No writer wants their series to end before the story has been completed, but letting it go on past its natural resolution can tarnish its reputation entirely. 

Networks might still get some views, but is the extra season really worth ruining all the excellence that came before it?

We put together some examples of shows that should've quit while they were ahead. 

Parks and Recreation

To be fair, there wasn't anything bad about the final season. It was more unnecessary than anything else. 

Each viewer is different, and some people need that time jump to see where the characters are headed in the future. 

However, it felt off and didn't quite go with the rest of the show. The Parks and Recreation Season 6 finale could have been the perfect stopping point with a few tweaks for closure. 

Fringe

The problem with Fringe Season 5 is that it had no impact on the story, whatsoever. 

It was cool to see what Peter and Olivia's daughter would be like, but everything that happened in the final season was erased in the series finale. 

The only difference is that Walter wasn't there, as he had to sacrifice himself and go to the future during the last few minutes of the show. 

There were definitely some entertaining aspects, but we could've done without it. 

Chuck

No matter which way you look at it, a lot of fans were unhappy with the ending of Chuck. 

Although some hope was offered for Chuck and Sarah in the show's final moments, the last season was heavy with despair. 

Due to Sarah's memory loss, which is never fully resolved, it felt like a completely different show than the one the audience had initially invested in. 

Once Upon a Time

The majority of the time, viewers become invested in the characters more than the story. We care about the story because it affects the people we've become attached to, and we enjoy watching their ups and downs. 

After Once Upon a Time Season 6, the show lost almost all of its essential cast members, making the final season weak and pointless. 

The sixth season would have closed out the series perfectly, with either a few minor adjustments or an additional episode to send the characters back to the Enchanted Forest.

13 Reasons Why 

Forget about the last season, this one didn't need the last three. 

13 Reasons Why should've stayed a mini-series like it was originally intended to be, rather than overstaying its welcome due to its high viewership. 

After Hannah's story was over, it seemed as if the writers were scrambling for more ways to make the characters suffer, and we got tired of watching it. 

The show was no longer about its title, or title character, and just got more hollow and depressing every season. 

The Office

By textbook definition, it was an ensemble, but The Office never should have continued after Steve Carell's departure. 

Michael Scott was quite literally the star of the show and the one who forced the characters together in his hilarious attempts at commodity. Although they tried to replace him, no one else could ever live up to Michae's legacy.

The series became boring and bland, and Dwight and Jim's shenanigans were one of the only reasons it didn't fade out completely. 

Veronica Mars 

Fans everywhere were ecstatic when Hulu announced they would be producing a Veronica Mars revival. 

However, the internet ended up in a frenzy when the show decided to bring back the series simply to kill off a main and fan-favorite character. The worst part about the ending was that fans funded the Veronica Mars movie in 2014, in the hopes of getting closure for the leading couple.

The revival shattered everything fans rallied so hard for, making us wish that she show never would've started up again, in the first place. 

The 100 

The series still has two more episodes before it wraps up for good, and fans are already done with it. 

Not only was Bellamy missing for almost the entirety of the season, but he was uselessly shot and killed by his best friend, leaving fans shocked and outraged. 

For fans who spent the past seven years believing Bellamy and Clarke would end up together, it was a low blow. 

The direction that the series took appeared to have more to do with behind the scenes issues than authentic storytelling, which is one of the reasons viewers have trouble accepting the final season, at all.

Pretty Little Liars

There were so many A's we couldn't keep track of them all. It began to reach a point where enough was enough.

Besides a few exceptions, time jumps rarely work well on TV, and Pretty Little Liars was best in a high school setting. The Perfectionists, the Pretty Little Liars spinoff, was set in college, yet only went on for one season. 

The show should have given all the shippers their endgames at the end of Pretty Little Liars Season 6 and called it quits. 

New Girl

Does anyone actually like the final season of New Girl? Considering that it wasn't even supposed to happen, it felt like a forced mess. 

Schmidt and Cece's daughter was probably the only upside, as even Nick and Jess's proposal and wedding was a letdown.

