So what did you think of this episode of CHUCK? Were you excited? Did you love Timothy Dalton returning to the show? Was Sarah hot or super hot in her little snow bunny outfit? How about Chuck in his Archer getup? And what about that prenuptial agreement? And what about the weapon?
Discuss! Or don't. I really couldn't care less (which, mind you, is the correct way of saying it and not "I could care less" since that means the opposite of what you are trying to say, numbskulls).
Oh and here is the TV Guide thingy... go to he 3:54 minute mark for CHUCK:
wait. so the episode is tonight? I thought it was next week.
ReplyDeleteI have only been doing a countdown to when the episode will be for 3 weeks on my Twitter account.
ReplyDeletehmmm. I guess that's not long enough. Should have started sooner.
ReplyDeleteYup, obviously it is my fault that fans of the show make no effort to learn when it is on.
ReplyDeletequick question, did you stick to No Ordinary Family till the end? what did you think? I found that it got overly cliche by the end.
ReplyDeleteI will answer one NOF question in here and then we move on... I thought the show got better as it went on, but that it also went straight into the same territory that ultimately pulled me away from HEROES. But I think a 2nd season would have been what season 1 should have been: less family issues, more family fighting bad guys.
ReplyDeleterich says [i swear, this one paragraph is it]
ReplyDeletealthough Ali Adler is certainly good at making the heartfelt scenes that are conducive to the family part of no ordinary family, that they kept trying to resolve everything into the family aspect meant that there was less real danger and more just emotional danger. the draw of a superhero show is the superpowers, and there were certainly few good superhero villians, the most interesting one quickly became an ally. most of them were completely uninteresting to me. and then there was the faux climax that just kinda fizzled for the last two episodes instead of building epicly (and here is my bridge back) like Chuck usually does. (except for the end of season 2 with the fake-out 2.21 finale)
Now I am done. CHUCK!
Looking forward to Chuck tonight and your podcast tomorrow!!!!
ReplyDeleteTS
Are we finally getting some proper on-location shooting now?
ReplyDeleteThe little exchange with Vivian and what we saw in the promo of Gary Cole were 500000000x better than anything in Castle, where, IMO, the show has been too bogged down this season.
This episode has been AWESOME. And I'm more excited about the 4x21. GARY COLE RETURNS. <3
ReplyDeleteDammit I wish we knew there was a 5th so it could just be joyful not bitter sweet
ReplyDeleteI am sure had this episode followed one of the episodes I loved, that I would be more down on it... but it followed one of my least favorite episodes so I liked it a lot more. Sure, the whole Chuck keeping the spy secret from Ellie has more than run its course, but the fact that she flipped it on him is at least an interesting twist on the whole deal.
ReplyDeleteI will watch the episode a couple of times before deciding how much I liked it.
Yvonne's scary/awesome music video stole the night IMO
ReplyDeleteHT
Maybe that was the point of NBC choosing that episode. So we would enjoy this one even more. :)
ReplyDeleteI like that in the preview it looks like both Sarah and Chuck get conned, and it's doesn't seem to be a Chuck looking like an idiot episode.
I was talking about Muuurder not First Class. I love First Class.
ReplyDeleteHT, if you mean scary horrible video, then we agree.
ReplyDeleteSomeone's gonna have my head on a stick for this but...
ReplyDeleteVivian >>>>> Alexei. So much better. And she, like, enunciates! She's fantastic!!!
This was one of the more put together, most-balanced episode yet. 'Twas pretty great. (When do people stop using "'twas," btw? Is there a limit as to when to use it or not? I kind of hate it when people say it outside of holiday season, so I have no idea why I just did. In fact, I can erase all of this and you'd never know. Ah, what the hell?)
Volkoff- A work in progress...amazing. I loved every single scene stealing second he was on.
ReplyDeleteChuck/Sarah- The prenup storyline was weak for me and seemed like filler for the couple, although it did move the Casey/Kathleen storyline forward and I did like Sarah's reactions to Cool!Chuck. I really would like a scene though where she actually shares a little with Chuck instead of someone else.
