That bad news was actually the second time CBS had axed the series, of course. The first time, during Jericho‘s rookie season, followers managed to help bring the show back with the famous Nuts to CBS campaign.

The earlier victory, one of only a handful of successful fan campaigns to resurrect a TV show declared dead, is why it seems like central character Robert Hawkins (Lennie James) is speaking to longtime viewers as much as fellow freedom fighter Jake Green (Skeet Ulrich) when he asks him at the very end of “Patriots and Tyrants” how it feels making history. My eyes actually grew misty.

If my interpretation is correct, Jericho executive producer Carol Barbee did a better than fantastic job providing fans with closure for the CBS run of the series. We not only are left with a good feeling about the future of our favorite characters — they’re now in a solid position to effectively challenge those who would take away their freedom — but enough plotlines remain sufficiently open to take the series in new and interesting directions should it return at a later date on another network.

I really hope Jericho gets picked up by a bolder, braver network than CBS soon. Even if it doesn’t, however, I can say this is one series that has ended prematurely without leaving a bad taste behind, story-wise. In that respect, it feels great to have been a part of making television history. Thanks for the opportunity.

Tags: CBS, Jericho, television, tv

As a result of this anticipated development — Jericho‘s ratings were even lower this season than during the first — next Tuesday’s episode, the seventh of the current season, will feature the ending created in case CBS declined to renew the series for a third season.

Showrunners also filmed a second, alternative ending with a cliffhanger to be aired in the event that a third season was granted. Even with executives’ decision to prevent such a continuation on CBS, there’s still a slight chance another network could pick up Jericho, although which one and when is anyone’s guess.

Stay tuned for future news in this ongoing, nutty saga.

Tags: CBS, Jericho, television, tv

Each new Jericho episode this season has placed third in the Nielsen ratings. That’s equivalent to dead last since Fox and The CW both broadcast local programming at 10pm on weekdays, usually the nightly news. Even worse, on the last outing, Jericho‘s numbers were actually below those for the premiere. Such results could indicate a disturbing downward trend if the ratings are lower still next week.

Some have argued that the unimpressive performance thus far is due to the first three second-season episodes being available online. I’m a bit suspicious of the validity of that reason, though. It seems to me that people willing to take the time to track down online episodes are the very same dedicated fans who took the time to participate in and/or follow the extensive Nuts campaign. If true, they know better than to rely on Internet streaming to feed their Jericho habit because they are too well-informed about the importance of watching Jericho on television and in real time to boost its ratings and thus its value to CBS.

I suspect the reason people aren’t watching Jericho is because the series just doesn’t appeal to them, quality programming or not. In an early scene in the most recent episode, “Condor,” two main characters, Emily Sullivan (Ashley Scott) and Eric Green (Kenneth Mitchell), bring disturbing changes in a school history textbook to the attention of Jericho’s mayor, Gray Anderson (Michael Gaston).

As I listened to the titles of the chapters being read in an incredulous tone of voice that indicated viewers should immediately understand what the problem is, I remember wondering to myself just how many would care that the titles were problematic, let alone comprehend why. I fear such realities might play a significant role in Jericho‘s difficulty attracting a larger audience. The concept of detailing the struggle to create a new way of life in the aftermath of a suspicious nuclear attack is definitely intriguing … to the subgroup of people who are turned on by that level of complexity and dramatic richness.

There’s various reasons why many Americans don’t vote, care about the political pulse of the United States, or have the knowledge to pass the same citizenship test that immigrants must. Those reasons could also partly account for why so many don’t bother watching Jericho, a show with clear political and historical overtones. The subject matter doesn’t do anything for them, which is too bad for Jericho fans who might be fighting an uphill, non-winnable battle. I’d love to see the show return for Season Three, as I’m among its supporters, so I hope my perception is proven wrong.

Tags: CBS, Jericho, ratings, television, tv

This profile and this actor both sound good to me, so, “Nice!”

