NBC has launched two new websites that tie in to their show Chuck.

Buy-more’s official website contains links to videos and games, as well as Morgan’s video blog.

The Nerd Herd’s site is a brilliant spoof on the Geek Squad. They also include these computer tips:

Is your computer melting down or is that just your patience? Either way, here’s a few basic things to try when something goes wrong with your machine.
• Make sure everything is plugged in.
• Yes, it’s obvious, but it’s the number-one problem we encounter… honest.
• Restart.
• It’s a tried and true fix-it that really does help in many (OK, some) instances.
• Swear.
• Let loose with your best sailor language. It may not make your computer spring back to life, but you’ll feel loads better. Just make sure the kids are in the other room.
• Ask your eight-year-old. Chances are, he or she will know what to do.
• Try turning the monitor on.
• Hey… we’re all forgetful sometimes.
• Call the Nerd Herd!

I think it’s all sound advice. I’m actually a big fan of the “fake website” that is a tie in to a movie or television show. For some reason, ever since Blair Witch Project, I’ve thought this was a genius use of the internet. I wish sometimes that they had more content and more things to play around with though. Most of the links on these sites lead back to NBC.com. I remember some of the sites connected with Earth Final Conflict had a lot of information and places to surf. You could spend hours without leaving their universe. I hope eventually Chuck could do something like that, they’re aiming to have enough data. For instance, they need to have more Nerd Herd Profiles. I’m sure everybody that watches wants to know more about Chuck’s Stable of Hos.

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

EW.com has a list of the 22 Top Butt-Kicking Babes:

“NO. 22: YVONNE STRAHOVSKI as Sarah Walker in Chuck (2007)…She’s an expert in hand-to-hand combat, advanced driving, and hot-dog preparation. Also: really good at concealing weapons on her person…and using them.”

She might be the bottom of the list, but she’s still there. Sarah’s character has really caught people’s attention, and I think that Yvonne Strahovski has been building up quite a few fans. Not bad for her first foray into television.

I have to say that after this week’s episode, Chuck vs. The Wookiee, I’m much more pleased with Sarah and starting to love her just a little more. Her being stressed out about not getting fired from Weinerlicious, sadly refusing to reveal anything more about herself, even feeding her fish. She’s starting to become a character, it’s really nice. And I admit that even though they’re looking for any excuse for Sarah to fight in skimpy clothing, the fact that the actress does most of her own stunts makes me like the character more.

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

To be honest, I’m quite tired of the “Chuck vs. X” naming convention, but I suppose each show needs their gimmick.

Ratings for last night’s episode are out, and things look good. According to The Programming Insider

“Over at NBC, it looks like Chuck has settled in, with 8.23 million viewers (#2) and a 3.2/ 9 among adults 18-49 (#2t) from 8-9 p.m. While the results could certainly be worse, one year earlier former occupant Deal or No Deal averaged 17.47 million viewers and a 5.2/14 in the demo.”

Last week’s ratings were in the 7 million range, which means that Chuck is going back up on the charts. Online reviews are mostly positive. Several are saying that last night’s episode was the best one yet.

I can’t say that I agree or disagree on that front. I’m beginning to wonder if the show is moving too quickly. They’re revealing so much so quickly, where will they have to go from here? But it was a fun episode, and I like how it started to focus on Sarah’s character and fleshing her out as more than just a girl who fights in a short skirt. The show does like it’s eye candy though, doesn’t it?

On thing does seem to be universal: people aren’t liking Morgan. Most reviews that mention him are negative, the fan blogs focus on Casey, Chuck, and Sarah. People beg for more Captain Awesome, but Morgan? I think this episode was his poorest showing yet. It’s a common theme in television: if you have a main character who is a geek or socially inept, you easily make him likable by having a geekier best friend who is MORE socially inept. I think Chuck would be perfectly likable if his best friend wasn’t a clueless hanger-on. I start to pity Morgan after a while, and I don’t really think that’s what the writers are aiming for.