Spy!Ellie- Vey interested to see where they take this. I love seeing her proactive.
*shallow* I hate Awesome's haircut. Its not much different than usual but just enough that I hate it.
*still shallow* Chuck looked hot in his tactilneck. Would you say it was black or a slightly darker black?
All in all I found the episode really funny and definitely count it as my favorite pened by Wooten so far.
I liked a lot of stuff and the fact that I didn´t love Muurder at all either and that there was such a long hiatus might have helped, but I was definitely enjoying myself a lot.
ReplyDeleteSarah/Casey scene was great. I love their bond and it was nice to tie Sarah´s family backstory to Casey´s relationship with Alex.
The synchronised Morgan/Casey advice to Chuck was also golden. And Chuck staying "cool" was a nice change. Also liked how much that unnerved Sarah. She really depends on Chuck to get her to go for the stuff she secretly wants anyway. No wonder she always gives in.
Still loved Timothy Dalton and I mostly enjoyed him trying to reform and still being totally crazy, but the "I was EEEVUL." line to Mary was a bit over the top.
I really dig bad girl Vivian.
I thought all the spy stuff relied a bit heavily on Chuck doing everything with Sarah and Casey not being much more than backup, but he has the most interesting connection to Volkoff, so it was ok.
Loved Ellie and Awesome spying on Mary.
And I can´t wait for Gary Cole.
ETA: I guess posting with my lj account doesn´t work anymore.
awelle
First impressions of the episode was great...gonna watch it a few more times before i make a final decision.
ReplyDelete(It looks like my previous posting didn't go through and I spent so much time on it. I'll distill it down to one observation and forget the rest)
ReplyDeleteThe pre-nup plot was much ado about very little. It feels like we missed a scene...or something. Unless it was meant as a prelude to a Sarah backstory in the future, I didn't get it.
I had four other comments that got lost and I'm feeling lazy right now.
Prenup was awesome... not because the story went anywhere but because I loved seeing Sarah uncool. :)
ReplyDeleteGood episode, but...
ReplyDeleteWas anyone else as terrified as I was of Lauren Cohan's acting?
Cohan's acting? She was serviceable. I was too busy enjoying the other performances.
ReplyDeleteIt was a really solid episode, for me there weren't any highs or lows, just good fun throughout. Highlights were the Morgan Casey in-sync scene and the twist with Vivian turning on her father and Ellie lying to Chuck.
ReplyDeleteI do think they were using it to build up to next week which looks to be an even better episode. I'm really looking forward to the return of Gary Cole.
Adam, the prenup thing leads us into the family stuff. I think some people are being short sighted on that one. But that is why you can't decide what things mean before seeing what they mean. ;)
ReplyDeleteIm still kind of confused to why sarah wanted the prenup? was it to protect chuck from her fathers criminal background?
ReplyDeleteGM15, no... to protect the cash she is hording for her dad's inevitable bail needs. Yeah, it isn't a very big and well thought out reason but that is it.
ReplyDelete"Prenup was awesome... not because the story went anywhere but because I loved seeing Sarah uncool. :)"
ReplyDeleteI also liked it for that. Storywise, I thought Sarah expected Chuck to protest and thereby reassuring her, that he would never leave her and much less deprive her of any means to protect her father. And it was great how much his lack of freaking out unnerved her. :D
I loved Chuck´s cool facade, while he clearly wasn´t all that cool with it underneath. Also liked how his being cool even reached toward his conversation with his mother.
I am looking forward to more story about Sarah´s relationship to her parents and it´s definitely possible there is much more to Sarah´s reasoning for the prenup, that hasn´t come up yet, but I´d be cool either way.
awelle
i dont like devon's hair - it looks better shorter
ReplyDeleteother than that - epic episode!!!
i wonder if they will try and keep alexi volkoff around in season 5 *(if there is one)
... I forgot one last highlight....Sarah's new Lotus. While it's not quite a 911, it was a great choice.
