Sometimes, NBC is kind of mean. The network, which had been keeping us from watching some excellent television throughout September and most of October, has delayed the season 5 premiere of Chuck by another week. We now need to wait until Friday, October 28 to see the beginning of Chuck season 5.
What is the reason for this ridiculousness? Apparently, NBC is choosing to do some holiday programming around Halloween. Thus, the delay of Chuck.
Wait, What???
Sure, there’s no real reason why Chuck should count as “Halloween-themed.” Sci-fi aspects aside, there are no monsters, no ghosts and no trick-or-treaters scheduled to appear in the Chuck season 5 premiere.
What’s the reasoning?
The press release issued on September 30 by NBC doesn’t give away much. But we can make some guesses.
Most likely, the choice to delay Chuck by one week was made in reference to its new Friday-night partner, Grimm. Unlike Chuck, Grimm — a dark, supernatural procedural in which a cop (David Guintoli) hunts down fairy tale monsters — is perfect Halloween fare.
Chuck is, alas, in its final season, so you can’t really blame NBC for choosing a date that best promotes a new show, rather than an old one. Still, it’s irritating.
The NBC Halloween event will not just be limited to its Friday-night programming — Thursday is getting in on the holiday fun as well. The October 27 episodes of Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office and Whitney will all have Halloween themes.
Click here to watch the Chuck season 5 promo video.
Chuck Season 5 Episodes, So Far
Since we’re still weeks and weeks (grumble…) from the season 5 premiere of Chuck, it’s not surprising that we don’t have every single episode title yet. We do, however, have about half of them. The titles leaked so far include:
5.01: “Chuck vs. the Zoom”
5.02: “Chuck vs. the Bearded Bandit”
5.03: “Chuck vs. the Frosted Tips”
5.04: “Chuck vs. the Business Trip”
5.05: “Chuck vs. the Hack-Off” (directed by Zachary Levi — click here for more on this episode!)
5.06: “Chuck vs. the Curse”
5.08: “Chuck vs. the Baby”
Considering the recent scheduling changes, I really wouldn’t want to speculate when any of these episodes might actually air.
Want more Chuck scoop? Check out our Chuck Ultimate Fan Page on Facebook.
Do you think the premiere-date delay will help or hurt Chuck? Is Halloween important enough for all this dedicated programming? Which episode are you looking forward to the most? Leave a comment below!
(Image courtesy of NBC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
Laurel grew up in Mamaroneck, NY, Grosse Pointe, MI and Bellevue WA. She then went on to live in places like Boston, Tucson, Houston, Wales, Tanzania, Prince Edward Island and New York City before heading back to Seattle. Ever since early childhood, when she became addicted to The Muppet Show, Laurel has watched far too much TV. Current favorites include Chuck, Modern Family, Supernatural, Mad Men and Community. Laurel received a BA in Astrophysics (yes, that is possible) from Colgate University and a PhD in Middle Eastern Studies and History of Science from Columbia University before she realized that television is much better than studying.