While we did want more of a resolution from Nick and Jess's relationship, after they kissed in what was supposed to be the final shot of the show, their send-off ended up seeming lazy and half-assed. 

The Vampire Diaries 

You could blame The Vampire Diaries' downward spiral on the loss of Elena Gilbert, but, The Vampire Diaries' drop in quality started the moment that Klaus and his family left for New Orleans. 

For many fans, Damon and Elena's relationship kept the show afloat, and Katherine Pierce's presence always upped the entertainment value, but after all that was gone, there was next to nothing left. 

And, to be honest, we could've done without the Steroline storyline. 

These TV Couples Were Set Up to Succeed, But Failed Miserably

Open List

What about you, TV Fanatics?

Are there any shows you think overstayed their welcome?

Or do you wish they kept going even longer?

Let us know in the comments section down below!

The post Not All TV Shows Needed That Final Season appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Cindy Miguens is the hand and artistic mastermind behind the Makeup Department for Fresh Off the Boat.

During her 25 years as a TV makeup artist her most notable TV shows include Pretty Little Liars, Faking It, Famous In Love, The OC, and many more. 

She initially joined the industry after receiving her Cosmetology license and decided to move to Los Angeles to work with big names and big faces.

She received training under Joe Blasco from the Joe Blasco School, one of the most renowned and prestigious makeup artists in the industry. 

It's a hard industry and the path to success is through connections and who you know.

Miguens said the person who gave her her first job is now a coworker on Fresh Off the Boat. Things truly come around full circle.

Her work on Fresh Off the Boat primarily pertains to Constance Wu and Randall Park. When creating Jessica Huang's character she specifically tries to "stay true to the 90s look" as the show is based in the '90s.

Jessica's character is a housewife who dabbles in her kids' school, realty, and eventually seeks to become a school administrator.

To match this, Miguens puts Wu in a brown smokey eye and plum lip, something very reminiscent of the 90s makeup trend and what makes Wu feel the most comfortable. 

Miguens described Wu as "very respectful, sweet, and very professional" saying she is more wonderful in person than her character is portrayed on the show. 

Wu's makeup routine is done in a speedy 30 minutes. So, to all you makeup gurus, it is possible to look flawless in a short amount of time.

Miguens attributed the speedy routine to the help of lash extensions which cuts down the amount of time dedicated to lash curling, mascara application, and all the tedious extra work. 

While Randall Park's makeup takes only about 20 minutes and most of the makeup routine is dedicated to covering up his tattoos. You heard it here folks!

Park has the names of his daughter and wife on his arm.

A sweet sentiment, but one that doesn't fit with Louis Huang's character. It's easy to forget that makeup isn't entirely about the face, but also includes body makeup as well. 

We're used to hearing of the long 12+ hour workdays actors put in, but oftentimes we forget about the makeup artists, costume designers, and behind the scenes agents who also put in the time to create the sets and characters we're so used to seeing come together effortlessly on-screen. 

The true magic behind these huge productions. 

A typical day, Miguens revealed, starts around 5 am and ends around 7 pm.

She said there's hardly any downtime to sit around, between getting characters ready for the next scene and quick touch-ups.

But when there is a rare moment to breathe, it's usually dedicated to paying bills and other necessary chores, nothing too glamorous. 

It's very much an environment dedicated to professionalism in order to create smooth transitions. 

Miguens expressed that an actor's personality is the element that makes the makeup process either easy or difficult. As long as the actor trusts in the makeup artist's abilities, then it's an easy flow. 

Her favorite actor to work with has been Janel Parrish, Mona Vanderwaal from Pretty Little Liars. 

She stated, "I love when people are just into looking how they're supposed to look for the character. I do what the director wants, what the producer wants, and then also what the actor wants, but mainly I have to please the Network."

Although makeup is an artistic process and one that allows the artists to be creative, they are still working for a Network and must stay within the guidelines that the Network envisions. 

As for what's next for Miguens following the sad adieu after Fresh Off the Boat Season 6, she does not know.

Currently, her agent is knocking on doors looking for her next gig. 