ReplyDeleteRight, Sarah was EXPECTING Chuck to ask her why and when he didn't, he tripped her up. Sarah likes it when Chuck keeps her emotional/considerate side in check. His personality balances her. So when he was being "cool" about it, she felt unbalanced.
ReplyDeletelotus evora very nice(borat voice)does chuck even have a license? when is chuck going to get a new whip? What does the CIA pay him with? Oreos and Gummy bears?
ReplyDeleteRazorback,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a good point. The perception that I had of her acting might have just been magnified as result of the contrast from great performances by the likes of Timothy Dalton.
Overall though, I enjoyed the episode. It was far from the best, but it got the job done. I'm still not sure what it was exactly because I haven't had as much of a problem with her in previous episodes, but something about Cohan really bothered me, particularly in this episode. Either way, I look forward to seeing what happens from here on out!
i couldn't hear properly slash didn't understand the reference chuck was making at the breakfast right before sarah gave him the prenup. what was he referencing?
ReplyDeleteGM15, the CIA very obviously pays him in weird household trinkets. Like a ceramic clown head.
ReplyDelete- Cool Chuck is not as cool as Cool Ethan
Wow... an excellent, well written, expertly analyzed review from AV Club. They obviously changed critics because the last one was an idiot who missed the most obvious stuff.
ReplyDeleteThe AV Club did switch critics! Ryan McGee was laid off from AOL's TV Squad so he's now writing the Chuck reviews for them. No more Seig-Heisler! McGee at least puts some more thought and depth into his reviews and he's a long-time fan of the show.
ReplyDelete-OPD
Glad to see him replace Seig-Heisler.
ReplyDeleteA couple of quick random thoughts:
ReplyDelete-Dalton was amazing as usual!
- Ellie and awesome playing spies was great!
- I honestly thought Sarah's reasoning for telling Ellie was the best one even though it seemed thrown in at the end. I've always respected the Chuck "hero journey" as a major story line and I thought this was the most compelling reason to let Ellie in on the secret. She needs to know Chuck isn't just a great guy- he's
the hero of this story!
- Chuck's Archer turtleneck! I spent the weekend catching up on Archer Season 1: " I didn' t invent the turtleneck Lana but I did discover it's tactical usefulness!"
- Chuck still has his N64!- the greatest console ever. I too have preserved my N64 for posterity.
- Chuck and Sarah were drinking Chateau Le Franc! I like the idea that somehow they stole a few bottles from the winery when they went back the
second time :)
-OPD
I hadn't caught that... I should write it down or something so I can remember to mention it on the podcast.
ReplyDeleteWhat lies underneath for Mama B? Is she a spy working for General Diane? Who really is agent x? Will Kathlene freak out over finding out Alex is alive? Now this is the Chuck I love they left so many questions with room for speculation. I need to watch it again ti find the little nuggets placed like the lafrank wine. Welcome back Chuck you were missed.
ReplyDeletePre-nup arc was good, the reasons are mentioned here earlier. Only this "romantic pre-nup" from Chuck I didn't like. Basic idea was okay, but the text was bad, it sounded too much conditional love, "if you do this then I do that"-stuff. Urghh, bah!
ReplyDeleteWhat is it with Switzerland and Chuck? Honeymooners, Fear of Death and now with Volkoff's secret place [BTW should have been in the Urals or the Caucasus Mountains]. Are there more Swiss places in Chuck I forgot?
are the ratings out?
ReplyDeleteRatings come out in about 7 hours.
ReplyDeleteBut my crystal ball tells me that CHUCK gets a 1.3.
Thought the pre-nup with Chuck being cool was really enjoyable. I download from itunes, and for one of the first times, I didn't skip through any part of the episode. I found it all to be equally entertaining. The Ellie/Devon/Mama B sideline has an actual purpose; it's great!
ReplyDeleteInitially I'd thought that Agent X meant Chuck. Still not entirely sure why it's not him.
@Sue: „*still shallow* Chuck looked hot in his tactilneck. Would you say it was black or a slightly darker black?“ Hahahahaha. Sooo Archer.
