And so we’ve come to the end of Hulu’s Best in Show contest, and the winner is a show that’s near and dear to many (but not all) of you around these parts: “Chuck.”
Chuck and the rest of the Buy More gang right and truly crushed “Dexter” in the final round, and in fact was only ever really challenged in its second-round matchup against “Supernatural.” (As I said in my final Hulu blog interview, I think “Supernatural” could have easily won this thing the way it won that TV Guide cover contest if it had somehow managed to get past “Chuck.”)
Is “Chuck” the clear best show on television? No, and I don’t know that even Schwartz and Fedak would try to make that argument. But it is a very fun, very warm show that sure as hell knows how to cultivate and mobilize its fans, who bought sandwiches two years ago to help keep it on the air, and who voted in force here because they felt they had to do something to send a message to NBC about renewal. As I’ve said, I believe the chances that this contest’s results will influence NBC’s decision to be somewhere between slim and none, but I understand the impulse and admire the passion.
So while it would have been interesting to see, say, “Community” square off with “Mad Men” (or Leslie Knope try to take down Walter White), Best in Show instead went not too differently from most Internet polling contests. It was surprising at times (seeing “Dexter” take out “Glee” so easily, for instance), and it was fun to be a part of, and while I don’t believe the end result will impact the future of the winning show, I’d like to see “Chuck” around this time next year for the 2012 version of the contest.