Related News: ‘Jericho’ Fans Triumph as CBS Resurrects the Canceled Series

Esai Morales photo courtesy of Lester Cohen/WireImage.com

Tags: Esai Morales , Jericho, television, tv

Fear not, however, if you missed episodes two through twelve, prefer to see them full length, and also are familiar with online video streaming. Anyone and everyone can watch the entire first season of Jericho whenever they want, thanks to CBS’ wise decision to make all twenty-two installments, plus the recap special, available via its Innertube site. If this option floats your boat, simply visit the CBS Web site for Jericho and choose Watch Full Episodes from the Video menu at the top of the page. Upon clicking, Innertube will launch immediately in a separate browser window.

Now is the time for fans of the series to ensure that they are among the viewers each and every time an installment of Jericho airs, original or not. CBS has made it abundantly clear that the show’s cancellation was purely a numbers game, regardless of the fact that the poor ratings following the three-month long hiatus from December to February were entirely the network’s fault, not to mention a common phenomenon among popular sci-fi serials that went off the air for weeks at a time (the same thing happened to ABC’s Lost and NBC’s Heroes following their extended winter vacations, too).

If Jericho fails to make it through its shortened second season or to earn a third due to lackluster Nielsen numbers, not even the most ardent devotee will have the right to cry foul. Tassler et al. have put the fate of Jericho squarely in the hands of fans; so, let’s get a head start in this game tonight by turning out in sizable numbers for the first season’s rebroadcasts.

Related News: CBS Cancels ‘Jericho’ and Unceremoniously Alienates Legions of Fans | CBS Gives ‘Jericho’ Fans Hope for Future Cliffhanger Resolution | ‘Jericho’ Fans Continue Their Nutty CBS Protest Campaign | ‘Jericho’ Fans Triumph as CBS Resurrects the Canceled Series | More ‘Jericho’ May Be on CBS’ Horizon

Jericho begins reairing Fridays on CBS at 9pm EST starting tonight

Skeet Ulrich/Jericho photo courtesy of CBS

Tags: CBS, Jericho, Nina Tassler, NUTS for Jericho, NUTS to CBS, television, tv

Now that we know it only takes about twenty tons of nuts, some fifty thousand odd dollars, and a virtual army of passionate protesters with Web savvy to get the networks to listen to viewers, which one will next experience the wrath of fandom when they unleash another inevitably dumb programming decision on us? Who knows? But after this immensely satisfying success, I’m positive it’s only a matter of time before TV watchers take back the tube again from a network that dares to cancel a good show before its time.

Herewith, CBS’ concession—complete with a plea to stop with the nuts already!—in the form of a publicly released letter from Tassler herself.

To the Fans of Jericho:

Wow!

Over the past few weeks you have put forth an impressive and probably unprecedented display of passion in support of a prime time television series. You got our attention; your emails and collective voice have been heard.

As a result, CBS has ordered seven episodes of “Jericho” for mid-season next year. In success, there is the potential for more. But, for there to be more “Jericho,” we will need more viewers.

A loyal and passionate community has clearly formed around the show. But that community needs to grow. It needs to grow on the CBS Television Network, as well as on the many digital platforms where we make the show available.

We will count on you to rally around the show, to recruit new viewers with the same grass-roots energy, intensity and volume you have displayed in recent weeks.

At this time, I cannot tell you the specific date or time period that “Jericho” will return to our schedule. However, in the interim, we are working on several initiatives to help introduce the show to new audiences. This includes re-broadcasting “Jericho” on CBS this summer, streaming episodes and clips from these episodes across the CBS Audience Network (online), releasing the first season DVD on September 25 and continuing the story of Jericho in the digital world until the new episodes return. We will let you know specifics when we have them so you can pass them on.

On behalf of everyone at CBS, thank you for expressing your support of “Jericho” in such an extraordinary manner. Your protest was creative, sustained and very thoughtful and respectful in tone. You made a difference.

Sincerely,

Nina Tassler

President, CBS Entertainment

P.S. Please stop sending us nuts J

Tags: CBS, Jericho, Nina Tassler, NUTS for Jericho, NUTS to CBS, television, tv

Are Jericho fans nuts or what? This is wild news. For those who have been living in deep space or a hidden underground cave for the past few weeks, followers of the rookie post-apocalyptic serial Jericho went figuratively and literally nuts when CBS canceled the show soon after announcing its 2007–2008 lineup last month. Web-savvy and persistent, some fans immediately took to the Internet, creating dedicated Web sites for the show where other disappointed fans could unite and list the private email addresses of CBS employees to annoy the heck out of, forming online petitions that ultimately acquired thousands upon thousands of digital signatures, and, most importantly, allying with the online family retailer NutsOnline, which turned out to be owned and operated by individuals who would become as dedicated to the NUTS to CBS cause as the original fans are. Taking orders at cost, NutsOnline has sold and arranged for the delivery of almost twenty tons of nuts worth over $50,000 to CBS headquarters on both coasts.

