NBC renews "Chuck" despite low ratingsLOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – In the battle of "Chuck" vs. the Network Suits, the geeky hero has prevailed.
NBC has granted Josh Schwartz's well-liked action-comedy another shot next fall.
The network picked up 13 episodes of the series from Warner Bros., which, in an across-the-board trend this year, made some budget concessions to secure the show a third season.
Fans pushed NBC very hard for a pickup, launching a "Save Chuck" campaign that included buying sandwiches at series sponsor Subway.
"Chuck" joins "Southland" and "Parks and Recreation" among the "bubble" shows NBC has renewed for fall. Given that 10 p.m. will be off the table due to Jay Leno's talk show, the network has considerably fewer slots than usual to fill.
Confidence has been pretty high that" Chuck" would return. Once Fox found a way to make the much lesser-rated "Dollhouse" work for fall late last week, "Chuck's" returning to NBC seemed almost certain. It also probably hasn't hurt that star Zachary Levi has been a team player for the network, often appearing in PSA campaigns, marketing promotions and events.
Though much attention was given to the show's ratings, "Chuck" performed fairly steadily this season, dropping only slightly in the spring. It averaged 6.5 million viewers this season, ranking at No. 78 not far behind "30 Rock (6.7 million).
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090518/media_nm/us_chuck_1