Longevity is the key and most desirable outcome for anyone in the industry, so she hopes to work with a show that can offer her a stable future.

Her dream would be to work with a period piece.

Specifically set in the '70s in which she was raised because, in her words, "The '70s is cool, man."

Makeup is what she loves, and she expressed how grateful she is to have found something she loves to do.

In her eyes, that's the most important thing in life, "to just find what you love."

She mentioned the possibility of a spin-off for Fresh Off the Boat, following the story of an Indian family that will be introduced in the coming episodes. 

Preity Zinta and Vir Das are set to star in the spin-off. Both of whom are well-known actors in the Bollywood scene. 

One of the writers for Fresh Off the Boat, Rachna Fruchbom, will be writing the spin-off. So if you're a fan of Fresh Off the Boat you know you'll love the spin-off as well. 

Miguens' notes if you haven't seen the most recent Christmas episode of Fresh Off the Boat you really should.

The makeup for the episode is especially intricate hailing from the Victorian Era. If you haven't seen it, don't forget you can always watch Fresh Off the Boat online here via TV Fanatic. 

The post Cindy Miguens: The Makeup Artist Behind Fresh Off the Boat & More appeared first on TV Fanatic.

… while giving creators of other shows plenty to ponder.

Josh Schwartz, for example, spoke to Entertainment Weekly this week and admitted that the resurrection of the aforementioned WB hit on the big screen has led to him contemplating the future of Chuck.

Might we ever see a movie version of this former NBC hit?!?

"What it really comes down to is what is the story you want to tell," Schwartz said, keeping his options open and admitting that the Chuck Season 5 finale would enable him to easily pick up where the series left off.

"You’re starting off with a question to answer certainly," he added. "And it’s a spy story so there’s always a new a mission, there’s always a new bad guy, there’s always a new need for Chuck to save the day."

Chuck wrapped up its five-season NBC run on January 27, 2012. And don't get too excited, a movie isn't exactly st in stone.

But would you want it to be? Would you buy tickets for a Chuck movie?

The post Josh Schwartz Ponders Possibility of a Chuck Movie appeared first on TV Fanatic.

As a reminder to those of you new to this online ceremony: Fed up with the constant snubs of the Emmy Awards, TV Fanatic is giving unrecognized programs, actors and actresses a chance to take home some hardware.

So far, we’ve asked readers to vote on Best Drama Series, Lead Actor in a Drama, Lead Actress in a Drama, Supporting Actor in a Drama and Supporting Actress in a Drama and Best Comedy Series.

Now, we turn our attention to Lead Actor in a Comedy. None of the following standouts has ever been nominated for an Emmy in this category.

But you can decide now which takes home the first-ever FrenEmmy:

The post FrenEmmy Awards: Lead Actor in a Comedy appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Now our super-sized panel is here to discuss the callbacks, the emotions, and that ambiguous ending in the final installment of TV Fanatic’s Chuck Round Table.

Join Eric Hochberger, Kris Hekmi, Nick McHatton, Carla Day, Dan Forcella and special guest Jill Mader – whose Couchtime With Jill recently placed first in the Pop Culture and Entertainment category of the Best Canadian Weblog Awards – in the discussion and leave your own answers in the comments!

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What was the funniest moment from the two hours?

Jill: General Beckman’s face during the entire Jeffster performance and bomb diffusing. Morgan and the Invisibility Cloak is a close second.

Eric: In an episode with so many serious moments, how could the funniest part not belong to Morgan and the Buy Morons?  Since I’m sure everyone else will pick Jeffster’s riveting performance, I’ll have to give it to Morgan and his fun with the Harry Potter invisibility cloak.  Fugitive jokes in 2012?  Still not old.

Kris: I too would mention the invisibility cloak. I cracked up so much. Also Jeff’s line of “we can find women off the remnants of a blooming onion” was the best.

Nick: I absolutely loved when Chuck took down Casey’s helicopter with the desert eagle. It was nice to see Chuck do one last silly mistake before the series took its final bow.

