When Chuck writer Lauren LeFranc broke the news to me about all of the changes in the Chuck writers room, she was gracious enough to let me open the floor to fans for questions on Twitter. She was surprised by how many came in under 30 minutes, but answered them all…  Here are the results of the Q&A!

[MINOR SPOILER WARNING]

14. Will the Orion Cave be referred to as the OC on #Chuck?

• Thank you guys!  Get ready, Season 4 is gonna be awesome!

And that’s all she wrote!  Thanks again to Lauren for answering all of our questions, and for doing such a wonderful job writing Chuck! Please feel free to comment below.

Click to open blog article

Along with the exciting news of Chuck’s season 4 renewal came news of a different kind: Chuck’s writers room, which had already lost senior writer and executive producer Scott Rosenbaum to be showrunner of the new remake of ‘V,’ has lost not one, not two, but three other writers.

Thursday, it was announced that senior writer and executive producer Matt Miller has been hired as the showrunner of ‘Human Target.’

Friday, we learned that senior writer and executive producer Ali Adler had accepted a position on the new ‘No Ordinary Family.’

Late Friday, Gray broke the news that writer Phil Klemmer would be leaving Chuck to write for another new show.

What does this mean?

Gray has pulled from his experience in the business and relationships with these writers, and has written a very detailed and informative blog post about this issue.  We urge you to read the article, as well as the comment thread, and post any questions you have.

Please click here or on the photo at right to access the article.

You’ve heard it everywhere else; you might as well hear it here…

Chuck has been renewed for a 4th season!

While NBC has yet to make an official announcement, sources inside and out are confirming a 13 episode order.

Here are just a few of the sources (no particular order):

• Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood (reported to be the first)
• Michael Ausiello at EW.com
• The Live Feed at the Hollywood Reporter
• Alan Sepinwall
• TV By the Numbers

And it’s not just a good news day for Chuck…  Chuck showrunner Josh Schwartz said it best on Twitter:

“Congrats to @skeeterosenbaum on the news of V season 2 and Chuck EP Matt Miller on Human Target season 2. Will miss you guys!”

Former Chuck writer/EP Scott Rosenbaum had moved over to be the showrunner for ‘V’ a few months ago, and news just broke today that V has also been renewed for a 13 episode new season.

Scott’s old roommate and fellow Chuck writer/EP Matt Miller has also made the jump to showrunner — it was announced yesterday that he will be running Human Target, which has just been renewed for a second season.

All of these shows are produced by Warner Brothers…  I guess they’re doing something right?

Click for poster!

This just in:

Joshua Gomez, who plays Morgan Grimes on Chuck, will be signing autographs at a “Meet & Greet” at the NBC Experience Store in New York, this Monday, March 29th, at 10am.

If you’re in New York, let’s show Joshua some Chuck love!

Wish I could be there…

Here’s a link to the poster if you’d like it: LINK

Also, if you get photos of the event, please send them to us so we can include them in the podcast!

Cheers,
Gray.

 
We’re very excited to bring you new ways of watching and listening to the podcast! We tried our very first all-video podcast recently, and we’re hooked! And as the reports come in, we see that you are too.

The main challenge we face is the high cost of bandwidth, so we have decided to start hosting the podcast on Blip.tv as well as our site.

What does this mean?

Apart from not us having to pay for the bandwidth, Blip also offers many great benefits to us and you:

1. More flexible player, which can be embedded anywhere, even on your own blog or site.
2. Fully browsable Blip channel, for those who have had site connection issues here.
3. (in progress) Distribution to other places, like Tivo and Boxee.
4. Embedded advertising, which helps us with our server costs.
5. We will still always be available on iTunes and here on the site.

It should be a pretty seamless transition, and you may not even notice the difference here.  We imagine there will be some happy campers among those who don’t like iTunes or who have had connection issues with our site.  Also, we will not need to rely so much on donations and merchandise to support the podcast.

Click here to see what our podcast looks like on Blip.tv.

This is a work in progress, and we really need your feedback.  Please post feedback here on this post, or send to mail@chuckpodcast.com.

Click for large version of poster!

Chuck is back tonight!  Set your DVR, plan your viewing parties, call your family and friends, and don’t miss out on on not one, not two, but three hours of Chuck action between today and tomorrow.

Two back-to-back episodes play tonight, Sunday Jan. 10, at 9/8c on NBC.  Then, there is a third episode tomorrow night at 8/7c, which happens to be Chuck’s season 3 time slot, exactly the same as it was in season 1 and 2 — Monday nights at 8/7c.

Please check your local listings to verify when and where it is playing in your area!

Also, please call your friends and family, Facebook, Twitter, email, and do whatever else you can to spread the word.

Chuck creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak, as well as star Zachary Levi and many critics who have seen the first few episodes have said that even someone who has never seen Chuck can hit the ground running with season 3, without needing to have watched season 1 and 2.  Having seen some of the episodes myself in L.A., I assure you that’s true!