ReplyDelete@awelle: „And Chuck staying "cool" was a nice change. Also liked how much that unnerved Sarah. She really depends on Chuck to get her to go for the stuff she secretly wants anyway. No wonder she always gives in.“ + „I also liked it for that. Storywise, I thought Sarah expected Chuck to protest and thereby reassuring her, that he would never leave her and much less deprive her of any means to protect her father. And it was great how much his lack of freaking out unnerved her. :D“ I agree!!! Spot on.
@Magnus: „Prenup was awesome... not because the story went anywhere but because I loved seeing Sarah uncool. :)“ It was very amusing seeing her so „off“.
@Adam: Are you insane? You prefer a Porsche over a Lotus Evora? Really???
Timothy Dalton was just superb.
The Morgan/Casey sync: beyond words.
Lauren Cohan: meh.
The Chuck keeping his spy thing a secret from Ellie storyling is boring, and has no legs. It's like from TV writer's 101, "must include conflict by all means". Wish they just moved past it.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise fun episode, much much better than the last one which I didn't like at all. Lauren Cohan's acting .. I still find sub-par, especially when you have the wonderful Dalton in the same episode, he does so much more with his character in much less time. What on earth happened to Sam? Did my eyes deceive me or did the prenup say Sarah Lisa Walker? I guess we'll jot it down to she changed her legal name at some point :))
Yes my real name is Anonymous
And that should end the "What is her real name" argument once and for all. Sarah has abandoned Sam forever.
ReplyDeleteThe twist on the twist that Vivian would turn on her dad was welcome plotwise for its surprise, but I wondered if it was driven by Dalton only being available for this one episode. If that's the case, too bad. Dalton's great.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I thought the episode was enjoyable and a serviceable set-up for the rest of the season's arc. There were some good moments.
All the elements seem certain to converge in the final episodes: the DNA-targeting weapon, Agent X, Ellie's new Intersect expertise.
It did seem out of left field that Vivian would bring up "Agent X" as a nemesis to be dealt with, but that's typical of this show.
I know you've said it before, but Timothy Dalton really is the best guest star Chuck has ever had. I also liked the new ride they gave Sarah. I enjoyed the episode and looking forward to Gary Cole next week.
ReplyDeleteNah, the real name argument complaining will rumble on I suspect. It's been well over a year at this point and still it continues.
ReplyDeleteShe has settled on a name. That is all that matters. Like I have said, she is Chuck's Sarah and that is who she wants to be.
ReplyDeleteWow, that was the best and most well-constructed episode in a long, long time. It almost made the wait okay.
ReplyDeleteYay, Timothy Dalton! Yay, Ellie and Devon having a meaningful storyline! Yay, cute Chuck and Sarah mini story! And I have to say, yay! - no token BuyMore side story!
Two thumbs up!
For me this episode is one of the reasons why I love chuck. I am glad Timothy Dalton back and as awesome as ever. Can't wait for the next episode
ReplyDeleteI really like how Casey is playing people.
ReplyDeleteFirst he plays Morgan against Chuck and Sarah so Morgan moves out. Now he plays Chuck against Sarah with the prenup so Sarah spills the beans about why she wants one. Looks like Morgan and Alex play Casey so he has to confront Kathryn.
I still think Vivian is using Ellie to identify Agent X so Vivian can take him out.
TS
1.3 and less than 4mil viewers - Good night Chuck! Loved you for four years!
ReplyDeleteHC
HOW in the world are you this good?
ReplyDeleteRazorback said...
Ratings come out in about 7 hours.
But my crystal ball tells me that CHUCK gets a 1.3.
April 12, 2011 4:58 AM
1.3
3.893 million viewers.
Ouch .. the axiom held true, good Chuck episodes get lousy ratings. 1.3 is ... painful.
ReplyDeleteWell DR you called it we got a 1.3/3!! LOLA got a 1.5/4 overall!
ReplyDeleteStill as JS said in his tweet 4 more episodes left.
