A call to #SaveChuckAgain.
NBC’s Chuck was always one of those shows that seemed to continually get renewed by just the skin of its teeth and the loyalty of its fans. During its five year run on the network, the show was constantly on the bubble of cancellation despite garnering much praise from critics and heavy promotion from NBC. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of watching this show, it follows your average tech support guy Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi) who is thrust into the world of becoming a secret spy handled by a CIA operative (Yvonne Strahovski) and a NSA operative (Adam Baldwin). The show seamlessly blends themes of slapstick comedy, spy action, and emotional drama together.
Chuck fans are some of the most loyal and passionate fans out there and are actually a huge part of what kept the show on the air for so long. The most famous fan renewal campaign came in 2009 after the show’s third season. Viewership numbers were fading quickly to the point that Chuck actually became one of the least watched shows in its Monday 8 PM timeslot so NBC delayed its decision. Concerned for the fate of the show, fans immediately launched the original “Save Chuck” campaign through social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, but with a unique twist. The campaign was specifically targeted at Subway, who was a sponsor of the show, and lead to the restaurant chain forming a major (and hilarious) sponsorship deal with NBC to help pay for costs of the third season. And it payed off considering the show ran for another three seasons.
Anyone who has seen the show can attest to the fact that Chuck is a very special show. With this news that Netflix is taking the show off of its streaming service, the cast and fans alike have created a Twitter campaign to talk about reasons why the show needs to be kept alive. I would love to see the show continue to be available on Netflix for many reasons. To me, Chuck is one of those shows that you start watching for mindless entertainment, but comes in from nowhere packing a huge emotional punch and is one of the shows I hold most dear to my heart. It is one of those shows that gave me distinct memories of watching certain episodes (like when my sister and I skyped each other to watch the series finale together) and a show that I will always laugh and cry at (but mostly just laugh at any of the Jeffster! covers). Plus, it used some of the best music in the background. If you have not watched this show yet, you are so missing out on one of the most grounded and relatable shows to have been on television.
My fellow Nerd Herders, I ask us to rally together once more to save the show because Netflix is taking it off its streaming service on November 1st. NBC, you may have ignored our cries for a Jeffster! greatest hits album, but please hear us now. Do not take this wonderful show off Netflix. As star Zachary Levi said, think of the children. Fans, tweet at NBC and Netflix using the hashtag #SaveChuckAgain with your reasons why the show needs to stay on the streaming service. Maybe together we can, once again, save our beloved Chuck.
Related Topics: Comedy, Netflix