Carla: You have all mentioned some of the funniest moments. Another I loved was seeing Casey in the “World’s Greatest Dad” apron and then scrubbing the floor. Who would ever have imagined that as a possible and plausible scene after the pilot?!?

Dan: Morgan with the cloak was great, but I have to give some love to Captain Awesome.  When he claimed that he and Ellie were “being wooed…by Midwesterners” I lost it.  There’s something about Ryan McPartlin’s delivery that always cracks me up.

What was your favorite callback?

Jill: There were so many great ones, but my favorite for many reasons was when Sarah suggested Chuck stop the bomb with the Irene Demova virus. It was a fun callback to their first ever mission, and it showed that Sarah’s memory wasn’t entirely gone.

Eric: I know Subway only goes back a few seasons now, but having the franchise that saved the show buying the Buy More was amazing to me.  I love how they shamelessly plugged their sponsor to the point of making it hilarious and a part of the finale.  Way to go Chuck, and way to go Subway.  You’ve secured your place in television history with forever changing product placement.

Kris: Please don’t make me choose. It’s like Sophie’s Choice (except not as serious). I loved them all. They reminded me of seasons past when I didn’t critique the episodes as much, so they’re extra awesome.

Nick: The montage at the end. It reminded me of why I fell in love with this show in the first place. I may have shed some tears during it too.

Carla: I loved the way that they replicated shot-by-shot Bryce Larkin’s action scene from the pilot when Sarah was escaping from the white room at D.A.R.P.A. In particular, I enjoyed watching her crash through the glass window to escape, well, and the wall bouncing action!

Dan: My favorite had to be Sarah in the Weinerlicious uniform. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Which character was given the best ending?  The worst?

Jill: I don’t know that any of the characters got a bad ending. Maybe Big Mike, but he’s never wanted anything more than working at the Buy More, and having a Subway move in is like winning the lottery to him. Even though Sarah didn’t easily get her memory back, everyone got some kind of happy ending. I think the best was our boy Chuck’s, because he managed to save the world and get the girl. He and Sarah are out of the spy business and together, just like they wanted.

Eric: So much of the ending was to your imagination, but I was quite happy to see Jeffster, Morgan and Casey get their dream job and women respectively.  Very sweet.  So I have to say worst goes to Chuck and Sarah.  Sure it’s left to our imagination, and I’m positive he’ll land Sarah, but I hate the two steps backwards the two had to do.  I wanted to see them with baby Charah in hand, not starting their whole relationship over and flipping the reset switch on the five years we all put in.

Kris: Best was probably Jeffster, unless it ends with Lester found in a German motel room having asphyxiated himself. Oooh! Look at me making my callbacks!  Worst is Chuck and Sarah, and Sarah even worse than Chuck. They’ll eventually be fine but not at this ending. 

Nick: Ellie and Awesome were given the best ending. They finally were offered jobs (and pay) that suited their skill sets, and they get to continue their family in Chicago away from the potential danger the Bartowski name brings. Sarah wasn’t given the best ending out of any of them (I have no doubts in my mind that she will regain her memories), but for me all of the characters were given decent sendoffs. 

Carla: They were all given pretty good endings. In a way the best and the worst ending are the same for me. Chuck and Sarah. It sucks that Sarah lost her memory and the love that she had for Chuck. But, it was the best ending too because she picked him. They can now fall in love all over again. 

Dan: I think the best goes to Jeffster.  They had a fantastic final season arc, and by saving the day with their final performance before heading to Germany, they were certainly sent off in style.  The worst for me was probably the Awesomes.  It’s great for the characters – like Nick said, it’s wonderful to see them safe and getting what they deserve – but as an ending it was way too abrupt.  Why are they moving now?  It was kind of out of left field.

More touching, Chuck’s first speech to Sarah about their story?  The final one on the beach?  Or Casey’s Russian hug of Chuck?

Jill: The speech on the beach, but that hug was really damn close.

Eric: I don’t think there was a scene that Zach Levi didn’t manage to tug on every heart string of mine.  I’m not sure who had more tears in their eyes, me or Chuck.

Kris: That beach scene gutted me. Someone sew me back up because I’ve come undone. 🙁

Nick: The beach scene, definitely. That was the one spot that I’ve wanted the show to go back to before it closed out. I was very happy to see it one last time.

Carla: The beach. I watched the finale twice and cried more than I’d like to admit both times I watched this scene. My eyes might just be getting misty just thinking about it…maybe…

Dan: As great as it was to see those two laughing it up on the beach, it was Chuck’s first speech to Sarah, when Zach Levi absolutely murdered the emotions that my allergies started acting up.

What did you think of the series finale overall?

Jill: I loved it. I felt like all the characters were given their moments to shine, and they gave us enough closure without wrapping everything up with a pretty little bow. It was bittersweet, just like much of the series has been.

Eric: Again, I hate the fact this show loves doing the two steps backwards, one step forward for Charah.  Bur since everyone got their happy ending and enough was left to my imagination, I’d declare it successful.  It was just tough to say goodbye no matter how things ended.  But I think the show did a great job of making so much left ambiguous, forcing you to use your imagination and think about the show even more.  Great impact.

Kris: The series finale was wonderful, and I loved it. I’m one of those who just lapped up all the call-backs. I’m not ashamed to admit I’m a shipper and so those moments between Chuck and Sarah were great! I also liked everyone’s endings and the direction their lives were heading towards. In my head, Chuck and Sarah will be just fine. Just a few more kissing sessions and a Nina Simone “Feeling Good” marathon and they’ll be having a second honeymoon in Paris in no time.

Nick: It wasn’t what I was expecting at all, but I have to say I really liked it. I don’t need to know all the details of how everyone lives the rest of their lives. Fedak has said in many interviews he likes open ended series finales, and that’s what I was expecting (just not in this way). This ending gives the fans a lot of room to imagine their own ending. Chuck has the intersect back in his head, he has to win over Sarah again, and they have the chance to go back to being spies – which is my favorite part of the show. Also, I have to admit, watching Chuck and Sarah in a will they/won’t they situation again was really fun to watch.

Carla: It is one of my favorite series finales ever. I’m not sure that Sarah losing her memory would have been the direction I would have taken for the finale, but it worked. It was set-up and was Chuck-like. The callbacks were fun and the ending was precious.

Dan: Like I said in my review, through flashbacks Chuck’s speeches, the finale hit every emotional trigger for me.  If I had any issue with it, it was how slowly some things went, and how quickly others did.  Between the second part of “Sarah” and the first part of “The Goodbye” it felt very repetitive.  Then by the end it felt like everybody moved a million miles a second and was leaving town.  Structurally it did mark a perfect score, but emotionally it sure did.

Give the final season a grade.  Give the series a grade.

Jill: A for both. I was nervous about the first couple episodes of the season, but once I realized how Morgan with the Intersect had been setting up this final Sarah plotline, I thought it was really good storytelling.

Eric: Thanks to a great final two episodes, I’m giving the final season an A.  There were definitely some weird moments this season like the passing around of the Intersect, but it at least gave Jeffster, Morgan and Casey some final directions.  I just wasn’t a huge fan of where it sent my leads.  Overall, my favorite spy comedy will end with a B+.  I am glad I watched all five seasons and would never regret recommending the series to a friend.  Sure, there were some tweak seasons after the first two, but it all came back together in the end.  Thank you cast and crew for a great five years of entertainment!

Kris: Final Season B. Series A. It defies logic…I haven’t enjoyed seasons four and five in general relative to one and two. Three was okay. But I love the characters so much I can’t give this show in general anything less than an A. Viva la Chuck!

Nick: Final Season: B. Series: A. Although I didn’t feel the show was as strong in seasons four and five, compared to one, two, and 3.5 (who needs the Shaw Arc?). Chuck has had such a positive impact on my life it will always get an A from me. Without Chuck I wouldn’t have met Kris or many other amazing people nor would I have this awesome job reviewing television. Five seasons and a movie?

Carla: The final season wasn’t at all what I expected, but that was a good thing. It was action from beginning to end. Unlike some shows, it kept its integrity in style and storytelling until the end. It never slowed down to close out. Final Season: A.  Series: A-. 