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

According to Chucktv.net:

Ex-Alias techie Kevin Weisman can’t seem to shake the spy biz. Sources confirm to me exclusively that the actor has landed a flashy guest stint on NBC’s Chuck.

I didn’t watch Alias myself, and don’t watch Weisman’s current show Moonlight, but this seems to be good news that’s got people talking. The episode airs November 12th, and Weisman will apparently play a ” poisonous” bad guy.Ausiello reports:

Also, Ask Ausiello reveals more about Rachel Bilson’s guest stint:

“”She plays Lou, a sandwich maker who complicates the faux relationship with Chuck and Sarah by possibly being available for a real relationship,” says Schwartz. “But like all characters in Chuck’s life these days… she may not be what she appears.”"

Both sound good, though I wonder if the show is going to be relying on guest stars instead of letting Adam Baldwin and Zachary Levi carry the show, because I think both have the talent to really make it great. Adam Baldwin has stolen every scene he’s had so far.

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

Well, Chuck is at least staying on the air a little longer.

Variety Reports:

“Peacock has asked the writers of all of its new shows — “Chuck,” “Bionic Woman,” “Life” and “Journeyman” — to crank out three more scripts of their respective series.”

While this doesn’t constitute a full season, it is a step in the right direction. Though Variety does point out that the networks are also bracing themselves for the possible WGA strike.

Chuck is consistently coming in third in the ratings, and lost viewers two weeks running. But it seems like NBC is willing to let it find it’s niche. Several shows have taken at least a half a season to become hits, so are the networks maybe learning to let a show find it’s feet instead of going for swift cancellation? One would hope that they could learn from the vast mistakes that Fox has made.

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

Chuck’s ratings are continuing to get lower. According to Zap2Itthe show again came in third in number of households, but fourth in number of viewers.

In three episodes, Chuck has lost 2.09 million viewers. Sadly, I think this is largely because of the disappointment that was “Chuck Vs. the Helicopter.” What makes this especially disheartening to fans of the show is that the third episode, “Chuck vs. the Tango,” was much better.

While the ratings are grim, all is not lost says TV Guide’s Matt Roushsays:

“But like most shows so far this season, it’s not what you’d call a breakout hit. Still, it’s holding its own in a very competitive environment, and if the media stays in its corner, that could also help. I know I’ll do my part, especially if future episodes live up to their potential. But I’d be surprised if NBC doesn’t stand behind this one for a good long while.”

Roush also calls Chuck vs. The Tango the series best episode yet, and while I don’t know if I would qualify it as better than the pilot, it certainly was the caliber I was expecting from the show. If they keep up that level, then I’ll be much more likely to suggest the show to others.

So, did episode three win you back to the show, or have you given up on it already? Do you think it’s likely to get canned, or are they in for a full season at least? With the marketing push behind the show, I have a feeling NBC might actually hang on for a while. Besides, Roush is right, Monday nights is terribly competitive. Would you want to be up against Dancing With the Stars?

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

IAccording to Zap2It:

“NBC’s “Chuck,” 5.1/8, took third (both it and “Big Bang” lost about a million viewers from their premieres last week).”

According to the ratings, they seemed to be even with How I Met Your Mother, but Big Bang Theory took a greater share of the market. Losing a million viewers in the second week is not what I was expecting at all. I assumed Chuck would pick up a few more viewers because enough people had already seen the pilot. The reviews have been almost universally good, and usually better than Big Bang Theory has been getting.

The website Chuck Online is saying that viewer retention is actually positive with numbers at 89%. Do shows usually drop that much in their second week? Since Chuck is aimed at people with computer savvy, perhaps the viewers are getting the show in different ways.

So what went wrong for NBC? Or did it go wrong at all?

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

It’s true, everyone has a theory about what happened to our favorite batch of survivors. Last night on Chuck, as he is rambling on some of the many government secrets in his head, Chuck tells us that:

“Oceanic flight 815 was shot down by….”

