Friday, April 23, 2010

Ryan McPartlin on CHUCK'S Season Finale



If Chuck is cancelled, it doesn't sound like this season's finale, just like last year's, will offer a satisfying conclusion to the series. In a recent interview, McPartlin ("Captain Awesome" himself) had this to say.

PW: Earlier in the season Awesome toyed with taking Ellie to Africa before changing his mind — but I could have sworn I saw a jungle and tiger in this promo. What gives?
Ryan: You might see Ellie and Awesome going to Africa. There's some pretty cool stuff coming up. The writers and production team went all out — the next couple of episodes really take us through to the end of the season and introduce a new element of suspense and cliffhangers.

PW: So there are cliffhangers?
Ryan: Yea, they had to try and match last year and I think they've done a good job. Hopefully they can keep one-upping themselves if we get another season. There's a bunch of Ring stuff you'll never see coming. Just when you think its predictable, they throw in a killer twist.

PW: That's an interesting choice since "Chuck's" future is still up in the air. Do you think they did that to not give NBC an easy out?
Ryan: They definitely didn't want to let people off too easily. There is a moment in the season finale when you think we're wrapping up everything nice and neat. That's when we pull the rug out from underneath you.

PW: Are you frustrated to be back in this boat of not knowing if you'll be back for a fourth season?
Ryan: Of course it's a little frustrating to be back where we were a year ago. It's not a comment on the show — I think we're doing great work — it's more of a comment on the state of network TV. You can see why Conan went to cable. At the same time, NBC has been very supportive the whole time, but I think now especially they need to not look at the brand — not the ratings — and figure out what kind of network they want to be. I think "Chuck" would be a great cornerstone of that brand.