Dan: I’m right with Carla on this.  The final season, whether because they knew it was the last one, or because it was only 13 episodes, had a lot of purpose.  The directive it took with all of its characters was a pleasant improvement from season four, so I give the final season an A.  The series overall did have times when it slacked a bit, so overall Chuck gets an A- from me.

The post Chuck Round Table: “Chuck Versus the Goodbye” appeared first on TV Fanatic.

This two-part series finale succeeded in making us laugh, and keeping us on the edge of our seat, but it was the overwhelming number of emotional triggers both “Chuck Versus Sarah” and “Chuck Versus the Goodbye” set off that made it an extremely satisfying ending.

At the outset. it seemed as if the whole “Sarah lost her memory and was going to be a problem” issue was resolved before it even started, but they flipped that scenario right on its head. Sarah, in fact, never got all of her memory back from what the intersect and Quinn did to her, which just gave us more time to watch Chuck attempt to jog it.

Right down to the final minutes of the series, Chuck was reminding Sarah – and the audience – of what great times these two have had together over the past five years. That final scene, which our Round Table panel predicted horribly wrong, was so darn fantastic.

It’s going to take a lot of work to get Sarah back to the place she was before losing the last five years of her life, but if Chuck continues to tell her their story while smiling and laughing it up, these two will make it back to where they were.

And while the end result for our favorite spy couple was beautiful, it wasn’t even the most emotional moment from the two hours. Thanks to the flashbacks, and the wonderful acting by Zach Levi, the first time Chuck told the story of how these two fell in love was by far the most touching moment of the finale. Needless to say, my non-existent allergies started to act up at that point.

Unfortunately for Chuck, that game didn’t bring Sarah out of it. It worked out well for us, though, because we got to relive it all again as Sarah watched her video diaries of her years with Chuck. Of course, it still didn’t cause her to regain her feelings for Chuckles, but it sure was enjoyable to watch Sarah falling for him in a matter of minutes.

It wasn’t just Charah’s relationship that drove this series. The friendships that were created and groomed over these five years were some of the best on television. Many of those friends’ stories were paid off in the end.

Casey, and his new found soft spot, attempted to help Sarah remember by giving her the video diary disc, continued the strong relationship with his daughter and sailed off to win over his own love… Verbanski.

Morgan was back to doing all of the little things needed to get the job done. He helped out Chuck on his missions, he helped out Casey, he even helped out Jeffster with the orchestra and he ended up moving in with the badass girl but sadly… no badass tips.

Awesome and Ellie decided to take off to Northwestern to take new jobs after getting wooed by Midwesterners. While I loved Ellie helping to save the day by crashing her car, and it’s nice to see her having enough confidence in Chuck now to leave him be in sunny California, the move seems a bit out of place. Why would they leave now? Because it’s the series finale? I don’t think the extra money would be enough to displace them that easily.

Jeffster had one final killer performance, and it stopped a bomb from killing hundreds of people! Who had “Take On Me” in the final Jeffster performance pool? Not me, but I was glad to see those two goons rip it up one last time before getting their German record contract.

It might not have been the ending that many pictured – what with Sarah hardly remember who Chuck is, Casey darting off to find Verbanski and the Awesomes moving to Chicago – but in the end all of our favorite characters got enjoyable conclusions. Even Big Mike finally found out about all of the spy business going on around him. Whether he ends up believing it or not is another story.

What do you say? How about you put on that Weinerlicious outfit and take a stroll down the Chuck Triple Threat avenue one more time? Let’s do this…

Heart
We shall start with heart since it’s all already been mentioned. When it comes to plot, storytelling, and spy related material, Chuck doesn’t usually take itself too seriously. With heartfelt, emotional moments, the show doesn’t mess around, and that was obvious in the finale.  

Comedy
A lot of the flashbacks and callbacks were funny simply for nostalgic reasons. Seeing Sarah in the overseas Weinerlicious, or Chuck and Sarah ballroom dancing on a mission, had to just make you giggle nervously.