Was it the regular and continuous arrival of yet more nuts in the time since Jericho was canceled, the repeated annoyance of having the inboxes of their non-public email accounts flooded with messages from Jericho supporters, or sheer old business common sense that motivated the Eye Network to renege on its own programming decision and resuscitate a deserving show? Who knows? Who cares? All that matters is that for once in TV Land, it looks like fans have not only made themselves heard, but made a network reconsider its ill-advised cancellation of an excellent series. And when/if Jericho returns to the tube, we can be sure there will be no more ridiculous three-month long hiatuses, thanks to the unrelenting and massive protestations of fans everywhere. Bravissimo!

Related News: CBS Cancels ‘Jericho’ and Unceremoniously Alienates Legions of Fans | CBS Gives ‘Jericho’ Fans Hope for Future Cliffhanger Resolution | ‘Jericho’ Fans Continue Their Nutty CBS Protest Campaign

Jericho photo courtesy of CBS

Tags: CBS, Jericho, NUTS for Jericho, NUTS to CBS, television, tv

Will CBS employees feel the same? I doubt it, especially since the Internet food retailer that fans have resorted to for their uniquely chosen ammunition, NutsOnline, indicates as I write that a whopping 9,035 pounds of the edible seeds have been snatched up by furious fans. To put the data in better perspective, when I pulled up the site twenty minutes ago before I began writing this piece, the total amount was just 8,736 pounds. Wow. Nothing says “Nuts to you!” like four tons and counting of the tiny nutritious pellets.

Interested parties can join the mass protest by visiting the NUTS for Jericho Campaign page to contribute to the stockpile, portions of which are up for sale in $5 increments. The symbolic kernels will be delivered in unison and in several tidal waves for maximum effect, such as the first shipment weighing over 1,000 pounds, sent yesterday, May 22, to CBS’ New York headquarters. As a bonus, the site even features frequent message updates, photos, videos, and the ability to attach your own distinctive message. If spending actual hard-earned money is not your thing, however, you can still visit either Jericho Lives or Save Jericho Now! to keep current with the continuously developing story, as well as learn where to mail your own personally constructed missive(s).

In a much-reported and alternatively praised and derided turn of events, CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler recently posted a confirmed official message to Jericho followers on the series’ Internet bulletin board acknowledging the emails received, commending the passion and support demonstrated, and hinting that the Eye Network may provide the series with some type of definitive closure. Note, though, that “closure” could be anything from a sterile press release recounting in prose how the show would have ended if writers had been allowed to create a proper series finale, to one of these newfangled Webisodes that many computer-shy fans wouldn’t even realize had gone live until after it was taken down.

While there’s no guarantee—heck, no likelihood—that the present flurry of activity will persuade hard-nosed television executives to take back or even rethink their (very, very bad) decision, similar movements have had a beneficial effect in the past, most recently last year with just-canceled Veronica Mars, when such stunts as flying a helicopter with the banner “RENEW VERONICA MARS! CW 2006!” over their sacred network headquarters convinced CW Powers That Be to spare the roundly praised but barely watched series from what has now turned out to be its third and final season. So why can’t Jericho fans dream, too?

Read More: Fan Reaction to Nina Tassler’s Statement | Jericho Wiki at CBS | Jericho Wiki at Wikipedia

Related News: CBS’ 2007-2008 Primetime Schedule ‘Diverse and Daring’ … Not! | CBS Cancels ‘Jericho’ and Unceremoniously Alienates Legions of Fans | CBS Gives ‘Jericho’ Fans Hope for Future Cliffhanger Resolution | ‘Jericho’ Finale Promises Explosive Conflict and a Shocking Death

Jericho photo courtesy of CBS
Day-Two Two-Ton NUTS to CBS photo courtesy of NutsOnline

Tags: CBS, Jericho, Jericho Lives, NUTS for Jericho, NUTS to CBS, Save Jericho Now, television, tv

CBS’ purported reason for canceling Jericho was because of the series’ markedly lower ratings when the show returned to the tube on February 14, 2007, a whopping eleven weeks after the last new episode aired on November 29, 2006. Yet, note that the February 14 episode doesn’t even count as a full installment because it was one of those increasingly prevalent recap specials that networks resort to so that fans can at least remember if they even used to watch the show before it disappeared from the air. The gaps are that long sometimes.

