. I’m choosing this one over Chuck Vs. The Couch Lock because even though kick-butt Sarah is not a cool as a paralyzed Casey, I had the episodes in reverse order with a previous post.

My Favorite Line: “Is that a gun? No…”

Best Greta: When the CIA finally phased out the Greta program.

Coolest Moments (I’m claiming three): 1) When Morgan helped Casey overcome his paralysis drug by informing him that he was dating his daughter Alex, 2) When Sarah tore up half of Asia looking for her missing Chuck, and 3) When Chuck got Morgan into Morgan’s Italian hitman cover by humming Darth Vader’s Imperial March Theme.

Charah Scene: "Just remember, (Chuck) Bartowski: Sarah's the one you're going to be sleeping next to every day. She's the one you protect." -Casey

Previous Chuck Entry