Chuck Season 3 Will Premiere Early on January 10, 2010 - NBC confirmed

It's good news (for me), bad news (for NBC): Since its numbers are down and its new and returning shows are mainly DOA (Southland was axed before new episodes even aired!), Chuck's third season might get to premiere sooner than the March date that's been bandied about thus far.

"How much sooner" you ask?

As early as late October, my moles tell me. And while it remains unclear whether the little show that could (and has and shall again) would return to its Monday timeslot or find itself a new perch, NBC insiders who've seen the first four episodes are calling this season the best yet.

But wait, there's more. If Chuck does come back sooner rather than later, the chances of NBC ordering additional episodes beyond the 13 it initially commissioned increases dramatically. And they increase further if it performs solidly... which for NBC, at this point, means my cat, Mister Scooch, sits down to watch with me. (Seriously, anything above a 2 rating in the-49 demo should do the trick.)

Are we happy, people? Dumb question. Allow me to rephrase: How happy are we? Weigh in below!

-Michael Ausiello

Fans of NBC's "Chuck" anxious to know when the show will be returning to the network's lineup ought to pay close attention to the ratings for Monday night's episode of "Trauma.

The key to "Chuck's" fate, it turns out, could be NBC newcomer "Trauma."

"Trauma" has been on cancellation watch since last Tuesday, leaving open the very real possibility that NBC will soon need replacement programming on Mondays.

But this happens only if "Trauma" needs to be replaced. NBC executives are hoping viewership for tonight's episode stabilizes, or maybe even goes up. If that happens, NBC can afford to be a bit more patient on Mondays.

If "Trauma" goes down, however, it's very likely "Chuck" will be back before year's end. And if "Trauma" really tanks, Ausiello's October surprise scenario could well transpire.

More likely is an early to mid-November premiere. And a post-Olympics bow, as originally planned, is still under discussion as well.

Full article here.

Get your fill of lovely San Francisco outdoor shots in Trauma while they last. My guess is they won't be around much longer. Certainly not next season.

TvByTheNumbers Renew/Cancel Ratings

According to this article, Trauma will most definitely be canceled by next season, and possibly this season. If its the latter, then Chuck will replace Trauma, possibly in the November time frame. Good idea? Unless NBC can pull off massive promotional campaigns for this early premiere, I'm afraid this can be a total disaster for Chuck ratings.

I say its time for Chuck fans to start another campaign.. The "Promote Chuck" campaign. What do you say? Leave your thoughts in the blurbs section below!

If you had gone to the official website of Chuck this morning, you would have seen news of your life. Chuck was supposedly returning next week on Thursday at 8/7 Central! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it!

Unfortunately, the update got removed a couple of hours later and NBC issued a statement calling it an error on their website's behalf. Sad, sad day for Chuck fans.

However, there is still a possibility of Chuck returning to TV next month (November 2009) so keep checking back for more updates.

Question: Any update on when Chuck is coming back? -Gary

Ausiello: The latest buzz points to a January or February return.

-Ask Ausiello

This could come as a blow to some fans who were rooting for new episodes of Chuck Season 3 early November, but its not the worst news! Remember we were originally supposed to wait all the way up to March for new Chuck episodes, but now it looks like we will have Chuck back doing kung-fu and more, a month or two before that!

Nothing is official yet, so keep checking back for updates!

All 3 shows showed stability in the past few weeks and were picked up for full seasons by NBC.

James Hibberd

As you may notice, absent from the pick-up list is "Trauma", the show Chuck could replace if it gets pulled. Reports suggest it is likely to get canceled before mid-season due to a high budget and constantly dropping ratings ("Trauma" ratings dropped from 0.81 to 0.68 in the last 3 weeks).

If new reports surface on "Trauma" or "Chuck", you'll be the first to know right here. So don't forget to bookmark this page in your browser.

This just in. After last night's ratings gain for "Trauma", NBC has officially booked the Monday night medical drama to continue airing for the next three weeks.

THRFeed

What does this mean for "Chuck"? Probably pushes the sea-saw to the January/February 2010 release side a wee bit more. This also reduces the chances of Chuck coming in November.

Keep chucking back for the latest Chuck Season 3 news of the new season episodes.

The network will likely order as many as six additional episodes of the comedic spy adventure, two industry insiders familiar with the situation told TheWrap. The extra episodes would be on top of the 13 hours already ordered for season three.

The Wrap

What does this mean for Chuck returning to TV sooner? It is definitely a positive! This extra episodes move could be a sign that NBC wants to bring "Chuck" back on air in January, splitting the third season into pre- and post-Olympics pods.

UPDATE:

Sources confirm that NBC has ordered six additional episodes of Chuck. That's on top of the 13 eps the network previously ordered, bringing the show's season 3 total to 19 (just three shy of what's considered a full season).

-Ausiello Files

As shocked as I will be if Casey were to leave Chuck, I am afraid it could very well be the case. In two recent posts, Michael Ausiello revealed that Casey does something in episode 10 of season 3 that "could-cost-him-his-job". He then says it is connected to his earlier post where he revealed Robert Patrick from T-1000 will be joining the show mid-season. Does that mean Casey gets the boot and Robert becomes the new NSA guy protecting Chuck?

CASEY FOR THE WIN!

========

Question: Please tell me you have some Chuck scoop. -Jake
Ausiello: I have some Chuck scoop. In episode 10, Casey does something bad. REALLY bad. Could-cost-him-his-job bad. And it's connected to this..

- Michael Ausiello

Good news comes in two for "Chuck" superfans. After NBC has confirmed that it is adding six more episodes to the order, Zachary Levi who plays the titular character posted an on-set picture that reveals him as a director.

"On the set directing my first episode of television. Guess which show it is. :)," the actor teased on his Twitter post. Words about him directing an episode have actually circulated two weeks ago with the rumor that the episode he will be directing is called "Chuck Versus the Beard" aka the ninth episode of the third season.

In an interview with several journalists, Levi once said that he got a warm up to direct the "Chuck" episode from a short film called "The Chase". The one-minute short was featured during "The Biggest Loser" episode on October 13. He said, "NBC brought the idea up and I wanted to use it as practice for directing Chuck. Hiring the crew from Chuck helped us accomplish a lot in a few days."

Just a few hours before he tagged a photo where his name is written across the director's seat, Levi included a photo of him with guest star Kristin Kreuk. The former "Smallville" actress will make an appearance in the fifth episode called "Chuck Versus First Class" as Hannah, a Buy More employee whom Chuck meets during a flight.

"Chuck" is scheduled to premiere the third season in March 2010 after the Winter Olympics. However, with the additional episodes order comes a speculation that NBC will shift it to January.

AceShowBiz

I'll admit, I'm stroked about the chance of Chuck returning early to save NBC, I mean on a totally unrelated note, NBC has been doing terribly in terms of ratings this season. If Chuck were to return later this month and the ratings were good, the network could order a full season instead of the measly 13 episode season we have right now. As a huge, HUGE fan of Chuck [and Ellie], I am overjoyed by these reports. Of course, if and when the network makes a decision, I'll be the first to know and will consequently let you know, on my Chuck Returns To Tv FAll 2009 page, with an update or two. So be sure to check that out, the link can also be found in big letters below!

Additionally, there is no word on what day or time Chuck might return to. As long as it is not a Friday, I am happy. Fridays = death (Prison Break finale anyone?).

So, are you a fan of Chuck? Do you this it is a good idea to move up the premiere of Season 3? Or would you rather wait for next February? (heh)

Let me know in the comments below!