Sadly, he moves on to another topic before we can find out who the government thinks is responsible for Jack, Sawyer, and the rest being stranded. I don’t know if this was just a general geek nod to another hit show, or if the producers of the two shows are friends. But it was a fun moment.

Sadly, it was one of the few fun moments in last night’s episode. It wasn’t a bad episode exactly, but it wasn’t as enjoyable as the pilot. It relied heavily on bad assumptions and miscommunication, which will get old very quickly on an action show. I’m chalking it up to a sophomore slump, because very show has good and bad episodes.

The way that television shows are done, it could be a large span of time between the pilot and the actual series. So the question becomes: which is more indicative of the show’s future? Should we believe that it will stay true to the ideas in the pilot, or do we think that the second episode is more closely related to their current writing styles?

I give most shows a half a season before I entirely give up on them. Are you as forgiving? How do you think the second episode fared against the first?

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

There is already a poll on E! online to say if you want to “Save or Sink” the show Chuck, which only has had one episode. So far the results are pretty firmly in the “save it” category.

According to the Washington Post:

“To steal from the title of a great old Chuck Jones cartoon, this isn’t just “Chuck” but “Chuck Amok,” and if the premise and execution remind you of teen-aimed movies with similar setups and characters, at least it should remind you of the good ones, not the lame-o’s. “Chuck” cheerfully brightens up NBC’s Monday night of video fantastique and does it in a pretty magnifique way.”

After watching the pilot episode, I have to say that I agree. On the one hand, I’m wary because it’s a premise that could just as easily become terrible or become a new fan favorite. I don’t forsee it ever becoming a mainstream staple the way of Heroes or Battlestar Galactica, it is a little too focused on the “nerd” idea.

Reactions about the acting are mixed, and honestly I’m also mixed. I think that part of that is due to it being the pilot, and you have to give people a little time to settle in and become the characters you know and love. Mulder and Scully weren’t in top form in the first episode of X-Files either. I’m not ready to count these kids out, they seem to be on the right track. One thing I will say though is that Morgan, Chuck’s best friend, reminds me a little too much of Justin Long for some reason.

I think it is summed up best in the review from Entertainment Weekly:

“Chuck is packed with car chases, explosions, and even some nifty knife work with sporks. All the action is balanced by the loose-limbed Levi, who has a grin that makes you want to give him all your pudding, immediately. And while there are a few too many ”awkward-guy moments,” there are enough genuinely sweet ones to balance them out, especially between Chuck and his cooler, protective older sister, Ellie (What About Brian’s Sarah Lancaster). Ellie, it must be mentioned, has a doctor/skydiver/rock-climber boyfriend (Ryan McPartlin) whom Chuck has dubbed Captain Awesome. That nickname alone makes the series worth watching.”

With last night’s episode on top of these reviews, are you watching?

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

Chuck took second place in the ratings last night, tieing with How I Met Your Mother and losing to Dancing with the Stars according to MediaWeek:

“NBC took a hit in the Monday 8 p.m. hour, with the debut of dramedy Chuck at a second-place 6.4/10 in the overnights (versus a 9.4/15 for the first half of a two-hour edition of Deal or No Deal on the first Monday of the 2006-07 season). Demographically, though, there could be some momentum if Chuck skews young.”

Some reports are saying that Chuck brought in over 9 million viewers, though solid numbers are of course still not available. The question is, what does this bode for the series?

On the one hand, they were the lead-in to Heroes, which should have helped them in the ratings. But they were in a fight against the premiere of the juggernaut Dancing With the Stars, and How I Met Your Mother has been getting a lot of positive attention lately. It would be a hard spot for any newcomer to be in.

I certainly hope people don’t make any assumptions about the show based on this one night of ratings, since the pilot was available everywhere before the show actually aired. Next week’s numbers I think will be more telling, because it will be a brand new episode.

