Scott to appear on 4 episodes of NBC's "Chuck"

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned here or not, or perhaps Scott himself "plugged" them at the QL Convention, but he will be making the first of 4 consecutive guest appearances on NBC's "Chuck" starting this Monday (April 6th) at 8:00PM EDT (7:00PM Central). For anyone that has never seen the show, it centers around an ordinary geek-like guy named Chuck Bartowski who works at an electronics store called Buy More (think of it like Best Buy's Geek Squad, except his department is called the Nerd Herd). One day, he received an e-mail message from an old college friend-turned-rival which downloaded something called the "Intersect" into his brain, containing all of the government's biggest secrets. Now whenever Chuck sees anybody or anything pertaining to one of the Intersect's files, he "flashes" on that particular piece of information. So, in order to protect the "asset" (meaning Chuck), the CIA has sent 2 operatives to keep him safe: John Casey and Sarah Walker. Sarah's cover is that she is Chuck's girlfriend, and what complicates matters is that none of Chuck's family and friends can ever know his secret (and the fact that both Chuck and Sarah have developed strong feelings for each other).

That's the basic gist of the storyline. I'm a huge fan of this show and have been watching it since it began last season. A big plotline for a majority of this current season is that Chuck is trying to find his long-lost father before his sister Ellie gets married. Last week, with Sarah's help, he finally found him. Scott Bakula is set to play Steve Bartowski for the last 4 episodes of the season (ending April 27th). Here are the synopses for those episodes as provided on spoilertv.blogspot.com (I'm adding a spoiler tag to the last one, since it potentially gives away "game-changing" information):

Episode 219

"CHUCK VERSUS THE DREAM JOB"
04-06-2009 8:00PM

THINGS ARE LOOKING UP FOR CHUCK WHEN HE FINDS HIS FATHER AND LANDS HIS DREAM JOB OR SO HE THINKS —CHEVY CHASE (“NBC’S SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE” AND SCOTT BAKULA (“QUANTUM LEAP”) GUEST STAR—Chuck's (Zachary Levi) life seems to be coming together: his long-absent father Steve (guest star Scott Bakula) has returned and he's landed his dream job with his hero Ted Roark (guest star Chevy Chase). Unfortunately for Chuck, neither turns out to be quite what he expected. Yvonne Strahovski, Adam Baldwin, Joshua Gomez, Ryan McPartlin, Sarah Lancaster, Scott Krinsky and Vik Sahay also star.

Episode 220

"CHUCK VERSUS THE FIRST KILL"
04-13-2009 8:00PM

CHUCK TURNS TO A SURPRISING PERSON FROM HIS PAST IN ORDER TO FIND HIS FATHER—TONY HALE (“ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT”), SCOTT BAKULA (“QUANTUM LEAP”) AND JORDANA BREWSTER (“THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS”) GUEST STAR—After Chuck's father Steve (guest star Scott Bakula) is kidnapped by Fulcrum, Chuck learns the only chance he has to find him is by putting his trust and life into the hands of the person he trusts the least—his ex-girlfriend Jill Roberts (guest star Jordana Brewster). Meanwhile, the Buy More team tries to sabotage Emmett’s (guest star Tony Hale) corporate evaluation. Yvonne Strahovski, Adam Baldwin, Joshua Gomez, Scott Krinsky, Vik Sahay, Julia Ling & Mark Christopher Lawrence also star.

Episode 221

"CHUCK VERSUS THE COLONEL"
04-20-2009 8:00PM

CHUCK AND SARAH RISK EVERYTHING TO FIND CHUCK’S FATHER— TONY HALE (“ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT”), CHEVY CHASE AND SCOTT BAKULA (“QUANTUM LEAP”) GUEST STAR—When Chuck (Zachary Levi) and Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) go AWOL to rescue Chuck's father Steve (guest star Scott Bakula), they discover that spending time together without any surveillance allows for unchartered chemistry. But as the two get closer, Casey (Adam Baldwin) zeroes in on their hidden location. Meanwhile, Morgan (Joshua Gomez) becomes the pariah of the Buy More after mistakenly getting Emmett (guest star Tony Hale) promoted. Sarah Lancaster, Ryan McPartlin, Scott Krinsky, Vik Sahay, Julia Ling and Mark Christopher Lawrence also star.

Episode 222 (Season Finale)

"CHUCK VERSUS THE RING"
04-27-2009 8:00PM

SEASON FINALE—CHUCK MUST SAVE HIS SISTER’S WEDDING AND HER LIFE—MORGAN FAIRCHILD ("Falcon Crest"), BRUCE BOXLEITNER ("Babylon 5"), TONY HALE ("Arrested Development"), SCOTT BAKULA ("Quantum Leap") AND CHEVY CHASE (NBC's "Saturday Night Live") GUEST STAR—When Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) and Awesome's (Ryan McPartlin) wedding day finally arrives, Chuck (Zachary Levi) must save Ellie’s life and her big day from being ruined by Ted Roark (guest star Chevy Chase) and Fulcrum.