Plus, Chuck’s “Matrix-style” new abilities and “No More Mr. Nice Spy” attitude might just appeal to a broader range of people.  Never fear, Chuck’s nerdiness and clumsiness are never going away, and the Buy More antics are as funny as ever.

Let’s make sure Chuck’s season 3 ratings are much higher than last year!

Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski

“One Toronto podcaster didn’t just talk about his favourite show.
He may have saved it from the axe”
– Sunday, Jan. 10, 2010 edition of Toronto Star

Gray with Zachary Levi and Joshua Gomez

I’m incredibly pleased to confirm that in today’s Toronto Star, the front page and sixth page of the entertainment section are devoted to Gray, Chuck vs. the Podcast, and Chuck’s return for season 3!

“On the outside, it looks to be about spy stuff but it always ends up
being about the relationships,
at work and at home.”
– Gray Jones

A web version with fewer photos is available online here, for fans who don’t have access to the physical newspaper.  However, most bookstores in Canada sell the Toronto Star, so if you have access, I urge you to buy the paper and see the full article!

Gray on Chuck set in L.A.

“Hosted along with Mel and Liz, the women behind the expansive and exhaustive Chucktv.net website…”

Mel and Liz, ChuckTV.net, and Wendy Farrington all got mentions in the article.  Plus, they interviewed Chris Fedak, both to comment on the podcast story and for a separate piece on Chuck season 3.

Enjoy!

Chuck Season 2 Limited Edition Blu Ray

Today’s the release day for the Chuck season 2 DVD and Blu-Ray!  Many got theirs in the mail today, and many ran out to the stores to find either good news or bad news, as the discs sold out very quickly in many places.

IMPORTANT NOTE: As many have been disappointed to discover (and I just found out today), only the discs marked “Limited Edition” have the 3D episode and 3D glasses (and a Chuck comic book as well).

Here are some places you can get the Limited Edition:

LIMITED EDITION DVD:

Best Buy US — Best Buy Canada — Amazon.com

LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY:

Best Buy US — Best Buy Canada

CHUCKAZON NOTE:

Unfortunately, Amazon.com is not letting affiliates order the Limited Edition, so Chuckazon does NOT carry any titles with the 3D episode.  Please accept my apology if you ordered from Chuckazon and did not get the 3D episode.  We did not see this coming.

You may have seen Mel’s excellent Year in Review at ChuckTV.net… I thought it would be good to highlight 2009 from the perspective of Chuck vs. the Podcast.

Some highlights:

Chuck vs. the Podcast ends the year as:

- the #1 TV-themed podcast in the world, now for 13 months straight!
- #4 in the TV & Film category
- #36 overall out of 73,000 podcasts worldwide (all categories)

(Don’t forget that the votes reset on the 1st day of every month — please vote for us at Podcast Alley and help spread the word about Chuck!)

- We released an average of 2 podcasts per month (24 total), with a whopping 31 interviews. As of now, all of the regular cast, 3 directors, 4 writers/producers, 4 editors, and the composer have now appeared on the podcast (many more than once).

- On average, 15,000 people listen to our podcasts each month, hailing from at least 20 different countries.

- We hit a peak in the renewal campaign, with 70,000 listening to a single episode.

- This caused a need for more bandwidth — we welcomed 2 sponsors to help cover the cost, and are grateful for many cash donations.  An important note is that 25% of the podcast running is still out of my pocket — if you enjoy the podcast I ask that you please consider a donation this year.

Other highlights were:

- We were involved in a massive fan renewal campaign, which ended up seeing Chuck renewed.

- Gray posted an iReport calling for Chuck’s renewal at CNN.com

- Because of this iReport, he was mentioned in a CNN article and was chosen to appear in a live interview with Chuck stars Zachary Levi and Joshua Gomez

- Gray was invited to come visit the Chuck cast and crew, and spent 2 weeks in L.A. in September visiting with and interviewing the gang behind Chuck.

The first of the video interviews taped in L.A. will be on the site later tonight!

I just wanted to wish you all a very merry Christmas, Chrismukkah, Hanukkah, Ramadan, or whatever else you celebrate!

This is a time to celebrate with our families and friends, and be grateful for all that we have.  For my part, I want to express my thanks to a number of people:

• Mel & Liz, without whom I could never have started this podcast, let alone see it build to what it has become.
• The cast, crew, and creative team of Chuck, who have been incredibly gracious, and generous with their time and even their pocketbooks…  and certainly for making the best show on television!
• Our guest hosts and other interviewees…  Ros, Lou, Mark Stephens, Robert Seidman, Emily.
• All the fans who have helped the podcast with monthly votes, donations, and items purchased at Chuckazon and Cafepress.
• For all who contributed questions by email, twitter, and on the web site, including those who sent cool photos, and entered our contests.
• Our sponsors, Movie Morons Podcast and serienjunkies.de.
• All who have spread the word by introducing new viewers to Chuck and new listeners to the podcast!
• Specifically, thanks to all who helped us stay the #1 TV-themed podcast for the last 13 months straight!

Have a wonderful and safe holiday!

