ChuckTV.net The CHUCK archive
Those of you who follow ChuckTV.net on Twitter saw my squee when I got home from work on Friday and saw that NBC had sent over the first 3 episodes of Chuck season 5. My review is coming later this week, but I thought I’d share the note from Schwartz & Fedak that came with it so you get a sense of how they’re feeling about the final season.
We at team Chuck are a humble bunch, but we can’t deny that we’re very proud to share this with you. Season five of Chuck. Take a moment…let that sink in. Season five of Chuck!
We’ve learned a lot over the past five years: You can disarm a bomb with fruit juice, arcade skills, or some good old-fashioned Internet pornography. Never underestimate the power of sandwiches in renewal negotiations. And then there are those two semesters of brain science we took, just to confirm that sunglasses really can teach someone kung-fu. (First lesson: It’s not called “brain science.” Second lesson. Of course they can. They’re sunglasses.)
But most importantly, we’ve learned how great it is to be part of such a loyal and enthusiastic community. We wouldn’t be here in season five if it weren’t for you and our fans. Your support has been critical not just in making this show possible, but in making it such an enjoyable ride.
This season will take Chuck back to the basics, as he and his team go independent as Carmichael Industries. Without the help of the CIA or the Intersect in his head, Chuck is once again the underdog, relying more than ever on his wits, his team, and also on a new Intersect — Morgan Grimes. And as Chuck and Sarah begin life as newlywed spy partners, they’re led to consider the future of their spy life. In addition, we’re excited to have a new cast of guest stars on board, including Mark Hamill, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Cheryl Ladd. Who else could be Sarah’s mom but an original Angel?
So here it is, Chuck season five: the final chapter. And remember: Friday is the new Monday. Tell your friends, your readers, your viewers, your pen pal, your town counil member, your therapist, and your Twitter followers.
And enjoy!
Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak
oh my god Chuck has the best show runners ever ! id like to see another show being treated like this, where producers listen to the fans wishes and are appreciative of the fans support
Cheers to you Mr. Fedak & Mr. Schwartz !
“oh my god Chuck has the best show runners ever ! id like to see another show being treated like this, where producers listen to the fans wishes and are appreciative of the fans support”
How easily we forget that these same showrunners showed their appreciation for our fan support and campaign to get a third season for the show by giving us the complete garbage that was season 3.
I think I would just stop watching TV altogether if every show had showrunners like Fedak and Schwartz.
I am not a TV expert but i dont know of another show where the producers and writers are so receptive to fans opinion and where they respond to viewers feed backs the way Chuck producers did after the uproar caused by some episodes from season 3
so thanks Schwartz & Fedak for this great show 🙂
Since you’re obviously not a fan of the show, why bother coming on a fansite to diss it? That’s trolling.
@Guest012345: Wow just get over it & enjoy the show while we can.
That note from them made me cry. So bittersweet, and thoughtful of them to even send a note like that.
Season 5? Who would’ve thought????
Pretty nice to read that. Plotwise I´m just little bit worried that underdog thing because I want Chuck to be hero so hopefully he could get intersect back or become a great spy without it.
In a way, I’m happy that producers don’t bend to the whims of the fans all the time. I’m sure many who watch Chuck would prefer it to turn into the Chuck & Sarah Show every week where we tune in and watch this couple do… couple things every week. (I’m sure it wouldn’t have been as bad as that train wreck of an MTV show with Nick & Jessica.) Nonetheless the balance of action, romance and comedy is why it appeals to so many fans, so well including all of those very geek references that we enjoy seeing and do ourselves in everyday life.
Ultimately producers have to make the show they want to see and be honest to that throughout the show’s life. I think Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak have walked that line between taking the show where it needed to go in the narrative and bend but not break to the fan base and what they hoped the show would become.
Thank you to the actors, writers, directors, producers and all of the crew that slave away for those 12-14 hour days to bring us a show that airs for one hour, for one day for a few months in the year. There’s no glass ceiling to break here but this show most certainly has busted the bubble. God bless all of you for a great and memorable five years.
Phil
Why am I not a fan of the show? Because I don’t zealously worship it and act like the showrunners can do no wrong?
I think that the way that Fedak and Schwartz handled season 3 was a slap in the face to the fans that campaigned for a third season. Yes, they eventually realized that they had made a mistake and (somewhat) apologized for that which I applaud them for. However, it never should have come to that.
You could have asked any fan what they liked about the show and what they wanted to happen in the third season and you would have received almost universal responses about Chuck and Sarah being together. It isn’t like it was a big mystery that people wanted them together and yet Fedak and Schwartz went the complete opposite direction.
