Chuck Increases to a 2.1; Should NBC Move Chuck to Different Night?

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/03/30/tv-ratings-dancing-with-the-stars-down-but-dominate-castle-chuck-rise/46581?utm_campaign=WP-TWITTER&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter

First off, sorry for not posting much this past week. Had tons of errands to run, job interviews. Yes, life was busy =P

But back to last night's episode. Against DWTS and CBS/FOX repeats, Chuck increased to a 2.1 and 5.6 million viewers. That's a nice increase from the lows the past two weeks. While the increases were nice to see, a 2.1 still puts us in the danger zone of being canceled. NBC will probably cancel us with a 2.1. That said, an increase is an increase. The overwhelmingly positive buzz from this episode will not be reflected in last ngiht's ratings, but it could bode well for next week's "faux" finale. I expect a modest increase to a 2.2-2.3 in the demos. Those numbers will put Chuck in a good position to increase its ratings and hopefully be enough to get it another season.

Ever since last year, there's always been discussions about whether Chuck would do better on a different night. The past two years Chuck has held up admirably when other NBC shows failed miserably in the Monday time-slot. But would changing time-slots be beneficial for Chuck?

The answer is of course, though it's not that simple. Moving a show in -mid-season is always a risky procedure. But in Chuck's case, I believe it's a risky move that NBC should take. There are a number of places where NBC could move Chuck:

1. Wednesday 8pm- This is the most popular among Chuck fans. The current occupant, Mercy, had a new low last week of 1.3. FOX's Human target got a 2.0. However, these shows were up against Survivor because NCAA basketball had occupied the Thursday time-slot. But on a regular Wednesday, The highest rated show would garner a 2.3-2.5. Chuck could easily be in second, or even first for the night. Chuck could also increase the average for NBC for that night. However, Wednesday 8pm is notorious for its low household viewership. It's the lowest outside of Friday. But I believe Chuck will be fine because fans will migrate with the show
2. Sunday 8pm- Another potential slot for Chuck. Minute to Win It is not exactly doing gangbusters in the ratings. Competition is less compared to Friday. The only thing we have to worry about is any overrun by sporting events, but that's rare in the spring. Another problem is that there are big events scheduled for Sundays: Super Bowl, Grammys, Oscars. That would hurt continuity and flow of the show. Chuck has shown, albeit later on in the night, that it cold do well on Sundays.
3. Fridays- Now some people might scream this is a bad move, and it could very well be. The prevailing opinion is that any show "exiled" to Fridays means that the show will be soon canceled. However, I'm a glass half full type of person and I say that doesn't have to be the case. As ABC showed last week, they premiered a new show, "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution", and the show got a 2.6 in the demo. A 2.6!!! ON  A FRIDAY!! This shows that there is an audience for Fridays. Heck, even NBC's WDYTYA is doing reasonably well. Same argument for Chuck goes here. If Chuck can keep its audience from Monday to a Friday, that will be good for the show. This is a long shot, but NBC could bring back Chuck much cheaper and stick it on Fridays. If it holds anything above a 2.0, Chuck could easily stay on Fridays for a couple more seasons. 

I'm with the crowd that NBC should use the upcoming two week break to promote Chuck on a new night. But I doubt that will happen because NBC is showing repeats of Chuck Monday nights, which seems to indicate NBC will keep Chuck on Mondays the rest of the year.