And so it has come down to this in Hulu’s Best in Show contest: “Chuck” vs. “Dexter” for the win.
In one corner, you have sweetness and light, nerds and the women who love them, comedy and pop culture references and unapologetic product placement. In the other you have darkness and dysfunction, a serial killer who can’t find a place in this world, prominent guest stars and unapologetic repetition of the same plot structure year after year. I wouldn’t consider either one a serious contender for the best show on television right now (though I’d at least think about “Chuck” in that discussion), but it’s a fairly interesting contrast in style as we get to the end.
At the same time, what those two shows have demonstrated that they have in common are fanbases who will vote early, vote often and knock out everything that gets in their way. “Chuck” was even able to overcome my vote for “Community” in the last round, staying neck and neck with the Greendale gang for most of the week before pushing ahead to a comfortable win over the weekend – and that was in a week when the show had aired an episode that (based on the comments in my review) many of you didn’t like very much. There was definitely a sentiment among the “Chuck” fans that “Community” had already gotten renewed so their show “needed” the win more, and while I think the impact this contest will have on renewal will be somewhere between slim and none, I admire the commitment.
If you’ve been reading me for a while, you know my vote’s going to “Chuck” here – and not just because of this awesome fan version of the credits, “Greatest American Hero”-style, that showed up on YouTube last week:
So go vote, read my latest interview on the Hulu blog, and we can be back to celebrate or grouse about the winner on April 4.