A 1.3.... probably means we can say goodbye to chuck. :(
ReplyDeleteMan, you called it. Can I borrow that crystal ball?:)
ReplyDeleteAs much as I hate the rating, I kinda wish we had got it with no pre-empts because of the excuse it allows some people to make. No spin is going to make this rating ok.
You were right about the ratings, magnus.
ReplyDeleteI guess it's time to boycott network television altogether until they get rid of the ratings system and any reality shows.
1.3 I guess this is it Unless we get 1.5 next week but how?? NBC is a grave digger for every show... DWTS rulles Monday
ReplyDeleteBTW LOLA got only 1.5 sigh....
nena
Man, I am good.
ReplyDeleteSo chances of renewal were 30/70 , then upgraded to 50/50 , so now with the 1.3 are we back to 30/70 or is it more like 10/90 ?
ReplyDelete:headdesk:
What about next Monday? What's your crystal ball says?
ReplyDeletenena
My crystal ball doesn't work that many days into the future. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd what are the chances now? Well, CHUCK wasn't getting renewed based on its ratings anyway. So, nothing has changed that I am aware of, yet.
J says ...
ReplyDelete" And what are the chances now? Well, CHUCK wasn't getting renewed based on its ratings anyway. So, nothing has changed that I am aware of, yet. "
Can you elaborate on that a little bit :) ?
I'm finding it hard to imagine that the drop to a 1.3 doesn't impact any renewal discussions that were underway. It certainly would impact some revenue calculations.
ReplyDeleteNo matter how much I have been preparing myself, I'm still saddened when I see a 1.3.
I'm still going to enjoy the final four episodes even with the cliffhanger and just hope it's the kind of cliffhanger that doesn't bother me if the show is over.
If the show had ended last year with the ending 319 had, I wouldn't have been too upset. If it's like that, I think I'll be fine.
Well, dkd, then you can expect it to be cancelled.
ReplyDeleteI think i'm just going to try to enjoy the last 4 episodes, and if we get a renewal great, but i think id rather be pleasantly surprised by that than be letdown on the day of the last episode.
ReplyDeleteI've been expecting it to be canceled for two years. That's nothing new.
ReplyDeleteThey've surprised me three times.
This is one of those cases where being wrong is sublime.
I don't think people should try to enjoy the final four episodes. Instead, be super critical and point out why the show sucks and how much the actors are mailing it in each week.
ReplyDeleteHey so now that Chuck is not getting a 5th season I mean come on I a 100% sure now. What are you going to be doing Mangus with this site. Will it still be up and running.
ReplyDeleteRight!! We shouldn't be watching to raise ratings, we should be watching because we enjoy the show.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'm the only one... But I wouldn't be overly upset if Chuck got cancelled at the end of this season. Personally, I think it doesn't need a high budget, maybe move it to a mid-week slot and we could squeeze another season. Eh, ratings shmatings.
Hi Magnus. When you said that Chuck wasn't getting renewed because of ratings anyway, were you implying that the higher ups are taking other factors into consideration, or that we weren't going to get renewed even before this week's episode? Thanks in advance. -dav27
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you're being sarcastic, but here is a question for you: do you have any hint that the actors (mostly the main characters) have had enogh of Chuck first?
ReplyDeleteI watched the YS video on collegehumour, I think it was funny, stupid but funny: but I have read comments of fans that called it "creepy". Now it would be creepy if Sarah Walker did this, but what about Yvonne? Maybe she has had enough of being Sarah Walker, now she thinks it's time to spread her wings? And someone else, too?
Chuck wasn't going to get renewed because of ratings, that much is true, but ratings are still one part of the equation that will (or won't) get Chuck renewed. They are the NBC revenue part of the equation. If NBC could stomach Chuck for $x license fee last year, that has to be alot lower this year, to reflect the fact they won't be making as much money out of the show
ReplyDeleteFYI on the ratings battlefield:
ReplyDeleteIt's not just the other three main networks. Last week, USA had a wrestling show on at 8PM that scored a 1.3 Adult 18-49 rating(1.7 M18-49). ABC Family had "Secret Life of An American Teenager" which pulled a 1.1 A18-49 rating(1.6 for W18-49).
