'Chuck' ratings are just good enough

To be a "Chuck" fan is to become a master of the Nielsen game, of knowing just what the variances in tiny ratings points mean to the beloved spy saga. And now that the ratings are in for the first two nights of the show's third season, it's safe to say that "Chuck" is not yet the smash hit it probably should be, but it's also probably bought itself a little breathing room, even if that breathing room exists mostly because NBC is, well, kind of having some issues at present. So, fellow "Chuck"-keteers, take heart. The show could be doing better, and your rampant "Chuck" evangelizing should continue, but it didn't come back to five viewers or anything like that either.

Among the 18- to 49-year-old viewers who are the ones NBC says it cares most about, "Chuck" scored a 3.0 rating for its first hour Sunday and a 2.9 for its second hour, with both hours pulling a 7 share, according to TV by the Numbers. (Briefly stated, the rating is the percentage of all TVs — or all TVs within the specific audience — in the United States tuned in to that given program. The share is the percentage of all TVs in use tuned in to that given program. This is an oversimplification, but it's close enough to give you an idea.) Sunday night's broadcasts averaged just under 7.5 million total viewers as well, marking the show's highest rating since its post-Super Bowl 3-D episode in February of last year.

The news got even better on Monday, even though the show was down slightly from the Sunday premiere. Up against stiff competition like the return of "House" and the 100th episode of "How I Met Your Mother," "Chuck" drew a 2.6 rating and a 7 share, with a total of 7.3 million viewers, again according to TV by the Numbers. It's the best the show has done in its regular time-slot since that 3-D episode, and it's a far sight better than "Heroes," whose performance NBC claimed to be pleased with at its Television Critics Assn. press tour session on Sunday. "Heroes" pulled only a 2.1 rating and 5 share for 4.71 million viewers. (And, to be fair, NBC's pleasure with its ratings regarded how it did at 8 p.m., not 9 p.m., when it aired last night. But the Monday "Chuck" number is still better than many "Heroes" 8 p.m. numbers were last fall.)

That's a lot of gobbledigook, I realize, a lot of numbers that might not make sense. But the bottom line is that "Chuck" is doing fairly well for itself, particularly on a network that doesn't have a whole lot else. And that means fans can start to let that sigh of relief out (while, of course, still planning those "Save 'Chuck'" campaigns, just in case).

— Todd VanDerWerff (follow me on Twitter at @tvoti)

Photo: Zachary Levi stars in "Chuck." Photo credit: NBC.

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Comments

[Kristal]

So glad the show came back to solid numbers. So far, the episodes have been great too! Let's hope it keeps it up.

http://toointerestingfortwitter.blogspot.com

[Brett]

I was pleased that the numbers stayed relatively steady from Sunday. Monday's episode was much, much stronger and will hopefully encourage some new people to stick around.

[Jaime]

I'm glad that Chuck is doing well so far this season. I think the episodes have been very entertaining and it looks like NBC's writers for the show know what the "Chuck Fans" want.

Go Chuck!

[Bangor Bob]

After waiting a year for chuck's return, I must say that the lack of spark between Chuck and Sarah, not to mention the lack of any clearly defined central plot as in the first 2 seasons was way disappointing! I will continue to watch in hopes that Chuck will return to form, but I don't see many new viewers in the future if it doesn't improve. Since this season is already "in the can", I hope this might serve as future food for thought.

[Alex]

Bangor Bob: I agree with you that the lack of spark between Chuck and Sarah was a little disappointing, but it will probably pick up as the season goes on. If you think about it, they kind of had to do that. Also, Season 1 didn't have a central plot, and Season 2's central plot didn't really manifest itself until about half way through the season, so I'm not too sure what you are worried about at this point. Also, I think it's a little presumptuous to say that the season is "in the can" after only three episodes. Wait a little bit before making judgement.

[Tim]

The ONLY reason I'm watching ANY NBC programming is because of Chuck. Until Leno vacates primetime and they stop being silly, I had vowed not to watch a single moment of NBC, not news, not local, not a smidge of an ad. But they still have Chuck and Chuck is the ONLY Must See TV I have. Unless you count the other nerd catnip, Big Bang Theory, but luckily it runs on a network that values the consumer and not mere numbers.

[Anomalous DNA]

Chuck season 3 is AWESOME! 3 friends of mine, who were not watching last year, have now made this a show they follow. I've been telling them how great it is and it's finally paid off. The first 3 episodes have great! I can't wait 'till tonights episode with the rescue of Cpt. Awesome. The Chuck and Sarah tension is probably necessary and probably won't resolve until the final episodes in the series. Although, I'd love to see them hook up before then. I'm not sure how Chris would work that writing out, though. Anyways, GO CHUCK!!!