Chuck, the TV series, ended with a bang tonight. After three great seasons (1-3), and one mostly forgettable one (season 4), the series was given another in a long list of cancellation reprieves by NBC for season 5, in what seemed to be a placeholder position on Friday nights while the floundering network hoped and prayed for some kind of replacement show that would at least better Chuck's ratings. (Note to NBC execs: the show about the stars tracing their family trees isn't it.)
The truth of the matter is, Chuck had a perfect ending when season 3 stopped. If the show would have ended right then and there, it would have been a classic. Chuck Bartowski had fulfilled everything: He got the girl, he became a spy, he escaped his failed past. But NBC listened to the fans of the series and brought it back for a fourth season, a season mired by even more stunt casting (always a problem with this show, although a few moments shine through, like Scott Bakula as Chuck's father), and an over-dependence on product placement (I'm looking at you, Subway) that bordered on the obnoxious. (Yes, fans buying Subway sandwiches saved the show at least once, I get it.)
The fifth season, which NBC said upfront was 13 episodes and done, redeemed the show slightly. The final two episodes, with Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski) going rogue and forgetting all her memories of her relationship with Chuck (Zachary Levi) were great. But the season was once again mired by stunt casting (an unrecognizable Mark Hamill in the first episode, the imminently forgettable Angus Macfadyen as the big bad in the final episodes, and Matrix refugee Carrie-Anne Moss still milking that whole black leather thing from her only hit film). By season five most of the regular characters had gotten tired: Big Mike, Jeff and Lester, Morgan, Ellie and Awesome, had all become TV show cardboard cutouts, more annoying than enjoyable. Worst of all, star Zach Levi seemed to phone the show in during some episodes, and it remained for Yvonne Stahovski to put on a cat-suit to wake me back up. (Seriously: I would SO watch a Sarah Walker show with her as a CIA agent.)
I'd like to say all is forgiven, Chuck, but that's clearly not the case as far as I'm concerned. Despite an open-ended ending that was ambiguous enough to be really appealing, the failure to abort at the right time made you fail your 5-year spy mission. Better to have gone off to TV heaven back at the end of season 3 when you had a natural, (dare I say it?) AWESOME ending, then to stretch this out for two more seasons.
But still, the real story of Chuck began with a kiss...and the series ended with a kiss, too. There's a certain symmetry to that which I find kind of special. So good luck, Chuck. We'll always have those first 50 or so shows when you were simply wonderful.
I'm not gonna lie, I pretty much hated seeing this show go! Lol. Yvonne Strahovski... shudders... Nerdgasm aside, it was a great series and gave me a term for something I wrote about: Getting Chucked.
I wish well both Zach and Yvonne; it'll be interesting to see how they develop their careers now.
Posted by: Alex | 07/07/2012 at 12:24 PM