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

Phil Klemmer, who once wrote for Veronica Mars, is now writing for Chuck. Asked to describe the show in an interview with Television Without Pity:

Well, I was sort of pitching it to my parents as Mr. And Mrs. Smith meets The Office. … But you know, the thing that really appealed to me from the page, and now, is it’s got, you know, a pair of guy friends at the center of the show, Chuck and Morgan, and that’s a dynamic that’s always been a huge part of my life, from actual adolescent relationships with my friends, to sort of, now that I’m an adult, maintaining the adolescent quality of those, that sort of humor, and certain levels of interaction…

While most of NBCs overt push has been their tag “He’s the secret, she’s the agent” most of the things I’ve read that involve Zachary Levi and the creators have actually talked a lot about Chuck and Morgan and their friendship. So which is going to be the real focus of the show? Or are they going to be able to actually have a balance? Does Morgan really become his partner in crime, or is he going to be the guy that stays at home?

The interview is also fascinating for all the talk of Veronica Mars, the process of getting a job writing television, and all the young guys in the writing room. It’s long but well worth a read. He also discusses how he thought the large budget for Chuck would save him from the problems he faced on Veronica Mars, which leads to my favorite quote:
” But I just thought we’d be rolling in money and be like, ‘Oh, we’ll fix it in post!’”

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

NBC is really pushing Chuck as their new hit, all the way to putting Zachary Levi, the star, as a guest on The View on ABC.

Monday, Sep. 24
Jimmy Smits (Cane); Senator Joe Biden (author, Promises to Keep); Zachary Levi (Chuck)”

That’s just an odd set of guests. I don’t watch The View, so I don’t know what sort of format they have. I’ve heard that if you want to catch Levi, you should tune into the last half of the show.

I can’t figure out why they would be promoting Chuck on The View. It seems to be a show aimed at younger men, with plenty of interest for the geek girls.

Maybe this is part of their attempts to get women to watch, which again annoys me. The girls I know who are likely to watch Chuck wouldn’t watch The View. The only time they see that particular show is when The Soup gives us clips to poke fun at. What is the demographic for The View? Would they be interested in Chuck at all?

I suppose it’s a less annoying move than the commercial that is just people saying, “Chuck!” over and over again. I hate that commercial, it actually makes me less interested in the show.

Only a few more days until it airs, however! If there is anybody left who hasn’t already watched it through the million different ways NBC released the pilot.

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

NBC and Clear Channel have struck a deal to turn five of their stations into “CHUCK-FM” according to Business Wire

Also in these markets, from 6:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., stars of a new NBC fall show “Chuck” are taking over the airwaves to discuss their new show. During these hours, all five stations will refer to themselves as “Chuck-FM,” and Zach Levi and Josh Gomez (who play Chuck and Morgan respectively) will introduce all station content reports (news, traffic, weather, sports) with no other commercial breaks or advertisers running concurrently.

The stations involved are: WHTZ-FM (Z100) in New York, KIIS-FM in Los Angeles, KYLD-FM in San Francisco, WKSC-FM in Chicago, and WIOQ-FM in Philadelphia

For the entire day on September 24th, those five stations will air nothing but NBC ads, as well as extra content like vignettes and exclusive content, mostly focusing on Chuck and Journeyman.

The lines of advertising are blurring more every day. Product placement is getting headlines, everybody is talking about how to reach people in new and innovative ways. Is this the first of a new trend? Television has allowed single sponsors to “take over” a program with them before, so it seems natural for radio to do the same. But will viewers respond to it at all? Specifically when you consider that September 24th is the day that Chuck is set to premiere. Is that getting the word out in time, or catering to people who are already planning to watch the show?

And how much money did this cost NBC? I imagine it must have been a tidy sum. All I know is I’m very happy I don’t live in any of the five markets. I subscribe to satellite radio to get away from obnoxious ads that play repeatedly, so I know this particular campaign would make me less likely to watch.