The last time Chuck aired, neither USA or ABC Family had programming on at 8PM that was pulling those kinds of numbers.
I wonder what they got last night.
Razorback. Give me some hope man.... I need a season 5.
ReplyDeleteunfortunately the ugly truth is we probably are going to say good bye to one of the best tv shows ever... :( in this moment i think only a miracle (like peope getting brains and stop watching stupid reality shows) to get chuck a 5th well deserved season...
ReplyDeleteRatings update, from the final overnights:
ReplyDeleteThe exact rating was a 1.30, so it wasn't a matter of being close to rounding up to a 1.4. That final number includes whatever viewing Chuck had for its 1:30am showing in Detroit, whatever that was--one can assume it was lower than normal for Detroit. Detroit is 1.6% of all Adults 18-49 in the U.S..
The Male 18-49 rating was a 1.44 (6% drop from last episode). The Female 18-49 rating was a 1.17, which was an 18% drop from the last episode.
Men 18-34 was down to a 0.9 (-15% vs last ep).
Some demos that DID NOT drop vs the last episode was Men 35-64 and Men 35+ and Women 35+. But, those older demos had already taken a hit when DWTS came back to compete against Chuck.
Overall TV viewing was not lower than March 21st, so that's not the reason for the declines. Chuck just lost its share of viewing to other shows for the demos it lost ratings in.
I think it was a couple of weeks ago in another thread that you got some news from your source ( re: chances of renewal ) that you didn't want to share because you didn't want people to get overly excited or something . You wanted to talk to " dkd " off line first . Can you tell the rest of us now ? Or was it not really important ?
ReplyDelete:)
nevermind I found it. I kinda wish I hadn't.
ReplyDeleteWhat did you find? Please share???
ReplyDeleteMaybe NBC should have moved Chuck and every other scripted show that airs on Monday to as different night...and replace the Monday night time slots with nothing but news programs like Dateline NBC. The fact that they keep airing Chuck on Monday in the 7/8pm time slot and not moved it to a different time slot has hurt the ratings. The lack of promotion has also hurt the ratings.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, NBC might as well replace ALL of their scripted shows with news programs and reruns of old shows just to stop from losing money. They might as well move all of their scripted shows to USA or Syfy.
Detroit had a FORD infomercial aired on NBC that replaced Chuck.
ReplyDeleteMaybe NBC should give up on putting ANYTHING at all in the primetime Monday night timeslots, never mind cancelling Chuck and replacing it with a new show.
ReplyDeleteReplacing Chuck with a new show wouldn't raise the ratings for NBC and lower the ratings that House and DWTS have, since it didn't work with a special Presidential show. And every show that they have tried to put on AFTER that time slot has failed too. Look at Chase, the Event, and Harry's Law.
The shows on the other networks (CBS,ABC,FOX) are just too strong to beat. NBC might as well give up trying to compete with the other networks and turn the entire network off the air on Monday nights.
the yvonne strahovski video. collegehumor.com
ReplyDeleteits not a spoiler or anything its just scary.
Tuesday has glee and NCIS's, Wednesday has Idol, Survivor and ABC comedies, Thursday has Idol, comedies, Grey's and the only decent block in NBC's schedule. Friday doesn't have the viewership (and money). What do you expect NBC to do? Go beg the other networks to air nothing against Chuck so that the show can succeed?
ReplyDeleteI love this show but I m sorry, NBC has been nothing but good to Chuck. And I consider it frankly crass to blame NBC for Chuck's fortunes.They gave the show wall to wall promotion at the start of Season 3, at the end of the day the show didn't deliver, that's not NBC's fault. The responsibility with maintaining that 3.0 Chuck got at the start of Season 3 lay with the show, not the network. And the show ended season 3 with half the viewers gone. From that point promoting it further would cost money, money they are unwilling to spend on a 4 year old show which will never ever be a hit. That money is better spent on a new show that may be a hit.
