Chuck faces brutal time slot competition, is still flailing in the ratings and hasn't shown any signs of improving its poor ratings.  So, then, credit must be given to NBC for sticking with a series, in Chuck, that they believe can and will be a hit.  They've pushed their whole support behind Chuck, even going so far as to picking up the entire second season before the season even premiered.  Now, after a first couple of months of continued low ratings, NBC is preparing to give Chuck a big promotional push, centered around NBC's coverage of the Super Bowl. 

NBC is giving Chuck a big episode the day after the Super Bowl in February. On Monday, February 2, Chuck will air a new episode, but with a twist.  The episode will be in 3-D.  In and around the Super Bowl, NBC will distribute over 100 million 3-D glasses in anticipation of the Chuck episode.  This will surely be accompanied by constant on-air promotion during the Super Bowl.  If the advertising team at NBC creates some funny and intriguing promos for the 3-D Chuck episode, the series will almost certainly see a big bump in ratings for the post-Super Bowl episode.  If the episode itself is as good as Chuck has been this season, the new viewers may decide to stick around for the rest of the season.  It's no easy task, bringing in a significant amount of new viewers, but having the Super Bowl as a tool to do so is invaluable. 

The episode itself will guest star former Lost actor Dominic Monaghan who, like his character on Lost, will play a rock star.  The characters are quite different, according to Chuck show runner Josh Schwartz, as Monaghan's Chuck character is an eccentric crazy person who, as Chuck characters are wont to do, gets involved with some bad people.  As a Chuck fan, I hope that NBC's plan works out for the series, and the Super Bowl helps bring in the new fans the show needs to stay on the air.


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of NBC)