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

Chuck star says that the show will be easy to pick up in the middle. According to an interview on TV with MeeVee

You’re going to have a procedural show in there where you can tune in and have a mission of the week…and every sixth episode is going to be a mythology show,” Levi said.

He rightly goes on to say that while he loves Lost, it’s a show that’s almost impossible to pick up in the middle of. So Chuck isn’t going to be like that, instead they’ll do what the early seasons of the X-Files were so good at: mixing monster-of-the-week with mythology plots.

This sounds like a good plan, but it also seems like audiences are leaning more towards shows that require people to tune in every week. Chuck is a lead-in to Heroes, and while you CAN catch up to Heroes, it is a show that is almost entirely “mythology.” In fact, the target audience for Chuck is the same as for Heroes (as the stars and creators have said often) so it’s possible a mission-of-the-week format would turn those viewers away. Science-fiction television fans are notorious for using “of-the-week” as a derogative term.

I personally like a show I can miss an episode of and not have to give up on the entire season. I forgot to watch Lost one week a few years ago, and haven’t seen an episode since because I knew I couldn’t just pick it up again and know what was going on. I missed the boat on Heroes for months until the Sci-Fi Channel had a marathon so I could catch up after forgetting to watch the first couple weeks. But you can’t deny that those shows are getting more and more popular. Which do you prefer?

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

Chuck Bartowski is all over the internet, and now he’s making sure that you have the tools you need to escape an assassin, should someone email you any secret plans. From The Bachelor Guy

1. Chinese Throwing Stars – Pointy and deadly. ‘Nuff said.

2. Super Glue – Because the world is an imperfect place. If it wasn’t, well, why would an assassin be chasing you?

3. Swiss Army Knife – Terrifying and sharp as the Swiss people themselves.

4. iPhone – To frustrate any assassin trying to type an email or SMS.

5. Morgan Grimes – Clouseau had Cato, Fred had Barney, Tango had Cash… I have Morgan. Mess with the bull, you’ll get the horns.

6. Adidas Track Suit – Comfortable, slimming, elegant, enchanting.

7. Butter – What? Butter isn’t delicious?

8. Nintendo Wii – If you’re going to outrun an assassin you better know how to play Wii Tennis.

9. A Spork – As I’ve always said: the best offense is a good defense.

10. Flamethrower – Because sometimes it’s easier to get your point across by shooting fire out of a gun than it is if you don’t have the capability to shoot fire out of a gun.”

I completely agree with 1, 3, 8, 9, and 10. A spork is a must have item for any occasion, and flamethrowers…well, I can think of a lot of times where things would have been easier if I had a flamethrower.

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

The show hasn’t started, but the stars are already signing up. According to JustJared

Bilson will play a romantic option for Chuck (Zachary Levi) in a multi-episode arc scheduled to air in late October, according to USA Today

This will put Bilson together with O.C. producer and writer Josh Schwartz, who is also writing and producing Chuck.

I didn’t watch The O.C., and while Rachel Bilson might not be a big name star, it seems like good news that guest stars are already being announced.

Only a little over a week to go! If you have Comcast on Demand, be sure to check out the features there. There are a lot of free previews and interviews, as well as the pilot, available to watch.

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

According to Blockbuster you can now rent several new NBC shows through their Total Access or in store rentals.

“The NBC New Fall Preview DVD is now available for rent exclusively through Blockbuster Online and at participating Blockbuster stores. The DVD features three full shows, plus a two minute preview of Bionic Woman.”

On the DVD are Chuck, Journeyman, and Life. If you haven’t succumbed to Netflix’s recent price drops, check it out. It’s interesting to see NBC and Blockbuster team up this way, I’m curious which company came up with the partnership and if more like it are forthcoming. While I think I would argue if they decided to only allow one rental company to carry their shows, a preview DVD could be a good way to draw in new customers for both of them.