Yup... NBC has been TOO GOOD to this show and fans give them nothing but grief. If the show could draw more viewers, it wouldn't be on the bubble EVERY SEASON.
ReplyDeleteLets be real here. We are talking about Nielsen viewers who sampled the show and moved on. Sure would love to know what the other 99% of the viewers think.
ReplyDeleteNielsen represents what those 99% think. It is called SCIENCE.
ReplyDeleteNielsen is not very accurate, the sample size is too small for that. But it is accurate enough to determine trends and a general overview of the popularity of a show within certain demographics. So it suffies in what it has to do, to inform advertisers about riscs and opportinuties.
ReplyDeleteHowever, to give a reliable estimation of viewers of a particular show, no, Nielsen doesn't do that (anymore?). The 1.3 could in reality have been a 1.1 of a 1.6. But that doesn't matter much, the same is true for the other shows and over a whole season it evens out.
While Nielsen's sample size may be small, it isn't TOO small to give us a fair assessment of the general viewer. What it may be is not accurately representative of subcultures that enjoy geek-centric shows. But we would probably need a sample size that isn't remotely cost effective.
ReplyDeleteI really don't care what the ratings are at this point; I am really enjoying the show and will continue to do so for as long as NBC is kind enough to order episodes.
ReplyDeleteStop living in Disneyland. The Nielson's are science in the same way that "science" determines who wins the Oscar, or what companies get military contracts, or what candidate is chosen to run for president. The numbers are skewed by the people who have the money and power to manipulate them to fit their own agenda. I am just grateful that a show this awesome and unique got 4 seasons. It probably won't ever happen again. 78 Episodes... Chuck Bartowski would appreciate that number. Same # of episodes as original Star Trek.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, you are talking out of your fire breathing arse. Nielsen (not Nielson, genius) isn't even a little bit like the Oscars or military contracts or who is chosen for president. You are so far out in left field with this point that I am amazed you thought it was worth posting. Though, the fact that you did it anonymously shows what a wussy little girl you are.
ReplyDeleteYou see, the Oscar's are voted on by a group of people who are IN a SPECIFIC industry. Military contracts are bid on by companies with a SPECIFIC skillset and tools. Candidates for president are decided via a very limited process of elimination that depends more on the ability to raise money than good ideas.
Nielsen is a system where a sample of people are chosen based on SCIENCE and not a selected group in one area. The sample is based on national data that is supposed to represent the overall demographic of the entire country. That is SCIENCE. That is MATHEMATICS. Nielsen doesn't manipulate the numbers based on how much they like a show. It is similar to the process we use to create/take scientific opinion polls that are accepted as accurate within plus or minus 5%. Just because your ignorance refuses to accept it, that doesn't change the fact that intelligent, or even mildly intelligent people, can accept it as accurate data.
Conspiracies are awesome, and luckily always there for us when we don't have facts or data to support our argumnents. And thankfully, always convenient for when one can't accept that millions of people have no interest in our niche show. You need to face it Magnus, math and science have no place in this world.:)
ReplyDelete"The numbers are skewed by the people who have the money and power to manipulate them to fit their own agenda."
ReplyDeleteLove it. So NBC's agenda was to manipulate the numbers so that they get really low ratings so that they lose millions of dollars in advertising revenue and piss all their customers off.
I love conspiracy theories.
"We're getting low ratings because it's our agenda!"
Maybe Volkoff Industries or the Ring is doing it.