Spoiler Alert! (highlight to read)

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Meanwhile, with the Intersect out of his head, Chuck is up against his most dangerous mission yet: figuring out what to do with the rest of his life.

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Also to note, "Chuck" is apparently "on the bubble" to be renewed for a 3rd season (I can't imagine why it wouldn't get renewed, though). I urge all fans of Scott Bakula to tune in and check out the show for the next 4 weeks. Who knows, you may even find a new series that you enjoy watching, which can only help the ratings.

Damon

I thought people might like to know about this:

Right before "Chuck" began tonight, there was a little promo spot, showing the line-up for tonight like NBC normally does every night (i.e. "Chuck," followed by "Heroes," and ending with "Medium"). Usually you'll see a star of one of the shows standing in front of a microphone, except tonight Scott Bakula was standing there.

As the announcer announced tonight's lineup, Scott looked around the NBC set and said, "Why do I... feel like I've been here before?" After pausing for a second, he finished with, "I don't know, maybe it was another leap or something." Then, he smirked a little bit and the episode began.

Plus, very early on in the episode, an uncomfortable moment occurred between his character, Steven Bartowski, and his daughter Ellie, to which he responded, very clearly, "Oh boy!"

And, last but not least, the similarities between his character on "Chuck" and Sam Beckett did not get past me. Apparently, he is also the creator of

Spoiler Alert! (highlight to read)

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the Intersect, the massive super-computer that was downloaded into Chuck's brainwaves.

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(I put a spoiler tag there in case there are some Chuck fans on the board who haven't seen this episode yet.) I wouldn't be surprised if that's the reason why they cast Scott in the role.

Oh, and one other thing: during the last commercial break (around the 8:50 mark), another promo came up that said, "Can't get enough of Chuck and Quantum Leap? Now you can watch full episodes of both on nbc.com."



Damon

[alsplacebartender]

Cool, I missed it though! Did anyone tape it and have a video we can see?

Originally Posted by alsplacebartender

Cool, I missed it though! Did anyone tape it and have a video we can see?

I usually DVR a bunch of stuff. I'll check it out next chance I get. If it caught that part (which it might have), I'll see what I can do.

EDIT: I should clarify... if you're referring to the promo at the beginning, I might be able to get that to you. For the episode itself, it will be online sometime Tuesday, here:

http://www.nbc.com/Chuck/, under "Most recent episodes."

[alsplacebartender]

yes, the promo = would love to see/put it on the website!

[Avilos]

I watched it tonight. I had never seen the show before but enjoyed it a lot. I work at night so I am out of the loop of my new tv shows. I recorded it on my DVR.

Scott was given a great character to play. There is a twist at the end of his first episode suggesting that he was putting on a bit of an act.

Its amazing the amount NBC was willing to plug Quantum Leap which has been of their network for 15 years!!!

[Jaycol]

Maybe this is a push to get quantum leap back in the spotlight. You know introducing more people to it and also to try and get more support for it. Could it be possible that our hope for the series is on brink of being fulfilled. I am going to have to watch Chuck just because now.

[Avilos]

I would chock it up more to an attempt at corporate synergy. Scott was cast by the producers of the show. Not Universal or NBC.

BUT....

You never know. This along with the convention, which was mentioned on Access Hollywood(which is produced by NBC/Universal) could remind people at Universal about QL. Universal has changed a lot over the years. The people who have rejected previous efforts of Don may not be there anymore.

For that reason I hope the Con may spur Don to try a new pitch with Universal. The time may finally be right...

At the convention Don said Universal thinks the title "Quantum Leap" is not marketable.....

Which was before a movie called "Quantum of Solace" was released and did fine!!!!

[Kirok]

Did anyone see at the end of the episode where NBC came in and tagged the show? The 10 second promo was;

"Watched the show, and find yourself wanting more Scott Bakula? Then go to NBC.com and watch all the QL episodes and tonight's episode from Chuck for your fix of Scott!"

I can't quote it word for word, but that was the jist. My wife stopped, looked at me, and was amazed. Both of us hadn't heard the name "QL" mentioned on NBC for YEARS, and now... now, they were promoting it.

[Jaycol]

All right just found this out. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_of_a_Certain_Age MaybeQL isn't getting the push we all wanted cause it looks like Scott it busy. A bit dissapointed that QL won't be making a return but I am excited for this series. Definatly something I am going to be checking out.

[Avilos]

Well its premature to think any new is happening with Quantum Leap. If Scott or Don knew something they would have said so at the Con.

Scott and the show are getting good exposure lately. Maybe something will happen but things are slow in Hollywood.

I am really looking forward to "Men of a Certain Age". In addition to Scott, I am a big fan of Andre Braugher. Ever since he was on "Homicide - Life on the Street". Both Scott and Andre have something in common. Being on critically acclaimed series which appeared on NBC. Each which were unappreciated by the network!!!

[NYCSciFiFan]

Following up on the OP - videos are online, but I think they're geoblocked for non-US viewers.