If you’ve got Blockbuster, are you going to rent it? With Chuck being so available, it doesn’t seem to be worth the trouble to me. But I haven’t looked for the other two shows, so maybe it’s worth it for those

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

The producers of NBC’s new series Chuck think that women should tune into their show, according to an interview with Fadpov.com, a website dedicated to “the entertainment news and reviews site for female fandom, by female fandom

Well, assuming your female audience is already into the genre elements of the show… the spy and the action component… I think for them, there’s that in spades with Chuck. There’s also, that life crisis that Chuck’s going through, which is really the emotional anchor of the show, and it’s something that’s really relatable.”

They go on to talk about the character of Sarah, who saves Chuck’s life more than once and doesn’t let any “glass ceilings” get in her way. In an interview with the actress, Yvonne Strzechowski, she says the character:

“And she can handle herself very well in very dangerous and complicated situations. However, when it comes to basic things like cooking she’s not so hot.”

This makes me wonder why, when people are trying to write a strong female character, they always seem to be hopeless at cooking. I personally am hopeless at cooking anything that doesn’t come in a box, but it seems like the first “flaw” they reach for.

But later on in the interview is the moment that really catches me. When talking to series stars Zachary Levi and Joshua Gomez, the men discover what really makes a girl watch a tv show:

“Zac: Women don’t need the love stuff! Women want a good kick-ass woman and a good kick-ass guy and I think we provide a little bit of everything.

And hot guys –

Zac: And hot guys!

Josh: Hot guys playing video games!

Zac: Hot guys playing video games – sign me up!!”

As much as girls have made inroads lately as showing that we are fans of genre fiction, and we do like espionage and action thrillers, we still run into people saying things like “we added a love story to appeal to the girls out there!”

What’s it going to take for everybody to realize that girls like the same things guys like. Girls watch the same things guys watch. Girls want storytelling and characters we can love and be invested in. And hot guys playing video games, that’s always a plus with me.

I enjoy Die Hard as much as the next guy that comes along, and I think I’ll enjoy Chuck. But in their attempt to make Sarah so “kick ass” they may have lost me, because I won’t believe her, even if she can’t boil water.

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

Curious to know who Chuck Bartowski of NBC’s Chuck really is? Don’t worry, there’s plenty of places on the internet for you to learn about Buy More’s Nerd Herd representative. I’ve heard of shows and movies having MySpace pages, and even some for fictional characters. But Chuck has quite the web presence:

MySpace
Flickr
YouTube
LastFM
Geek 2 Geek
Stickam

Several other characters have MySpace profiles as well. So now I know that Chuck’s favorite book is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, he’s a fan of Die Hard, and he really wants to meet Fonzie the bear from the muppets. While it’s possible some of these are created by fans, I’d wager most were created by NBC.

I’ve never even heard of some of these sites, but it seems to be like a big geek like Chuck probably would have been to Geek 2 Geek before. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s on Facebook as well, has anybody seen him there?

The big question is, would you put Chuck in your Top 8?

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

NBC has decided not to wait for people to leak or pirate their new shows, but instead give them to saavy fans early, according to TVGuide.com says:

In an arrangement touted as “unprecedented in terms of its scope and participation,” all four of NBC’s freshman series — Chuck, Bionic Woman, Journeyman and Life — are being made available early, starting Sept. 10, as free video-on-demand offerings via Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Charter and other major cable operators, Variety reports.

Chuck isn’t due to premiere on TV until September 24th, as the lead-in to the second season of Heroes. Last year, a few tv shows offered their pilot episodes up for downloading on iTunes for free, but usually only a few days within their premiere date. I think it’s a great development, and NBC certainly seems to be thinking about ways to make people talk about their shows. There’s a lot of press lately about how to protect content from being leaked onto the internet, and one way to prevent “leaks” is to deliver the show yourself.

There’s a lot of talk about Chuck, and it’s been called one of the most anticipated shows of this coming season. Is giving us the pilot early going to whip the fans into a frenzy, or end up being a buzz kill?

With two weeks to get to know this episode, are people going to still be happy to tune in to episode two?

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck