Awesome News: Chuck's Renewed

Fans of NBC's Chuck rejoiced on May 17, 2009, when NBC finally announced that Chuck would be back for a third season. Although Chuck's renewal is awesome news, its return means major changes.

The official announcement stating that Chuck had been renewed for a third season came on May 17, after an excruciating waiting period. Two days later, NBC's Ben Silverman and Mike Pilot issued a press release linking Chuck's renewal to "an innovative advertising partnership with Subway."

Although NBC and Subway are still working out the details, their partnership may mean that Sarah will no longer be working at the Orange Orange. Instead, she could end up with a new cover: making subs at Subway. That's just one possibility. Considering how many characters quit the Buy More during the season finale, Subway could be getting several new employees. Chuck and its fans owe Subway a debt of gratitude for making the third season a reality, and having a Subway set could be a lot of fun.

Since the announcement, more details of Chuck's renewal have continued to trickle in. Although Chuck is on NBC's schedule for its traditional timeslot (Mondays at 8 p.m.), it won't be back in the fall; Heroes will have that timeslot until the 2010 Winter Olympic Games begin. Season 3 of Chuck will begin in March, after the Olympics are finished.

While disappointing, holding off Chuck's return can be beneficial if handled correctly. Delaying the new season until the Olympics are over means that there won't be a mid-season hiatus. Airing the episodes straight through will keep the momentum going from week to week and leave viewers wanting more after the season finale. The delay also gives NBC the opportunity to promote Chuck heavily during the Olympics. This could pay off, as did the promotion of Chuck's 3-D episode during the Super Bowl earlier this year.

A more painful catch to the renewal is that Chuck's third season will be short, consisting of 13 episodes instead of the standard 22 episodes. While this isn't what the fans had hoped for, it's better than nothing. If a smaller, shorter season will keep Chuck on the air, then I'm all for it. I'd rather see the traditional full season, but I'll take what I can get. It's better to have 13 episodes of Chuck than no episodes of Chuck. Fortunately, NBC is open to the possibility of extending the length of Chuck's third season if the ratings justify such a move.

Contradicting the rumor that Chuck's budget for the third season would have to be smaller, Silverman has stated that NBC does not want to cut the budget at all. If true, this is awesome news.

No matter when Chuck returns--or with how many episodes--I will be looking forward to the third season. To everyone who made Chuck Season 3 possible, I have one thing to say: Domo arigato.

Sources:

http://www.tvbythenumbers.com

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2009/05/chuck_talking_renewal_with_ben.html