Fandom and serial TV -- Letting go, holding on

A lot of ink has been spilled about the future of serial television, but even if I do not think that it is "going away" or "dying," I've recently been thinking about how troubling it is to be a fan of these types of series.

As a fan of serial television, there are usually two things that happen to me. And there are two series on the air right now that embody them perfectly: FlashForward and 24.

Should NBC pause the ticking clock on '24?'

Last week, rumblings were that 24 would finish out its eight-year run this May on FOX. Now, Ausiello is reporting that 20th Century Fox (the studio) is pitching the series to NBC, who obviously need space-fillers on its schedule.

One question for NBC: why?

NBC reboot has begun: Where to now?

Tonight -- well, I guess this week since Leno's Tonight Show started yesterday -- is the makeshift reboot of NBC's schedule, as it's newest hope for ratings success, positive critical response and good buzz, Parenthood debuts at 10 PM.

In the last year, NBC's undergone a slew of changes that more or less led to nothing. So where do we stand with the Peacock network?

'Chuck' versus the Ridiculous Fan Reaction

FACT: NBC series Chuck has a ridiculously active fanbase.

For anyone who doesn't know, the fans -- which included critics like Alan Sepinwall and Mo Ryan -- of the series helped organize a slew of "Save Chuck" campaigns last spring, including pilgrimages to Subway, a sponsor of the show, and a number of social media-related outputs. For more info on the efforts of Chuck fans see here, here and here.

FACT: The fans feel as if they had a big part in the series coming back for a third season this year on NBC and thus have some "ownership" over it.

FACT: The Chuck fans are using this "ownership" to overreact to the most recent episode, "Chuck versus the Mask."