Crunch time for bubble series

April 19, 2009 The military drama "Unit" also had been considered unlikely to come back, but in a hopeful sign, executive producer Shawn Ryan has been asked by the network to present ideas for a fifth season. Along with Fox's sci-fi duo, the most discussed bubble show online is NBC's "Chuck," which finally showed a ratings uptick this past week but is still performing marginally despite a strong fan base. The dramedy's chances also have been hurt by the promising start of NBC's police drama "Southland," as the network will have only few hourlong slots in the fall when Jay Leno takes over the 10 p.m. hour every night.

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