Tuned In+Tuned In | May 12, 2011

Prime, Chuck: NBC's Pickup News for Next Year

By James Poniewozik

It wasn’t quite the dramatic blitz of announcements that Fox had for us the other day, but NBC‘s 2011–12 schedule is starting to take shape. Among the new series ordered for next season are Smash, a musical described as a kind of grown-up Glee (we’ll see if that’s a contradiction in terms) and the remake [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | September 21, 2010

The Morning After: A Full Dance Card

By James Poniewozik

Last night was the biggest night of television so far in the 2010-11 season. It was also the first night of television of the 2010-11 season. But still, it was pretty big. Monday saw the debuts of The Event, Chase, Hawaii Five-0, Mike and Molly and my favorite new broadcast show of the season, Lone [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | July 26, 2010

Comic-Con Roundup: Chuck Vs. the Mom, Zombie Footage, Criminal Penmanship

By James Poniewozik

As Comic-Con disbands and the scent of snack food and vampire makeup fades from the streets of San Diego, a little more TV news, from TIME’s Techland blog and elsewhere: * Some casting news from season 4 of Chuck, including Chuck’s mom and some names you’ve been seeing a lot in entertainment news lately. (No, [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | May 14, 2010

Network News: Chuck & V Survive, ABC Adds and Subtracts

By James Poniewozik

Good news, Chuck fans! You don’t need to eat a Subway sandwich to save your show! Good news, V fans! You don’t need to eat whatever disgusting alien food product you would have had to have eaten to save your show! At the rate news is leaking out, officially and un-, about next fall’s schedules, [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | May 4, 2010

The Morning After: Chuck Vs. the DVR

By James Poniewozik

Willard Week continued last night, with Fred Willard following up his Modern Family guest spot with an appearance on Chuck, pairing with Swoosie Kurtz as a married spy couple whose squabbling gave newly attached Chuck and Sarah pause. Also potentially giving them pause is another married spy couple, the protagonists of Undercovers, which NBC picked [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | May 3, 2010

NBC Goes Undercover With J. J. Abrams

By James Poniewozik

I suppose the thing that really would have qualified as news would have been if NBC didn’t pick up a highly publicized, presumably less-than-cheap pilot from J.J. Abrams, but nonetheless: the network has given the go-ahead to Undercovers, the married-spies romance-drama. Good thing that NBC doesn’t already have a romance-drama about a couple who also [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | April 27, 2010

The Morning After: Nonstrangers on a Train

By James Poniewozik

So on last night’s Chuck, the first of six bonus episodes resulting from an additional episode order by NBC, we meet Chuck and Sarah after they have consummated their relationship. Repeatedly. And, for those of you needing the additional assistance of Freudian symbolism, it takes place… on a train.

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | April 6, 2010

Chuck Watch: Chuck Vs. the Game-Changer

By James Poniewozik

Brief spoilers for last night’s episode of Chuck coming up after the jump:

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | March 9, 2010

The Morning After: Anyone Still Traumatized by NBC?

By James Poniewozik

Coming back from a vacation is a pain in the ass, isn’t it? It is for NBC, which, its second week back from its blissful Canadian Olympics idyll, is now back in the soggy late-winter reality of its usual shows and its normal ratings. (Indications are that Jay Leno’s high return ratings may also be [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | February 11, 2010

The Chuck Crisis of '10: A National Dialogue

By James Poniewozik

This has been one of those weeks that I’ve been glad I don’t blog regularly about Chuck. It’s nothing against the show; I like it fine, though I don’t lurve it the way some folks do, and I don’t have a deep enough interest to sustain a weekly analysis. I haven’t enjoyed this season quite [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | January 11, 2010

Chuck Up!

By James Poniewozik

There actually is some good news for NBC today, even if, naturally, it comes from a show that the network was once on the verge of ensuring would never see another season. The double-shot season premiere of Chuck got the spy comedy-drama its best ratings since its 3D stunt episode last year. Celebrate, but don’t relax [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | January 8, 2010

TV Weekend: Chuck Vs. the Jaypocalypse

By James Poniewozik

No, not everything happening in TV right now is about Jay Leno. But it could well be that Chuck, which returns Sunday before moving to its regular timeslot Monday, could find that Conan’s loss is a certain Mr. Bartowski’s gain. The show, which teetered on the brink of cancellation last spring, got a surprise order [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | November 19, 2009

…And Happy (Oh, You Count How Many) Days Until CHUCK Day!

By James Poniewozik

Not to be outdone by ABC’s announcement of the Lost premiere (oh, they’re still outdone, but nonetheless), NBC announced that Chuck is returning to TV Sunday, Jan. 10, before moving to its regular Mondays at 8 p.m. E.T. timeslot the next day. Word is the show will produce 19 episodes, not the originally ordered 13. [...]

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Tuned In+October 29, 2009

NBC News: More Chuck, Less Trauma

By James Poniewozik

Chuck fans, you do not have to eat at Subway today unless you actually feel like it. In a pretty surprising move, NBC announced that it was expanding its order for the Zachary Levi spy comedy by six extra episodes this season. Giving you extra time to work on those “Save Chuck” avatars for your [...]

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Tuned In+Advertising | May 19, 2009

NBC Renews Subway; Also Chuck

By James Poniewozik

I mentioned earlier that NBC had picked up Chuck for 13 episodes this season, but NBC just issued its official announcement, which is worth a separate post simply for the way NBC was able to keep the show around. It really was all about the sandwiches! (Well, that and slashing the show’s production budget. Update: [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | April 28, 2009

Chuck Watch: Domo Arigato

By James Poniewozik

    Spoilers for last night’s Chuck season finale coming up after the jump:

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | April 23, 2009

Saving Chuck: Don't Applaud, Throw Money

By James Poniewozik

  It has come to the point where I should probably write an open letter explaining why I have not written an open letter pleading with NBC not to cancel Chuck. It’s that time of year, and this spring TV critics and fans are weighing in with arguments to save Josh Schwartz’s funny, sweet, computer-sales-geek-turns-spy [...]