Then there were more overtly funny moments, like Morgan cramming in a Harry Potter, The Fugitive, and a headless horseman joke within minutes of finding the invisibility cloak.

Finally there were a couple of final John Casey gems, including “You shot down my helicopter with my own damn gun!” and “General, with all due respect, shut up. We’re saving you.”

Action
There were a ton of great action sequences from the two hours, but my favorite might have been the fight from Weinerlicious. Was it mainly because Morgan used a bottle of ketchup to take out his enemy?  Maybe.

I also really enjoyed the old Sarah taking on missions all by herself. My jaw dropped when I saw her kick through the window, slide under the desk and swing around the railing in a matter of seconds.

Moving Forward
So the final intersect upload was put into the shades, and Chuck decided to use them to stop the bomb instead of helping Sarah get all of her memories back. It’s definitely fitting, if completely obvious, that Chuck finishes the series just like he started it…by downloading a super computer worth of information into his brain.  That still sounds weird when you say it out loud.

So that’s a wrap, folks. The pacing of the finale wasn’t really the best – it seemed to drag plot-wise in the middle there, but emotionally both hours really connected. It was a great ending to a series that I have loved since day one.

What did you all think of the Chuck series finale? Are you happy with where all the characters ended up? Sound off in the comments and come back for the final Chuck Round Table next week.

The post Chuck Review: With All Of My Heart appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Now our panel of Nick McHatton, Kris Hekmi, Eric Hochberger and Dan Forcella are here to discuss these topics and more in the last Chuck Round Table before this Friday’s two-part finale.

Check out Kris’s preview of the series finale, then sound off in the comments with your own answers to the Round Table questions…

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What was the funniest moment from the episode?
Nick: The ass kicking lap dance Sarah gave Chuck. Luckiest guy in the world, I’m telling ya.

Kris: I think the funniest moment was the second time Casey said “Go to my Crown Vic” but this time to Jeffster!

Eric: Pretty much everything out of Lester’s mouth as he talked to the little earling known as Casey.  Do it for your country.  For Canada?

Dan: With all the hilarity that came out of Jeffster’s rescue mission, I find it strange that I thought the funniest thing of the episode was Morgan responded “I started wearing tight slacks” when Ellie asked if anything different happen on his missions.  It was that good, though.  Fantastic deadpan from Josh Gomez.

More badass, Sarah with the intersect?  Or Jeff and Lester saving the day?
Nick: Like Kris, I’m a Sarah Walker Fangirl. Jeff and Lester will never be badass when compared to Sarah. Yeah, putting sug’ in the gas tank is kind of genius, as is saving Casey’s daughter. But, giving an intersect to the already badass Sarah Walker? There is only one winner, and Jeff and Lester aren’t it.

Kris: Sarah is badass with or without intersect. To pit her against Jeff and Lester in any capacity is just a blight on humanity. 

Eric: Relatively speaking, Jeffster!  There’s nothing more impressive than mere mortals donning the heavy stuff to save the day.  Sarah, meanwhile, I just don’t think needed the Intersect to be as silly awesome as she was, let alone 40 times just to do a little parkouring.

Dan: I’m with Eric in that it is all relative.  Jeffster is never badass, so donning the mega gun and the flamethrower was way out of their league.  Badass.

How do you feel about a blank slate Sarah taking on Chuck?
Nick: Personally, I think it’s the most contrived set up the show has done yet. Sarah might be brainwashed, but she’s not an idiot. Sarah is a well trained spy, brainwashed or not, and for her to accept such cheap and easy excuses from Quinn is absolutely stupid. But my hands are up to signal surrender, nothing I can do about it – I’ll just enjoy it for what it is.

Kris: Taking my feelings out of it completely, and attempting to be completely objective, the stakes in a blank Sarah taking on Chuck are very high. If what Fedak wanted was for people to gnash their teeth, tear out their hair, and shave their heads from going crazy, then he certainly did the right thing. It’s going to be, at the very least, interesting.

Eric: I’ll give this the same reaction I gave The Vow trailer and anything else that ever relied on the memory loss gimmick.  Ugh.