IIRC, they even had to release a video from one of the writers trying to calm the fan base down after the negative reaction they got when they announced their plans for season 3. Even after all of that they still decided to go ahead with their original plans for outside love interests. That is the definition of not caring about your fan base.
“I think I would just stop watching TV altogether if every show had showrunners like Fedak and Schwartz.”
To me, that says you’re not a fan of the show. Add in that this is the first time you’ve posted here, and it’s to complain about something that happened 1.5 years ago, and that’s pretty much the definition of trolling.
Sorry if you got that impression but I am a fan of the show – just not of Fedak or Schwartz.
I think that Schwartz is too used to his teenage dramas like “The O.C.” and “Gossip Girl” and doesn’t know how to write a more adult relationship between two characters. It is nothing personal against him but that is the feeling I get when I look at the way the Chuck/Sarah relationship has been handled over the seasons. It reminds me of what I’d expect from a couple of 18-year olds instead of the 28-year olds that Chuck and Sarah are.
As for Fedak, I think he did a fantastic job of initially creating the characters and environment for the show. My main problem with him is that I find him a bit disingenuous when he makes comments such as:
“I think that, for us, we didn’t [necessarily know] that they were going to be a couple together… I think, for us, we weren’t afraid of allowing them to be a couple and allowing them to be married.”
The Chuck and Sarah relationship has always been one of the focal points of the show and they were clearly afraid of allowing them to be a couple in season 3. It is hard to believe anything he says when he was clearly not honest when he made that statement.
As for why I’ve never posted here, I mainly post at another forum. I only brought up what happened 1.5 years ago because it was relevant. You can’t just ignore what happened in the past and pretend like the showrunners have always listened to their fans when they clearly haven’t.
They do listen to the fans, especially Fedak who’s been doing the bulk of the showrunning since mid-season 3. It’s whether or not they do what the fans (think they) want that’s the root of so many debates. 😉
I would argue that they DID listen to their fans in the instance you’re bringing up. Chuck and Sarah are together, aren’t they? It was the journey getting there that upset some fans (not all; I wasn’t bothered by it and rather appreciated that the characters dealt with personal baggage before getting together). Not that they’ve been perfect as showrunners, of course not, but overall they’ve given us a show that I, as a viewer, have really enjoyed.
P.S. Fedak needs to work on his “teaser” skills. He’s getting better, but he might need to take lessons from Hart Hanson (BONES).
You claim to be a fan but not of the people who created the show. Excuse me for feeling a bit confused at that statement and thinking you “a bit disingenuous”.
“I think that, for us, we didn’t [necessarily know] that they were going to be a couple together… I think, for us, we weren’t afraid of allowing them to be a couple and allowing them to be married.”
The Chuck and Sarah relationship has always been one of the focal points of the show and they were clearly afraid of allowing them to be a couple in season 3. It is hard to believe anything he says when he was clearly not honest when he made that statement.
Really? You know this for sure? You are a close personal friend and know know beyond the shadow of a doubt the thoughts and intentions of both men? If so, I do apologize, but I’ll need proof. It seems to me more like you are just upset because Fedak didn’t listen to YOU. Didn’t do exactly what you wanted and thought should happen. In that case, perhaps you could put together the show you thought Chuck should be and pitch it to NBC? Because I “clearly” didn’t see any of what you are talking about in the Chuck/Sarah relationship.
Wow, are there people still whining about season 3? At the time of the uproar over the Shaw love triangle, the episodes where Chuck and Sarah got together had already been shot. All of the complainers were proven wrong, and are still acting like they’ve never seen a TV show before. They’ve now been together for the last 7 episodes of season 3 and 24 episodes of season 4. I think it’s time to drop the unjustified grudge. This is part of the dark, crazy shipper, really unattractive side of the Chuck “fandom”.
I can’t wait to watch this next next Friday. I haven’t eaten Subway in weeks in order to really make it count. I also don’t get the season 3 hate, it wasn’t the best of the Chuck seasons, but it wasn’t horrible. I actually thought Shaw was a great tragic villain. I hope the show somehow does well enough to garner an additional episode order. Yvonne did an interview a month or so ago and already mentioned it.
What a great note! That would have had me *almost* as excited as the screener! It’s nice to feel appreciated by the people that have created this story that we’ve all gotten so caught up in. It’s great to see support go both ways – makes me all warm and fuzzy!
