NBC: Chuck Won't Return Until March 2010

Forget what you heard at Comic-Con: As of Wednesday, Chuck will not return to your television any sooner than next spring.

At the NBC executive panel, Angela Bromstad, the net's president of primetime, said that reports of an early return for Chuck have been somewhat exaggerated. Season 3 will run for 13 episodes beginning in March.

But there was a glimmer of hope. In a larger conversation about the relative successes and failures of shows like The Listener, The Philanthropist and Merlin this summer, Bromstad discussed the possibility of extending Chuck's episode order to help launch a more high-profile summer 2010 slate. "Right now we're asking ourselves: Is this something we let run into the summer season?" she said. "But we haven't decided."

For those keeping score at home, NBC has also announced that Friday Night Lights wouldn't return until summer 2010, after a fall run on DirecTV. Bromstad, a self-proclaimed FNL fan, admitted that its ratings don't justify a slot in the fall lineup.