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Please Save Chuck

Dear NBCApril 23

Please, please bring Chuck back for a third season.

Between the brilliant pop-culture references and the oh-so-relevant geek humor, I can’t help but smile through every episode. Of the many shows I watch, it is at the absolute top of the list: ahead of my old stalwart The Office, the consistently excellent Friday Night Lights, and even 24 despite Jack Bauer going gangbusters this season. I treasure every episode of Chuck, so much that I can’t bring myself to delete them from my DVR for fear that I’m tossing away something precious.

My reasons for loving this show are many. Despite what my friends may say, they do not begin and end with Yvonne Strahovski.

(Seriously, though, how can a show with her not be obliterating the competition? Her physical beauty is remarkable, but it’s her talent as a dramatic actress that really seals the deal. I’m only slightly exaggerating when I say that every guy with a television set should be falling over themselves for her.)

Every great show begins with strong relationships between its characters, and this one is no exception. The magnetic attraction between Chuck and Sarah is well established, but it’s not the only dynamic worth exploring. Here are a few of my favorites:

  • Chuck and Morgan: Best friends who, together, break out of their sheltered bubbles by making room for other significant others in their lives. It’s not without a twinge of sadness, however, as both quietly realize their bromance’s days may be numbered.

  • Morgan and Ellie: The classic best friend with a crush on your older sister. The comedy that accompanies this pairing often overshadows its dramatic value. Despite how Ellie acts, you know she appreciates Morgan’s loyalty to her brother (and to her, though she’ll only admit it under the heavy influence of alcohol).

  • Sarah and Casey: Professional equals with ideological differences, but not really. Casey puts up a tough front, but deep down inside, you know he has a soft spot for Chuck. Watching Sarah’s sensitivity rub off on him over the course of the season brought a tear to my eye.

  • Jeff and Lester: Please. Like anything needs to be said.

  • Awesome and Anyone: Like bacon, everything goes well with Awesome.

With a strong roster of characters, the responsibility then falls on others to create and maintain the show’s trademark tone. Enter Alexandra Patsavas and her knack for selecting the perfect music for the show’s many deserving moments. The National, Okkervil River, and Bon Iver in the same television show? Sign me up. Chuck is far more affecting than its premise would suggest, and it has Patsavas to thank for that distinction.

The end result is a show that never fails to deliver on the promise of great entertainment. Whether it’s playing to its lighthearted roots or exploring more dramatic territory with its ongoing mythology, each and every episode provides welcome relief from the stress of the daily grind. Each week, I look forward to what’s going to happen next with Chuck and the Intersect (or Chuck and Sarah, or Casey and his vast assortment of firearms, etc.), and every time I walk away satisfied.

Which leads us to the Now, three days before the Season Two finale. The last few episodes have been stellar. So amazing have they been, in fact, that the mere thought of Chuck not returning next season prompts me to retreat to a sad and distressing place. If Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak are to be taken at their word and next week’s episode turns out to be “one of the least satisfying [series] finales of all time” should you cancel the show, you can bet there will be a large number of heartbroken fans reaching for ice cream or their liquor cabinets if the show does not survive.

In Schwartz’s own words: “the show would shift [in the third season] and become something even bigger than what is now. There was always a way designed to, like, kick out the jams and take it to 11, in the next season.” That sounds positively amazing. Please don’t deprive us of the opportunity to see what he has in store for us.

On a final note, this is the third time that NBC has inspired me to rally behind a brilliant, albeit ratings-challenged show (see exhibits A and B). Friday Night Lights and The Office are both alive and well today, reinforcing my belief that you’re willing to give quality shows time to develop. It’s a stance I admire greatly, and one that I hope holds true with Chuck.

Sincerely,
James Fan

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Renewal Status

Head on over to Does Chuck Have a 3rd Season? for a realtime update from Matt Barber, one of the editors on Chuck.

How You Can Help

  1. Re-watch the finale and tell all your friends about it!

  2. Join the We Heart Chuck effort by donating to The American Heart Association.

  3. Participate in The Finale and a Footlong Campaign (check it out on Facebook). Buy a $5 footlong from Subway on April 27th in support of the show! Update: thanks to everyone who participated!

  4. ChuckTV.net has a ton of great suggestions including some great tips if you want to go the letter-writing route.

  5. Advertise your support for Chuck. Go beyond signing a petition of anonymous supporters. Post about it on your blog, evangelize it to your friends, do whatever you can to generate buzz for the show.

    Invest quality time and effort, and someone will notice. With enough of us rallying behind Chuck, maybe, just maybe the right people will notice.

  6. Send news tips to me at james@pleasesavechuck.com. I'll post them here as I receive them. I'm also on Twitter.