Chuck's Choice is a Canadian animated television series produced by DHX Media for YTV that originally aired from May 6, 2017 to June 9, 2017 for a total of 20 episodes. The series can also be seen on Pluto TV in the US.
Chuck's Choice follows Chuck McFarlane, an ordinary 12-year-old boy with an alien Robot Buddy named UD (short for U-Decide 3000). Chuck gets himself into lots of difficult situations, but whenever that occurs, UD enters "decider mode". Time freezes, and UD gives Chuck three reality-altering choices. Chuck has to choose one and it will come true, but not always in the way he expects. Always alongside Chuck and UD on their reality-bending misadventures is Chuck's best friend, Misha, a tough young lady who often saves Chuck from whatever monsters or threats they end up facing.
This show contains examples of the following tropes:
- The '80s: Chuck chooses to go back in time there to let his PE coach relive his “best birthday ever”.
- Backing Away Slowly: In “Cedar Hill’s Most Wanted”, the somewhat antagonistic Barbershop Quartet sings about having done “horrible things”. Chuck, Misha, and UD are appropriately creeped out.
- Balloon Belly: Sal (a lizard who got turned into a dragon) gets one after eating way too many cheesy foods, including a cheese wheel only missing a slice.
- Barbershop Quartets Are Funny: They randomly appear to sing songs from time to time.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: The show's bread and butter.
- Big Eater: Chuck loves to eat. In one episode, “The Dentalist”, he acquires a bottomless stomach that lets him eat anything he wants… which soon leads to an excruciating toothache.
- Bollywood Nerd: Misha is a downplayed version.
- Book Dumb: Chuck, frequently.
- Butt-Monkey: Norm is a huge example of this. If there's a episode where he has a bigger role, he usually suffers from some sort of misfortune in it.
- Casanova Wannabe: Norm, in spades.
- Cool Big Bro: Norm. Not conventionally “cool”, but cool in the sense that he and Chuck are very close and always there for each other.
- Cute Machines: UD is small, adorable, fun-loving and kind.
- Disappeared Dad: Chuck’s father is never mentioned, nor does he ever appear.
- Eaten Alive: Norm ends up inside Sal's belly at the end of "How To Restrain Your Dragon".
- Every Episode Ending: At the end of every episode, UD shows us what would have happened if Chuck had made a different choice during UD's second "decider mode".
- Force Feeding: An impatient UD shoves cereal into Chuck's mouth at the start of "Comet and Get It".
- Frying Pan of Doom: Ms. Cho uses one in the final episode.
- "I Am" Song: Norm sings a doozy of one in “Cool Hand Norm” after acquiring ice powers.
- I'm a Humanitarian: In "Shell Raisers", Chuck's mom cooks up soup for a group of crabs in order to please them. One of the ingredients however was another crab named "Harold" but they don't really care much since the soup tasted good and "nobody liked him". The crabs later prepare Norm in a soup for others, including another human. Norm doesn't really mind it at all since he thinks he tastes pretty good.
- Iron Butt Monkey: Chuck, to the umpteenth degree. The boy gets beaten up a lot, especially in episodes like "Smarten Up Chuck", "Ultimate Chuck", and "The Dark Dingo and Possum Pete".
- Kiddy Coveralls: In 'So Wrong Its Right', Chuck has a reality warp that all the tests he takes are easy. However in a case of Be Careful What You Wish For, all his tests are easy because he's sent back to kindergarten, where he's put to wearing shortalls due to his Kiddie Kid status.
- Never Say "Die": While the show adverts this trope most of the time, in "Comet and Get It" however, UD cuts himself off when he realizes in horror that Chuck won't be around when the former is old, and promptly shoves more cereal into the boy's mouth.UD: (to Chuck) [The comet] only passes Earth every 162 years, so the next time it's this close, I'll be old, and you'll be—(beat, then cringes) Um...! (shoves more cereal into the boy's mouth)
- Nice Guy: Chuck. He’s not too bright, and can be a bit rambunctious, but the kid has a heart of gold. He is very caring and will go out of his way to help others and make choices that benefit everyone.
- Notzilla: In "Shell Raisers", Chuck's decides that his mom should have a vacation from work and chooses a tropical island as the destination. The "tropical island" ends up being on top of a kaiju size Godzilla-like manatee, which ends up attacking military planes.
- Nutritional Nightmare: "Bawk to the Future" features "Beak O' Chicken Chunks", which is two-and-a-half pounds of heavily seasoned chicken left out in the sun for half-a-day to ripen before being dipped in a bidet full of chipotle and mayo sauce before being served in an actual chicken beak. Chuck is enthralled by the idea, but Misha is understandably grossed out.
- The Pig-Pen: Chuck is sometimes implied to be this. In “We’ve Got Spirit” he wanted to keep the school’s pep rally going long enough to avoid being checked and treated for head lice, which he called his “friends”.
- Sadistic Choice: Chuck's choice.
- Spoiled Brat: Joey Adonis, the son of Chuck’s action movie hero, Biff Adonis.
- Thermometer Gag: Happens to Sal as part of the knights checking up on her, making her vomit up a nearly-complete cheese wheel.
- Time Stands Still: UD has the power to do this so that Chuck can make his choice.
- Tomboy: Misha.
- Trademark Favorite Food: UD is wild about popcorn and cheese.
- Vocal Dissonance: Norm often puts on a goofy deep voice.
- Vomit Discretion Shot: If Chuck eats too much, or consumes something awful, like 20 year-old expired milk, let’s just say he regrets it.
- You Need a Breath Mint: Norm’s oral hygiene is even worse than Chuck’s, who is so grossed out by his brother’s breath in “Box O’Norm” that he actually urges him to brush his teeth before going on a date. In the bathroom, Norm wets his toothbrush…and puts it back while laughing “they’ll never know!”
