Third episode in 7 (or 8) straight days of actual podcasting! We talk about ratings, renewal, sex, music, and lots of stuff about the how's and why's of making television.
This episode has ADULT LANGUAGE. Do not listen if you are sensitive to harsh language.
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Tracks used in this episode, in order of appearance:
Indestructible - Matthew Good Band
Prelude to War - Bear McCreary (from BSG)
Haiti - Arcade Fire
Prelude to War - Bear McCreary (from BSG)
Haiti - Arcade Fire
Time and Money (Budget) is the theme, lol.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention (and I hate doing so since lost is in my top 5 series of all time) that even lost in season 3 meandered along for a little while when they did not know when they were ending...therefore the lost people lobbied for an end date and season 4 and 5 were that much stronger because of that...season 6 ran out of a little steam but was still epic.
I know chuck does not have the same bargaining power that lost did so they are not afforded the same luxury of negotiating their own end date...that said I still think they have done a great job with what they have been given....have faith fans.
Music definitely was big for BSG. Id definitely be down with Bear McCreary doing chuck music..
ReplyDeleteUhoh.... you have no idea what you may have started by saying that. There is a deep, unspoken war between McCreary and Jones!
ReplyDeleteHaha, i had no idea there was any sort of 'unspoken war'
ReplyDeleteJones has done some good stuff. Dark Side would probably be my favorite. But on the whole, BSG had such great music that worked so well with the series, its on a completely different level than what chuck has. Season 4 of BSG especially. Gaeta's Lament and Kara Remembers were both very good. Overall throughout the series the music really developed well.
Friendly or synths at dawn? I read an interview Mcreary did and he talked about Human Target and it just looked like he was very involved with the original show runner before Matt Miller replaced him and went his own way.
ReplyDeleteMagnus, you said today "i am not as passionate about Chuck since season 2"
ReplyDeleteyet you said before that season 2 was garbage and soo cheesy. So do u like season 2 or not? or is it just the last 4 episodes of season 2 that made you so passionate?
Sigh... I don't even have the energy to explain to you the massive misunderstanding you seem to have about what I said.
ReplyDelete=( ...okay then just answer this, what has been your overall favorite season?
ReplyDeleteHe said that he thought season 2 did not have a great story...not that he did not love it. Season 3 does have a better story...because the arc is linear...the character growth is progressive and consistent and there is a clear end point i.e. chuck becoming a spy and getting together with sarah. Season 2 was very up and down....there is a lot of stalling...addictive stalling.. but stalling nevertheless...man do you not even listen to his podcasts? lol
ReplyDeleteOverall, this has been the most fun season for me. I won't know about best until I can reflect on it a bit.
ReplyDeletei just didn't think it was possible to love a season that he bashes and calls it cheesy and garbage, even if he was just refering to the storylines
ReplyDeleteObviously you are a drama queen, or have a tiny brain, because you can't negotiate past sarcasm and hyperbole used to illustrate the manner in which people manipulate their memory to leverage their negative opinions.
ReplyDeletesome people are dense lol
ReplyDeleteAny clues as to who agent x is?
ReplyDeleteWhat is it with Gray Jones and his renewal prognostications. He is saying that renewal is at a 10% chance and that syndication is at a lost. Why is this contrary to what your insider is saying?
ReplyDeleteFantastic listen, guys. You touched on one of my biggest pet peeves in this fandom, smug self-delusioned fans who think they could write a better show without knowing a lick about the inner workings. So annoying.
ReplyDeleteBring on podcast 70!
Magnus, has your source changed his mind about renewal?
ReplyDeleteYesterday you sounded pretty good about renewal, but today you sounded not as confident.
At least that was my impression.
When you both mentioned great music on BSG it reminded me of "Best of Both Worlds" on Star Trek TNG (The Picard becoming Borg episode, which is considered by some as the most epic Star Trek episode ever). That was made great/epic due to the music.
ReplyDeleteOne a side note, if you really want to end Season 4 on a cliffhanger (that'll make viewers want to see what happens in the next season), they should do something similar to the "Best of Both Worlds". Maybe on Chuck that should make it where Chuck has an order to kill Sarah or vice versa (or another member of Team B) and at the end of the episode it should fade out not knowing how it is going to play out with a huge dramatic music cue. I'm sure the crazy shippers would be freaking out all summer over this if it was Sarah Vs Chuck.
I have no idea who Gray knows or how he has decided this. I haven't talked to my source since last week. I am sure he will contact me when he has time.
ReplyDeleteSue, yeah... they are all experts who would fold under the pressure if they had to do the real thing. CYT70 should be up later... and is short (since it had to be edited down from 50 minutes due to content). I hope CYT71 will illuminate more of the process of making a show... we shall see as I am recording it late tonight.
Nice podcast. I even enjoyed when you two venture off to discuss other shows, such as BSG. If that's a hint of what Geek Furious may be like, I'm really looking forward to it.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why fans are obsessed with picking a favorite "season". For one thing, a season is kind of an artificial construct that doesn't match how the story cycles have been built. For another, it's been a journey and like any trip with multiple stages, I can like different places visited for different reasons.