Chuck Versus the Broken Heart
http://www.nbc.com/Chuck/video/episodes/#vid=1076101
(Scott doesn't actually appear in this episode, but the "Search for Chuck's Dad" starts here. They find him in the last minutes of the episode.)

Chuck Versus the Dream Job
http://www.nbc.com/Chuck/video/episodes/#vid=1081753

Nice pictures on the site: http://www.nbc.com/Chuck/recaps/#cat...=219&ima=63217

I've never watched this show before, but it's pretty good. I just wish the main character was a bit stronger and less wimpy. E! Online has included it on their "Save One Show" poll for this year. http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watc..._fave_see.html

[ziggysego]

I liked the little "oh boy" in Chuck

[NYCSciFiFan]

Originally Posted by ziggysego

I liked the little "oh boy" in Chuck

I loved it too! The "I'm not what YOU think I am..." followed by Scott's taking out the bad guy with a martial arts kick. Ah, good times, good times! lol

The kids and I watched "The Leap Back" and they cracked up when Sam and Al both said "Oh boy" at the same time!

[isz]

Originally Posted by NYCSciFiFan

The kids and I watched "The Leap Home" and they cracked up when Sam and Al both said "Oh boy" at the same time!

I think you mean "The Leap Back"(When Al&Sam switch places).

[NYCSciFiFan]

Originally Posted by isz

I think you mean "The Leap Back"(When Al&Sam switch places).

Yes, that is what I meant.

[ziggysego]

Originally Posted by NYCSciFiFan

I loved it too! The "I'm not what YOU think I am..." followed by Scott's taking out the bad guy with a martial arts kick. Ah, good times, good times! lol

The kids and I watched "The Leap Back" and they cracked up when Sam and Al both said "Oh boy" at the same time!

I was watching it with a friend of mine who's also a big Quantum Leap fan. When Scott did the martial arts, I turned to him and said "There's the Sam I know!"

[Avilos]

Maybe someone could edited these episodes in a Quantum Leap episode. Just for fun of course! The only problem would be no Al. You could have the Leap in just as Chuck finds his Dad.

Well, I'm not sure what the deal is, but Scott was NOT in the "Chuck Versus the First Kill" episode (220) of Chuck, even though NBC specifically advertised that he would be. I mean, unless you count the footage of him from last week's episode recap, which I do not. He wasn't listed as a guest star. There was even another promo at the beginning with Scott, saying something to the effect of, "Tonight, I will be appearing on one of these three shows: Chuck, Heroes, or Medium. But I'm not going to tell you which one. So I guess you'll just have to watch all of them to find out. It all starts right now on NBC."

The only thing I can think of is that he had a very quick cameo in one scene toward the end which was cut at the last minute. Previews for next week did show him, though. If I find out any more, I'll let you all know.

Damon

[isz]

Maybe he had a guest star on Heroes or Medium...

[Avilos]

I am PISSED OFF! Where the heck was Scott Bakula????????

You are probably right Dman176 about a scene being edited. But it was the height of stupidity on NBC's part to say he was in the episode...right before it aired when he was not!!!!!

I am new to the show. SO I am very ignorant of its history. While this episode seemed to deal with past history, it completely lost the momentum of the last episode. It felt like they were just spinning their wheels and not advancing the story much.

I know this is coming as the perspective of a Scott Bakula fan, not a fan of the show. But considering how much NBC has used his appearances to market the show its a total valid criticism!

[NYCSciFiFan]

Glad I missed it then. I was going to watch it online, but I won't now.

I thought this week's episode was supposed to remove the "intersect" from Chuck, which was invented by dear old dad. Perhaps it's to set up a big rescue next week of Scott's character?

[ris768]

Originally Posted by NYCSciFiFan

Following up on the OP - videos are online, but I think they're geoblocked for non-US viewers.

Does anyone know how to get around this?

I watched Chuck a couple of times on my visit in the US, made sure I watched the first episode Scott appeared in and rewatched it while waiting for my plane through Facebook.

I was very disappointed when I got home to watch the next episode online only to find I was now in the wrong location.

FOX8 here in Australia has only just started showing Chuck, last night was Season 1 episode 3! I don't know if I can wait an entire season to find out what happens to Scott's character!

Marissa.

[NYCSciFiFan]

Originally Posted by ris768

Does anyone know how to get around this? [geoblocking]

The easiest way is to check YouTube the day after a show airs. Use the "most recent uploads" or "uploaded in the last () hours" search options.

There's usually some helpful person who wants to share the episode in pieces. The vids are usually removed quickly ... because sharing it is against the law ... so don't wait to watch.

I'll bet that some creative genius will put together Scott's clips from these episodes and post them on YouTube or another video sharing site. As long as they give credit to the show, those videos usually stay online.

Are Hulu and Fancast also geoblocking?
Those are two authorized online viewing portals for US TV shows.

[QLfan5875]

I love Chuck!!! I think it's one of the best shows on TV right now. I was thrilled to see Scott on it, he's perfect for the part. Hopefully Chuck will make it to season 3 and we'll see more of Scott (even if it's only guest appearances here and there.