We are just about at the official half way mark to the final season of the most entertaining show on TV, Chuck. Last week was an explosive episode that marked the surprise dead of a character and I have a feeling that it will send us hurling to the finale. Big things are happening and I’m happy that I’ve been along for the ride since the first episode.

“Chuck Versus the Curse” Official description: Chuck and Sarah face off against a cutthroat spy (Rebecca Romijn) while on a mission to stop a menacing computer virus. Meanwhile, a perilous case of mistaken identity upends Ellie and Awesome’s date night; and Morgan is tasked with a special assignment. Chuck airs at 8pm on NBC.

Also on tonight:

8PM

ABC: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (reality)
FOX: Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown (holiday special)
DIY: Holmes on Homes (reality building)
FOOD: Bama Glama (docu)
SYFY: WWE SmackDown (wrestling)
TNT: Christmas in Washington (holiday special)

9PM

ABC: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (reality)
FOX: Ice Age: Mammoth Christmas (holiday special)
NBC: Grimm (supernaturaal drama)
DSC: Gold Rush (docu)
ID: Facing Evil (docu)
LIFE: America’s Most Wanted (news)
TRAVEL: Ghost Adventures (docu)

10PM

ABC: A Special Addition of 20/20 (news showcase)
NBC: Deadline NBC (news showcase)
DYI: Disaster House (reality)
E: (10:30pm) Fashion Police (entertainment news)
HIST: Invention USA (docu)
HGTV: House Hunters International (docu)
SYFY: Sanctuary (sci-fi drama)

The fall television season is in full swing and we have lots of casting news and the axe has fallen on the first new shows of the season. Read on…

Lets start with the breakout hit of the season, the Zooey Deschanel sitcom New Girl, after an awkward actor swap between the pilot and second episode — Lamorne Morris took over for Damon Wayans Jr who appeared in the pilot, but then his low rated series Happy Endings was surprisingly renewed which didn’t let him continue with New Girl. Not only has the series been picked up for a full season, but they just scored an awesome guest star, Zooey look-a-like Lizzy Caplan, who will be a love interest for Nick (Jake Johnson). She’ll be around for multiple episodes.

When 30 Rock returns (at some point midseason?) look for X-Men‘s Cyclops James Marsden to be appearing in at least one episode if not more. This might be the last season of the NBC comedy, with Alec Baldwin thinking about bowing out after the new season. Other announced guests for the new season include Denise Richards and Will Arnett (who might be pulling triple duty between this, his new series Up All Night, and the rumored return of Arrested Development in mini-series format).

NBC, who canceled the Playboy Club earlier, has now pulled the plug on their new comedy Free Agents, which starred Hank Azaria, Kathryn Hanh, and featured Buffy alum Anthony Head. Surprisingly the network ordered a full season for their struggling new comedy Whitney. With things not looking that promising with their new crop of shows, maybe NBC will go back on calling this season of Chuck its last? Maybe they will throw us fans a bone with a full season order (instead of just 13 episodes)? We can hope, can’t we?

Speaking about Chuck, if the casting of Mark Hamill and Carrie Anne-Moss in guest spots wasn’t cool enough, lets add comic book legend Stan Lee to the mix along with Community funny man Danny Pudi and White Collar‘s Tim DeKay. The new season begins in three weeks with a Halloween-themed episode.

Well, it is that time again, time to get together and rally to save what I think is the most enjoyable show on TV, NBC’s Chuck. The gang over at We Give a Chuck have an all new plan underway. Sorta like how fans targeted Subway to save the show in the past, this time the site is trying to get people to message sponsors via Twitter during the show’s commercial breaks to get their attention and let them know that a lot of Chuck fans might not have Nielsen boxes, but they are watching.

Full details:

This Monday night at 8pm EST, Chuck will begin. One of our awesome teammates will be tweeting from the @WeGiveAChuck twitter handle. As each commercial runs she will tweet about that commercial to both the advertiser and NBC.

Example:
@Sponsor just saw your ad on @NBC’s #Chuck. Thx! You support Chuck, I’ll support you PS-I use the Sponsor all the time! #NotANielsenFamily

As these tweets go up, we are asking viewers (that’s you!) to send out tweets of your own, similar to ours, but with a little variation. Throw in your own fun fact for the advertiser. If Toyota runs a commercial and your family has one, let them know! End all tweets with #NotANielsenFamily

Of course I’ll be attempting to go along with this tonight, but it does seem overly complicated.  Do we message every sponsor? Or just the big ones? Different cites have different sponsors, so our messages will be all over the place. I don’t see how we could have the power to get anyone’s attention if we’re not targeting a few select sponsors, rather than whatever happens to be on in the local station by you. Their heart is in the right place for this effort to help save Chuck, but I think we have to do something bigger and more focused to save the show.

I usually don’t do this for TV (that is PJ’s department), but there is a lot going on and shows are finally new again!

• Oh god why. Somebody please take away their passports… MTV has revealed that the forth season of Jersey Shore will shoot in Italy. Do we really need these lowlifes making Italy look bad with their antics? Please just cancel this disgusting show.

• Chuck is still the best show on television. If you don’t watch it… you should! Thankfully for you the last couple of episodes can be viewed online!

• I did not see this coming, but Regis Philbin is exiting Live with Regis and Kelly after 27 years hosting the morning program. On the program he said it was due to his age and a desire to retire, but behind the scenes reports point towards his ego and wanting more money when the network wanted to lower his salary after dwindling ratings and increased vacation time. Not for nothing, I think the show could be a lot better without him. He has been “sleep walking” for years. Give the spot to someone like Anderson Cooper, who has always been very entertaining in his guest spots.