With kindest regards,
Gray.

Chuck is Back Jan. 10th!

We have a start date!  NBC confirms that Chuck will be returning with a major kick-off event.  First we will see two back-to-back new episodes on Sunday January 10th, and then a third new episode on Monday, January 11th at 8/7c (which will be its regular time slot, just before Heroes at 9/8c).

Of note is that the season 2 DVD will go on sale Jan. 5th, so you have a few days to peruse the special features or host a Chuck marathon before the Sunday premiere event.

Big thanks to Alan Sepinwall and Mo Ryan for breaking the news!

To see Zachary Levi talk about the premiere event, and a full clip from one of the new episodes, click here.

Up next tomorrow, watch for Podcast 032 featuring Mel’s long interview with Vic Sahay!

Thanks to all of your submissions, Chuck vs. the Podcast has been nominated for this year’s Podcast Awards, in the Entertainment category!

As the graphic says, daily voting has started, and it ends November 30th.  I stress “daily” — a single vote won’t do the trick, so if you could please make this a daily activity for this 18-day period, it would be greatly appreciated.

As mentioned before, a win in this contest will help both my Warner Bros pitch and my U.S. visa application.  It will also help raise awareness for Chuck, and to attract many new viewers to both Chuck and the podcast.

We also want to remind you to please get your November vote in at Podcast Alley.  Last month we hit an amazing high, thanks to you, but this month we are neck and neck with the Fringe podcast.

Nov. 13th, we will be releasing our interactive podcast with Julia Ling, and the following Friday, Nov. 20th, will feature Mel’s interview with Vik Sahay.  Expect lots of great interviews over the coming weeks!

Thanks!

Interactive podcast tonight!

We’ll be recording the next episode of Chuck vs. the Podcast tonight, October 20, and we’re opening the floor to Chuck fans for questions! You can ask Gray questions about his recent trip to Los Angeles or just general Chuck-related questions.

We can’t promise that all questions will be answered – confidentiality clauses and all that – but we’ll do our best.

Make sure you’re watching on Twitter, as we’ll be having some surprise guests!

UPDATE:  Writer Phil Klemmer will field questions at 9pm EST, and editor Matt Barber will field questions at 9:30pm EST.

How to submit your questions:

1.  EMAIL – email questions to mail@chuckpodcast.com BEFORE 9pm EST TONIGHT, so we can gather them.
2.  TWITTER – live questions open at 9pm EST.  Gray will announce a “Live Questions Open” on his twitter at that time, and do his best to Twitter which question is being answered.
3.  SKYPE / LANDLINE – If you’d like, we can call you on Skype or your land-line and you can ask your question in person!  Email us with your name and phone number or Skype address before 9pm EST (also let us know an idea of what you will be asking), and we’ll call you between 9pm and 10pm EST.

Ratings update…  we’re currently #6 overall (all categories) out of 69,000 podcasts worldwide, thanks to you!

Our next task is the Podcast Awards — nominations open today, and we could definitely use your nomination and your vote!  A win in this contest will help both my Warner Bros pitch and also my U.S. visa application.

To nominate us, please click here and carefully follow the instructions.  DO NOT nominate us for both Best Produced and People’s Choice, as that will disqualify your nomination.  Take your pick of the two — by the time everyone has nominated, I’m sure we’ll have nominations in both.  You can also nominate us for ONE sub-category — i.e. one of the top two, and one additional category.  You only get to submit the form once.  Lastly, please quote the name of the podcast as exactly “Chuck vs the Podcast” (i.e. no period after the “vs”).

Thanks!

Gray with Zachary Levi and Joshua Gomez

If you haven’t been following my amazing L.A. adventures, I urge you to visit my blog and be prepared for awesomeness!

Everyone here at WB and NBC are impressed with what we have been able to accomplish with the podcast.  At director Norman Buckley’s urging, I am preparing a pitch to Warner Bros to hire me to be a full time podcaster, for Chuck and 3 or 4 other shows.

This would be a huge boon for Chucksters, because I would be able to get far more behind the scenes content, better contest prizes, and video interviews with any of the guest stars and regular cast and crew.  I would also be able to release podcasts far more often.  Most importantly, this would certainly help gain new fans, and increase Chuck’s chances at getting a season 4.

I am asking that all Chuck fans please support my pitch by voting for the podcast ASAP at Podcast Alley.  Please use Facebook and Twitter to spread the message to your friends, family, and fellow Chuck fans.

To vote, click here to go to Podcast Alley, then click on “VOTE” in the “ACTIONS” box in the upper left part of the page, and follow the instructions to complete the vote.  If you register for the site, you avoid annoying confirmations every time.

Thanks so much for helping us stay the #1 TV podcast in the world since December 2008!

- Gray.

I’ll be interviewing some of the Chuck cast & crew while I am in L.A. At this point, I don’t know who yet, but if you have any questions you would like to ask any of them, please share them in the comments of this post.

Please don’t forget to follow my blog, for frequent updates on my trip!

Thanks,
Gray.