I loved season 3 and 4. The showrunners amaze me with the way they’ve been able to reinvent the show in unexpected ways to keep it so fresh and compelling. I am super excited to see Morgan as the intersect and Chuck using his genius mind instead of relying on his intersect skills.
I especially appreciate how all the characters have evolved so organically during the series. Chuck has become a confident and competent spy, although he occasionally still has some insecurities, which will likely be exacerbated early in season five when he is operating sans-intersect. Sarah has become more of a “real-girl” and it’s been great watching her adjusting to domestic life with Chuck. Casey has people in his life he really cares about and he is so much fun to watch. And most of all, I love how Morgan has evolved over the series. He is delightful to watch and all of his scenes, no matter with whom he is paired, are pure television gold IMO.
I am hoping Ellie, Awesome and Alex will all be involved in the spy games in some way this season.
I also hope Mr. Schwartz and Mr. Fedak continue to make the show they want to make and don’t let a few disgruntled “fans” influence them. It has been scientifically proven that humans are extremely bad at predicting what will make them happy. I think this is very true for many television viewers who tend to miss the bigger picture, longing for things that would not make for long-term satisfying television.
I’m glad Chuck and Sarah are together, but a little of their relationship goes a long way most of the time. I think a couple of the late season three and early season four episodes suffered a bit with too much time spent on the Charah relationship. I always felt like they were trying to appease the irate Charah fans after the Shaw triangle and went overboard on that. Personally, I thought Shaw was a tragic figure and made a terrific villain, (though not nearly good as Volkoff which was a brilliant casting move.)
Anyway.. very cool letter from Schwartz and Fedak! It’s so nice to see how appreciative they are of the fans. I really can’t wait for the premiere. They have never disappointed me, and I’m sure it will be fantastic.
I’m only sad that it looks like this really will be the last season. When my other favorite show, Friday Night Lights, ended after five seasons I was glad they were able to end it well and felt like it was time to move on. I’m sure the creators have an amazing series finale of Chuck planned (again!), but they have shown repeatedly that they have the creativity and inventiveness to continue to take the show and its characters in new and exciting directions. The chemistry between the cast is so amazing… I will really miss being able to watch their adventures. It looks like a really fun show to make, and I think that’s one of the reason why it is so entertaining to watch.
Thanks Mr. Fedak and Mr. Schwartz, for all these years of joy I’ve had watching Chuck! I truly have never seen a show that is more enjoyable!
I completely agree on all counts. I am sure that there is a part of the fanbase that appreciates this show from every aspect (action, comedy, drama, sci-fi, geek references, pop culture references, and romance), and not just for a relationship between two of the leading roles.
This. ^
100% agree on Timothy Dalton. He was brilliant. Volkoff was just fantastic. Linda Hamilton as well. Season 4 can easily be argued as being one of the best.
I’ll add in that a few years after the show wraps season 5 (wished we could have squeezed just a few more seasons out of NBC), there needs to be either a TV movie or a cinematic movie to catch up with these characters. We should start campaigning for Chuck on the BIG screen! lol
OMG!!! That was soo sweet.. Kinda made me weep a little bit…I’m really gonna mis this awesome show that Mr Fedak and Mr Schwartz created for us and let us enjoy during 5 seasons..
Thanks for sharing this note with us :)!
Honestly, what ever happened to schwartz? Is it only Fedak now? Just curious
He’s been focusing on other projects, like Hart of Dixie which is now airing after Gossip Girl on the CW.
For me, an I’m 53 years old, Chuck is one of the best Shows that I ever seen, because is totally different from all other shows. A significant portion of the Show for my addiction to watch Chuck was clearly the relationship between Chuck and Sarah. I Think I’m honest and I admit this, not as many who are hiding in recognizing. I hope we have a happy ending it deserves our Chuck, Sarah and Team. Tank you Chris!!!!
I agree that Chuck & Sarah relationship has always been one of the main things and one of the best things too but also humor & adventure makes this the best show ever.
Only 10 days left but technically speaking Cheryl Ladd wasn’t an “original” angel. Close enough for Chuck though.
Make a play for more episodes!
In the words of Napolean Dynamite……”luuuuuckeeey!’
You deserve the first piece of pie Mel. You are and have been a great Champion for Chuck. Can’t wait for your review. It will help us with the wait!
I hate this is the final season.
I wish this would just be a reboot with morgan being the intersect.
Chuck is the BEST show EVER! There is no show of its kind on tv right now. I get giddy when I’m getting ready to watch an episode! Why does it have to end with season 5? You have a perfect cast of characters, great writers, and the best marriage of comedy and action a television show can offer.