• Nathan Lane is returning to the funniest show on TV, Modern Family, on an upcoming episode. In the episode, Lane joins Mitch and Cam on a “boys night out” that Ed O’Neill’s Jay stumbles into. Hilarity ensues.

• Booster Gold and Blue Beetle have been cast for an upcoming Smallville episode (I smell a spinoff!). Sebastian Spence, who has appeared in such TV shows as Battlestar Galactica and Supernatural will be BB and Eric Martsolf, who has appeared on Days of Our Lives and Passions among other TV shows, will be the time traveling hero Booster Gold. I can not wait for this episode, which was scripted by comic book writer Geoff Johns.

• What is your office like? Add class by putting in a Hardwood Floor.

What is going on in the world of entertainment? Follow me into The Pit…

• Next month’s Fantastic Four #587 will see the end of the first family of superheroes, the series, and will take at least one of the team’s lives. Which member will take their last breath, Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, or the Thing? My money is on the Human Torch. Place your bets below, then come back next month as we take a closer look at which hero bites the dust.

• ?It is great to hear Kevin Smith talk about his upcoming (and unconventional) horror film Red State. The passion he is putting into the project is really shining through. And I’m glad that he is back to making something he cares about after the dreadfully boring Cop Out and the letdown that was Zack and Miri. I just wish the trailer for Red State was better. It doesn’t give me a lot of hope for the overall piece.

• It was announced that the Playboy founder Hugh Hefner will be marrying Crystal Harris, a 24 year old Playmate. Apparently he popped the question over the Holidays. I have to ask… why? I mean, seriously, why? Does the 84 year old feel the need to settle down? Did the twins he was dating earlier in the year tire him out that much?

• We still have another three weeks until Chuck‘s return. In the meanwhile I’ll continue watching all of my favorite 80s action movies. Up next… Die Hard.

• The movie making simulation Hollywood the Game is gearing up for a new year of movies and session 10 of its popular television simulation. Check out the site and sign up if you are interesting in playing. Head on over to HollywoodtheGame.com

• True Grit is the best movie of the year. Yeah, I said it. Now go see it if you don’t believe me.

• Own a car? Than you really should have automobile insurnace. Yeah, I know this has nothing to do with entertainment and it contains a spelling error. Oh well. Can’t win them all.

Lie to Me
Tim Roth’s crime procedural Lie to Me has not gotten a back nine order and will finish out its current 13 episode season. While not officially canceled, this means that FOX is just waiting to see how its new shows do before closing shop. The series is currently in its third season and has been struggling in the ratings department. Roth stars as Dr. Cal Lightman, an expect in telling if people are telling the truth.

The Walking Dead
The first season of The Walking Dead has come to a close and has set Cable ratings records with more than 6 million viewers. As a comparison, the critically acclaimed and Emmy darling Mad Men gets less than half the viewers of the zombie series. While I was surprised by the finale, I was also a bit disappointed in the episode. It was the weakest of the six episode season and I hate the fact that they tried to explain the zombies and confirm that they aren’t human anymore. And that they have no memory or idea of what they once were. I would have preferred the ending of the first graphic novel, “Days Gone Bye.” Regardless of the weak ending, I still very much enjoyed the season and I’ll be waiting on the edge of my seat for season 2. I just hope they decide to air it well before the rumored start date of October 2011.

Chuck
My favorite show on TV, Chuck, might be on a six week break, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop watching the show. Twelve episodes are up online to watch for free, along with a bunch of Web Exclusives. I can’t wait to see what happens next with Linda Hamilton and Timothy Dalton’s characters, both of which have been great additions to the already awesome cast.

Check out these Walking Dead related products…

I’m feeling nostalgic today, so I decided to use our original logo for “The Pit” column. I’d like to take a moment to thank our regular visitors for their continued support of the site and welcome new visitors.  As always, I’d love to hear your comments and opinions on articles and the news we post.

• We have one more episode left of the first season of The Walking Dead and things have started to veer away from the comic book. Rick Grimes and the camp have changed route and have arrived at the CDC (Center for Disease Control). The preview for next week leads us to believe that they might find out something about the origin of the zombie outbreak (something we have never gotten in the series). It also looks like a certain character (*cough*Shane*cough*) might be sticking around a bit longer than he did in the comic.  If you are a fan of the show, but haven’t read the comic at all, than you should head over here, where you can read the first issue of The Walking Dead for free.

• Showtime has renewed Dexter for a sixth season. I honestly didn’t know where the show would go in its current season after the powerful and shocking forth season, but with the additions of Julia Stiles as Lumen Ann Pierce, a survivor from a brutal kidnapping, and Jonny Lee Miller as Jordan Chase, a motivational speaker with a dark secret, this season has had an energy most shows in their fifth season can’t match. The show is just as creative as it has always been and they really know how to keep viewers on the edge of their seat. I really hope that Julia Stiles joins the regular cast next season.

• Thankfully Chuck‘s ratings have bounced back with the latest episode, “Chuck vs the Leftovers“, but they aren’t nearly as good as the show deserves. Chuck is easily one of the most enjoyable and entertaining shows on television. The series has an incredible cast, with action, romance, drama, and of course comedy. I mean seriously, if you don’t watch Chuck, please leave a comment and tell me why…

• I picked up Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 issue #39 late yesterday, and I’m sad to say (spoiler) that one of the best characters from the series is killed in Buffy’s final battle with Twilight. I really thought that they wouldn’t kill off someone so major, but I was wrong.