the CHUCKs in the mail!. . .NBC has changed its mind about 'Chuck'. . .

[NewtonMP2100]

. . .giving it a full season. . .22 episodes. . .originally they only o.k.d 13 episodes. . .


NBC Gives 'Chuck' More Time
The network picks up nine more episodes of the second-year show

The early start of production on "Chuck" has paid off handsomely for the series.

NBC has picked up the second-year show for a full season of 22 episodes. The network had initially ordered 13 episodes for this season coming off the writers strike.

Rather than bring "Chuck" back on the air after the strike, NBC decided to wait until fall, which in turn meant production on season two could start earlier than usual. After seeing the first six episodes the network decided to pull the trigger on a full season, the showbiz trade papers say.

"This show has really hit its stride and deserves a full-season commitment to carry out the producers' vision for this unique series," says Teri Weinberg, the executive vice president of NBC Entertainment. She also praised co-creator/exec producer Josh Schwartz and his team, saying the network "couldn't be more excited with the creative direction" of the show.

Season two of "Chuck" is scheduled to premiere Monday, Sept. 29. Chuck (Zachary Levi) is now something of a marked man after the government starts building a new Intersect computer to duplicate the secrets that are in his head, while his NSA handler Casey (Adam Baldwin) has conflicted feelings about making Chuck "disappear" once the new machine comes online.

The new season will also feature a host of guest stars, including Michael Clarke Duncan, Jordana Brewster, Tony Hale, Melinda Clarke and John Larroquette.

[SteveO]

I don't watch much TV anymore. I find it depletes my brain cells.

[AllGold]

Jordana Brewster and John Larroquette are two names I haven't heard in a while.

I really like John Larroquette and it seems a waste not to have seen him working in so long.

... Um, ok, at the risk of looking like an idiot (or at least a hermit), I will leave that comment as I typed it... but I just checked IMDB and see he has been in 21 episodes of Boston Legal over the last year--not exactly "not working." Obviously, I don't watch Boston Legal.

[NewtonMP2100]

. . .yeah they added him to 'Boston Legal' as a regular but he is underused and if the coming season wasn't the last one. . .he might get cut they way that David E. Kelley always does this. . .add a new cast member. . .underutilize that person then cut them in a year or less. . .

[Buzz]

Chuck is the only reason to own a television.

[Grateful11]

Chuck is great and frankly I can watch it and others without overloading my brain and burning out cells.

[ka jowct]

Chuck makes me want to chuck my TV out the window. He should have been shot dead in the first episode.

[RAMd®d]

ka jowct, you ought to date MacMagus.

[MacMagus]

> He should have been shot dead in the first episode.

I've watched that show. Cute Aussie gal... Who wouldn't?

He should have been either locked away in a box under Langley and drugged into oblivion in the first episode (no habeas corpus in this country anymore) or been trained how to duck in the first episode... and when it became clear that he had been up for recruitment in college and was qualified and pre-screened, they should have formally recruited him and sent him to CIA training camp.

As it stands now, the show makes no sense. Actions don't necessarily follow in a rational manner from what preceded them. The characters are practically inert until events force them to act. The characters aren't evolving and the threats are getting bigger just to provide motivation.

What all that amounts to is that it's kind of boring. Which is sad. Because it had some modest potential in the beginning. Good casting. That Aussie gal is cute.