I said nothing about NBC I was referring to the advertisers. There is no "conspiracy" theory the world just works a certain way. Hands are greased, and nepotism rules the day. Always has and always will. Nielsen pre-screens their viewers based on the desire to find an audience that will be susceptible to the advertising of their biggest clients. The only way for a show to be successful within the Nielsen system is for it to pander to that audience and Chuck has simply not done it. The reason that NBC is failing is that they as misguided as many of you Chuck viewers. Making a great show that appeals to geeks and broad audience doesn't pull in Nielsen ratings when the Nielsen audience is not a true sample of American households but rather a sample of American households that are susceptible to the advertising they create. Translation: Nielsen viewers are quite simply dumb viewers. Almost all the people I know (and there are many) who love Chuck are not the type of people who watch very much TV at all. The Nielsen viewer, that subset of American otherwise known as the "couch potato" watches TV in a different way. The only reason they will watch a show like Chuck is sex, big explosions, fight scenes, sex, cool stuff, sex, hot girls, sex, gunfights, sex... et. Pre-nups and picking out wedding dresses and fighting over whether to elope or not due to a sticky family situations, and our heroine having evolved enough to cry when she see's herself as a bride are things that may be appealing to many viewers who are discerning and get this show and love character development but THOSE type of viewers DO NOT GET Nielsen boxes. Chuck season 4 has been perfect for the fan, not for the Nielsen demo. You can call me stupid all you want but it's just a fact.
ReplyDeleteZman
Zman, the conspiracy theory made you sound stupid. Your new analysis just makes you sound ignorant. Despite what you say, Nielsen isn't geared toward just couch potatoes. Their sample looks for specific types of viewers and sometimes a prospective family doesn't fit that need so they are denied, ignored, or taken out of the system.
ReplyDeleteHoly cow, Nielsen has an anti-Chuck agenda now? You read it here first, the Ring came back, bought Nielsen and are fighting Chuck dirty ...
ReplyDeleteNielsen selects its sample on demographic criteria, not based on whether they like ads or not. That's why even the most successful shows out there draw 5%-7% of the demo, not 60%. If Nielsen was skewed you 'd be seeing 50%-60% demo numbers, not pathetic single digit ones.
Chuck is just a wonderful niche show. It 'd be great if it was more mainstream, or at least more mainstream accepted, but it isn't, and no amount of conspiracy theories can change that.
Why the eternal faith in the Nielsen system, DR? You are right sampling is a science but what we forget is that we are talking about people here, not stocks. Mathematics can't determine what people think, i.e. we can't put people into groups and say these 100 people represents 10 M because they have the same opinions and ideas. Everyone is different in it's own way and has its own preferences. If this system was truly as accurate as they/you say they might as well limit voting to 25.000 people (saves a lot of money!)....Then again they don't - they let everyone vote because the only way this system can be proven is if they monitor every household out there once in a while. Unfortunately, if they had that possibility a sampling system wouldn't be necessary.
ReplyDeleteregards,
DS
I don't have eternal faith in Nielsen. I just know that most of what fans say about Nielsen is total bull. And I don't promote ignorance around here. You want to continue to spew ignorance and pat each other on the back for remaining out of touch with reality, go somewhere else and discuss these things without reason and facts.
ReplyDeleteAs for your point about voting, how do you think exit polling is done? They ask a sample of people. They use the same kind of science that Nielsen does to estimate winners. Have they ever been wrong? Of course. But they have been far more accurate than not.
Though, your point is disingenuous. See, voting by individuals isn't a cost absorbed by one for-profit company. If Nielsen had federal or state funds allocated for statistical gathering, then they could count every viewer. And that, more than anything else, is why it is done this way. It is the most cost effective way to gather the best possible and accurate data.
The Nielsen sample is 25,000 households not people. In terms of people it's close to 75,000.
ReplyDeleteAnd just for the record, these 25,000 households are completely different to the 25,000 households that put Chuck on the bubble two years ago. Nielsen rotates its sample every two years (ie you 're a Nielse household for max 2 years, not more). Now in rotating their sample Nielsen has somehow managed to stumble on to a different set of 35,000 households that also don't like Chuck?
Excuses are for the weak. Face reality, and deal with reality. And reality is that Chuck never had the viewership, that's why fans have had to fight for the show for the last 2 years, and that's why they are having to fight for it this year again. Blaming that on Nielsen, NBC, other networks, House/DWTS/HIMYM etc is myopic.
sooooo..... is there an episode tommorow?
ReplyDeleteAnd you call yourself a fan...
ReplyDelete