Last month, we made a post about the fans pushing a major Twitter campaign to advertisers to try to save the television show Chuck. A list of advertisers that aired commercials during the show was put together, and each week fans would tweet with a thank you to the different advertisers. Some fans would take pictures of them enjoying one of the products and send that too. The good news…Chuck is saved. NBC is keeping the show to give it a final 13-episode season.

Did the Twitter campaign have an effect on NBC’s decision? First, let’s go over some facts.

• The current magic number for a show to be placed into syndication is 88 episodes. Can you guess how many episodes Chuck is away from being syndication-eligible? (hint: look at how many episodes it is being renewed for)
• Subway is still a major sponsor of the show. During seasons 3 and 4, they had numerous in-show product placements. Expect it to keep happening in season 5. Sponsorship like this is a good source of revenue for NBC. (On a side note, in-show product placement advertising is something we will be seeing more of. Survivor does this with Sprint and Home Depot.)
• It may be possible that the president of NBC is a huge Chuck fan.

OK now back to the Twitter campaign and wondering if it helped. The site that started it all, www.wegiveachuck.com, says it best:

So the question many have already started asking us, did we save the show? Was it the fans’ rallying cry, Warner Brother’s quest for syndication, the state of NBC’s pilots, the new leadership’s desire to keep some stability in the line-up, or a combination of all of the above? We may never know. But guys, consider this. Networks and studios don’t fight to save programs that nobody cares about. You came out and showed your commitment and dedication. You showed it to the network, to the advertisers and to the cast and the creators of Chuck. You were heard. And that counts for a lot. So stand up and be proud. Take a moment. Think of all the advertisers we reached, of the hundreds of photos that were sent in, of the thousands of tweets that were sent out. Marvel at what this fanbase can do, and celebrate the fact that you were part of something amazing.

Of course, the cast and crew of Chuck thanked the fans via Twitter.

From Josh Schwartz (producer) @JoshSchwartz76 – The passion of the CHUCK fans has been heard again… We are all truly lucky to have the greatest fan base on tv. Thank you.
From Zachary Levi (Chuck) @ZacharyLevi – I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it til I die, you all are the greatest fans/friends on the planet. I’m humbled by your love and support.
From Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah) @Y_Strahovski – Chuck season 5 renewed!! Yay chucksters!!
From Scott Krinsky (Jeff) @Scott_Krinsky – Were back for trouble:). ChuckS5. Chucksters! We couldn’t have done it w/o you. Grazie!
From Mark Christopher Lawrence (Big Mike) @MarkChrLawrence – Best fans ever!
Finally, from Joshua Gomez (Morgan) @JoshuaEGomez – OMG!! I just heard!! It’s official!!! ASHTON FREAKING KUTCHER!!!! ….I kid I kid. Thank you Chuck fans. You are Kings among men.

Once again, everyone comes out a winner in this decision. The fans win. They get a final season. The cast and crew of Chuck win. They get to stay employed. NBC wins. They got free publicity from the campaign, and then got to be the good guys to keep the show around. Plus, the advertisers win. It was a great way for the average viewer to let advertisers know we are here and watching their commercials and purchasing their products.

If you haven’t seen the fall schedules, check them out (links below). Chuck is being moved to Friday nights. A good number of shows were canceled on all the networks. There are plenty of favorites still staying around too.

NBC Fall Schedule: http://www.nbc.com/upcoming-shows

CBS Fall Schedule: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/fall_preview_2011

ABC Fall Schedule: http://cdn.media.abc.go.com/m/pdf/shows/new-shows/new_20112012_season.pdf

Fox Fall Schedule: http://www.fox.com/programming

CW Fall Schedule: http://www.cwtv.com/shows