Additional Chuck Episodes To Include New Story Arc
Written by Wayne Hall on December 14, 2009 – 10:30 am -
NBC has upped the number of episodes they are ordering for the third season of the spy comedy/drama Chuck, according to the show’s star Zachary Levi. As reported by Trekmovie.com, the third year of the show has been increased from 13 to 19 episodes and will include the start of a new story arc.
“We were only going to do 13, so the writers wrote an arc for 1-13,” Levi said. “They were basically done writing them, and then the network said, ‘Hey, we’d like to do six more,’ and they’re like, ‘Well, great. We can’t rework the first arc, so we’ll just make these six stand alone.’ They’ll be based on the 13 that we do in the first part of the season, but it will be its own little mini-arc.”
While fans may be happy to hear this news, Levi said he was happy with and prefers the original plan for 13 episodes.
“To be perfectly honest, I like 13 episodes,” Levi said. “I like how cable does it. Thirteen episodes allows you to really make it lean and mean. You focus on those 13 episodes, and you make them all great, as opposed to the traditional 22-episode network season, which, if we’re all being honest, there tends to be a couple episodes that are like the packing peanuts. They’re the filler. ‘We didn’t really know what we were going to do this week, so everybody just vamp for a little while, and then we’ll come back for an episode that really means something.’”
In related news, Levi will have a new love interest in the new season. He talked with TV Guide about changes in the show, including working with Kristen Kreuk, who played Lana Lang in the CW’s Smallville.
Because Chuck has been upgraded to Intersect 2.0, “people think it’s not going to be the same show anymore with this kind of bumbling hero, but it is. Chuck is still a bumbling hero, but he’s getting a little bit better,” Levi said. “As an actor I love that because you get to actually be someone who evolves. I finally get to be a part of some of the action instead of sitting on the sidelines watching Yvonne Strahovski and Adam Baldwin have all the fun. Chuck is now a part of the action, but when the new Intersect is fritzing out — because Chuck is an emotional guy and his emotions mess with his abilities — that leads to more comedy, so it’s the best of both worlds.”
“Kristin may well be one of the most adorable girls in the world. It’s tough when you only have one thing to go off of when you’re watching somebody to get a feel for what their acting level is,” he said. “She’s got more range than you can even see from her previous work. I saw a whole different color and shade to her when she came in to play Hannah on the show.”
Is she a good guy or a bad guy? Levi’s response is a coy one: “Part of the fun of any one of these guest stars that we have is not knowing where it’s going to end up, where there’s going to be a turn. Rachel Bilson’s character, for example, didn’t turn out to be bad, she just happened to be getting illegally imported hard salami from the Greeks. Jordana Brewster was Fulcrum and bad, but also kind of redeemed herself, too. So people will have to watch and see.”
Chuck returns on Sunday, January 10, at 9:00 p.m. with a two-hour premiere followed on the following night — and subsequent Mondays — at 8:00 p.m.
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Tags: Adam Baldwin, Chuck, Kristen Kreuk, NBC, Yvonne Strahovski, Zachary Levi
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