In Jericho’s case, the first full post-hiatus episode premiered on February 21, an astounding three months—three!—after the previous original episode. What were CBS programmers and execs thinking? That perhaps viewers would mistake their network for basic cable, where such lengthy intervals are common? Uh-uh. And the last straw came when CBS axed the show only days after it ended its first season with a critical cliffhanger, gunfire accompanied by a black screen.

Fans understandably hit the roof, sending out a massive tidal wave of emails, postal letters, and, yes, nuts—in commemoration of one character’s defiant one-word response at the end of the finale, before the gunfire rang out—to the executives who make the big decisions at the network. The outpouring of disappointment and resentment was apparently so strong and unavoidable that CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler decided to leave a somewhat conciliatory, if not sufficiently contrite, response to faithful viewers on the series’ official CBS message board. It states:

We have read your emails over the past few days and have been touched by the depth and passion with which you have expressed your disappointment. Please know that canceling a television series is a very difficult decision. Hundreds of people at the Network, the production company and the incredibly-talented creative team worked very hard to build and serve the community for this show — both on-air and online. It is a show we loved too.

Thank you for supporting Jericho with such passion. We truly appreciate the commitment you made to the series and we are humbled by your disappointment. In the coming weeks, we hope to develop a way to provide closure to the compelling drama that was the Jericho story.

And there we have it. I earnestly hope CBS delivers this potential closure posthaste. But given the network’s past behavior, I won’t hold my breath for a single second.

Related News: CBS’ 2007-2008 Primetime Schedule ‘Diverse and Daring’ … Not! | CBS Cancels ‘Jericho’ and Unceremoniously Alienates Legions of Fans | ‘Jericho’ Finale Promises Explosive Conflict and a Shocking Death

Jericho photo courtesy of CBS

Tags: CBS, Jericho, television, tv

Tell me about it. Remember not too long ago when CBS was notorious for being the Old Fogey Network? Well, now it’s the official dumping ground for slick, vapid crime procedurals. Regardless of the decline in ratings following Jericho‘s lengthy hiatus, if ABC and dead-last NBC can stick by their sci-fi serials (Lost and Heroes, respectively) in the exact same situation, a top-rated broadcast network like The Eye surely can, as well.

Although I really enjoy CBS’ Monday-night comedy lineup usually comprised of How I Met Your Mother, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Two and a Half Men, and a fourth rotating sitcom, I follow most shows on the network only tangentially, when there’s nothing else fresh scheduled for my preferred series on other channels. This will be the case more than ever now that word has spread that CBS also plans to officially nix the Friday-night legal drama Close to Home.

What? I knew the female-oriented, suburban crime series was on the bubble, but I honestly didn’t think CBS would dare get rid of the show when it still managed to deliver decent ratings on every outing. To say there’s no other series like Close to Home on TV now is an understatement. Viewers are instead left with a slew of big-city, super macho crime procedurals that are primarily either as stale as month-old bread or filled with ridiculous criminal acts so intentionally bizarre they literally boggle the mind.

While I’ll keep my final judgment in check until the network’s 2007–2008 schedule is formally announced Wednesday morning during the upfront presentation, I can give preliminary thanks to CBS execs for freeing up a sizable chunk of my TV-watching time for the great shows on other channels. The one new CBS fall pick-up I’m eagerly anticipating is the vampire crime drama Moonlight, previously titled Twilight, which will probably get hastily canceled, too. —SIGH— Some networks never learn…

Related News: Bubble Trouble: Tonight’s ‘Close to Home’ Finale Possibly the Series’ Last | ‘Jericho’ Finale Promises Explosive Conflict and a Shocking Death

Jericho photo courtesy of CBS

Tags: CBS, Close to Home, Jericho, television, tv