But, when you talked about how the fan emotional connections to series change by season and compared BSG to Chuck to find them similar, it struck a cord. I've seen the same pattern with other shows I've watched. Some don't kick in right away, though.
Interestingly enough, LOST was also crapped on during season 3. Season 3 seems to be when fans start turning on a show. Season 4 is when those fans stop giving it a break. I think season 4 is also when you separate the hardcore fans from the fair weathered fans.
ReplyDeleteGranted, some shows find their footing in later seasons but I don't think they are anything but the minority. Speaking of which, I think the MODERN FAMILY hatefest is coming next season.
OMG OMG OMG !! The Voice got a 5.1 in the demo what does that mean for Chuck ? surely it's going to get cancelled now . I'm freaking out over here OMG !!!
ReplyDelete- sarcasm
Interesting point about 3rd Seasons. Sons of Anarchy finished its 3rd back in December and a lot of fans were upset with that as well, but similarly I think it finished on a satisfying enough note. Perhaps you are onto something with the theory though. Also, seems to me that 3rd Seasons are always the time to break the mold for a show and experiment with different styles or story telling, but like you always say most television viewers don't adapt well to change.
ReplyDelete-OPD
My experiences were with Farscape, which didn't really find its legs until mid-Season 1, and Babylon 5. Farscape fans started get more negative in Season 3. Its ratings peak was the season 2 finale.
ReplyDeleteBabylon 5 was a different case. They had a reboot after Season 1 in which they changed lead actors. You can think of the show starting again at Season 2. Fans got negative in Season 5 and started a to turn at the end of 4. There was a post-S1 ratings peak around 406.
I can see that happening with community as well (which is sad since I am in love with it)...I mean fans are already complaining about the amount community experiments with its episodes. If next season they continue in the same vein you can guarantee that they will start to crap on it as well. Angst is needed to make the journey more fulfilling...and the destination that much more rewarding.
ReplyDeleteI can see why some fans get upset...yeah some fans are just not smart enough to understand the tones and shifts within a series...but I also think that fans gain an emotional attachment to characters and their well being and what serialised shows (like lost, chuck, BSG, community, farscape, etc) do is put their characters through the mire in order for them to grow and evolve...fans do not take that well.
But I think that it is worth it if we get a better more rounded character...would I still watch chuck if he was only just getting out the car and did not resolve his issues with jill, his standford diploma, bryce, sarah, etc?...probably yes! but I would not be totally happy about it.
THE VOICE doing well is good for NBC but has questionable impact on CHUCK. It could mean less hours of programming to fit CHUCK into but it is also unlikely that THE VOICE will be used as a fall show in the coming season. So, at least right now, especially if NBC wants to put CHUCK on in September, it isn't hurt by it... and could be helped by it as any ad for CHUCK put on during THE VOICE could help its ratings.
ReplyDeleteBut it is too early to tell one way or the other.
Hm. Another nice podcast here, Magnus. You guys did an awesome job. Such a fun listen. Really liked how you delved into different stuff, ranging from how Chuck's done with guest stars, to some BSG stuff. Always nice to hear about that.
ReplyDeleteSort of late on the Ausiello post from a couple days ago, but I really wish the heads at Chuck would stop dropping words like 'epic' and all that. I still remember the "Push Mix" bit being proclaimed as the best ten minutes of "Chuck" ever. Was it good? Heck yeah. Was it best ever? I don't know about that. All a matter of preference.
Anyway.. I'm looking forward to the upcoming stuff involving the Intersect and the next episode, along with how the finale scene in the season finale could lead into a Season 5.
Were there Chuck promos during the Voice last night?
ReplyDeleteFred
From TVBTN
ReplyDelete"For historical perspective, that’s 4% better than the premiere of the now MIA The Marriage Ref 0n 2/28/10. It was NBC’s strongest series premiere since 2009′s The Jay Leno Show’s 5.3 rating following 2008′s American Gladiator’s 5.9 rating"
Notice that none of those are still around? A great premiere is a good start, but certainly doesnt say everything for the long term future of a show.
If The Voice does well, whats to say NBC don't attempt to run it twice a year like DWTS? I'd have thought the temptation for such a ratings starved network would be too great.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure NBC execs are busy colouring in programming schedules with The Voice, 'mentoring' episodes, The Voice 'summary' episodes, The Voice 'pre results'/'post results' shows and whatever else they can come up with to cover up the holes in their schedule
I'm not surprised the Voice did well because it was heavily promoted with CBS being in repeats.
ReplyDeleteNBC pilots sound like they are going to bomb especially Wonder Woman and Don Johnson's A mann's world.
Debra Messing's Smash sounds like it would make a better movie or miniseries than a weekly series but time will tell.
All the problems NBC has could still bode well for Chuck and who knows if the Voice will continue to do as well.