Dan: I would agree with all you haters if memory loss wasn’t so built into the fabric of the series.  The Intersect, which is really the essence of Chuck, is a computer in someone’s brain.  They have planted the idea of this device screwing with people’s minds, and even ruining Morgan’s memory within this season.  Sarah taking on the intersect, using it over and over again, and then losing her memory after more brain flashing torture, seemed completely organic.  It sets up for a fantastic different type of conflict to the end the series.  I can’t wait.

Since this is the last chance before next week’s two-part finale, what’s the finale scene of Chuck going to be?
Nick: Chuck and Sarah getting their house and discovering/announcing they’re pregnant to this collective family we’ve grown to love over the past five seasons.

Kris: Hopefully what all the people going insane from the last episode want: Sarah and Chuck riding off into the sunset together, maybe multiple fetuses growing in Sarah’s belly…oh yea, and everyone else happy and alive too. All I personally want is for everyone to get to say good-bye to each other. Maybe Sarah will look into the screen and mouth “good-bye to YOU, Kris.” I would die. But then I would die happy.

Eric: Yeah, Nick pretty much called it.  I want to see them live out Chuck’s drawing in front of the home with the white picket fence and little Charah in hand.

Dan: Is there any other possibility?  We will probably all be wrong, and it’s going to end with Chuck murdering Sarah, Morgan and Casey, getting Shaw out of prison, and taking over the world!

The post Chuck Round Table: “Chuck Versus the Bullet Train” appeared first on TV Fanatic.

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to spend a few hours with fellow reporters and members of the Chuck cast for the show’s second-to-last day of filming. Ever.

With the two-hour series finale airing this Friday, Yvonne Strahovski admitted everyone was “a bit worn out” by the long hours, but the affection on set between cast and crew members was palpable. Emotion was running high.

“It’s really our biggest struggle trying to keep each other together,” said producer Chris Fedak. “Yvonne has been the weak link this time. We’re on set, shooting what is the final scene of the series and she was crying and she turns to me and she says, ‘say something funny.’ I had to tell her, ‘Josh handles the funny, I handle the action.'”

Adam Baldwin was equally unsympathetic toward his long-time co-star: “Oh, she’s going on to bigger and better things, she’s got nothing to cry about. She’s got all our phone numbers and emails, she’ll see us around. Once in a while.”

Following Chuck Versus The Bullet Train, there is a sense of impending doom for hardcore fans. And Strahovski didn’t exactly assuage our fears with her finale preview, teasing:

“I think [this storyline] is going to weigh heavy on people’s hearts… There’s a definite element of sadness and stuff that we have to go through to get to the final moment.”

But Zachary Levi takes a broader few of the show’s final two hours, saying the episodes “reset the clock in a lot of ways” and adding: “You find our heroes almost like you found them in the beginning of the show.”

Fedak echoes this view.

“It’s very callback-y,” said the co-creator. “It’s very much an episode haunted by previous seasons. You’re going to find a lot of echoes. The first half of the night, episode 12, is very much a contained thriller. Then episode 13, every act will have echoes of past seasons and it will make… you’ll see how we’ll fold into the story and the narrative will make a lot of sense. But there is something about it… as we were working on the episode, breaking it in the writers’ room, we wanted something that was a play through the entire show, not just this season.”

For those of us who have stuck around for five seasons, dieting strictly on Subway sandwiches to keep our favorite group of Buy Morons around, Fedak promises a “love letter” of a finale, while Levi says we shouldn’t require TOO many years of therapy after it’s over:

“[The finale is] good, it’s cathartic, it’s therapeutic. It’s not necessarily tears of joy but it’s tears of love. And I hope that the fans all feel that.”

Look for one specific reference/call back to the pilot (hint: it involves Mark Pellegrino), as well as a final performance from Jeffster on Friday. If you like the the Norwegian pop band A-ha, you will not be disappointed by it.

And if you love Chuck as I do, be grateful the series made it this far. Then, prepare to cry. A lot.

The post TV Fanatic on Set: Chuck Cast Dishes on Finale appeared first on TV Fanatic.

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