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Jericho Lives!


whiplash1972

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It looks like Jericho is one of the most watched TV shows on the internet.

Hopefully that's taken into consideration to renew this show.

I just know that if this show is cancelled it will be replaced by a crappy show that doesn't last a full season.

Why not keep a show that already has a built in audience.

I even read a few days ago that Skeet Ulrich doesn't even know what's going on and that's bullshit IMO.

 

 

 

Assessing the fallout from CBS' 'Jericho' maneuver

By James Hibberd

 

March 17, 2008

 

"Jericho"

The dramatic Season 1 finale of CBS' "Jericho" concluded with two high-stakes cliffhangers: Will a Kansas town of nuclear war survivors successfully fight off a lawless invading militia? And will a network that dares to renew "Jericho" despite its below-the-line ratings be rewarded for having faith in the show?

 

Nearly a year later, the citizens of "Jericho" are alive and well. But CBS' roll of the dice hasn't quite paid off.

 

The seven-episode second season of "Jericho" returned in February to a 2.3 rating among adults 18-49 and has since sunk to average a 1.8 in the past couple of weeks.

 

Online, however, the show has done better. The premiere was streamed about 700,000 times on CBS.com, and "Jericho" is one of the most downloaded shows on iTunes.

 

But online success doesn't yet pay the rent on a broadcast scripted drama. Two "Jericho" episodes remain, and chances of a pickup are slim. Producers shot two endings -- one a cliffhanger, one more of a wrap-up -- and oddsmakers bet CBS that isn't risking another cliffhanger.

 

 

Which isn't to say that the network's decision last year was a mistake. Season 1's narrative homestretch -- a tense and emotional ramp-up to civil war -- was a creative peak. Fans desperate for more episodes organized what has been called the largest protest ever mounted to try and halt the cancellation of a TV show. Playing off a line of dialogue in the finale, viewers famously sent about 45,000 pounds of peanuts to CBS.

 

With audiences increasingly distracted by other entertainment mediums, what network wouldn't be tempted to give a second chance to a show that sparked so much enthusiasm with a story that kept getting more interesting? After all, viewers never get this riled up about "Cold Case."

 

A completely different way of looking at the "Jericho" renewal, however, was that the network actually did not listen to its viewers. The first six episodes in 2006 averaged a 3.5 rating, while the last six averaged a 2.4. In the cold light of Nielsen math, departing viewers might not have been mailing peanuts, but they too were sending a message: The show wasn't holding their interest.

 

"No matter what happens with 'Jericho,' there will be no regrets here," one CBS insider says. "We listened to our audience, and the producers delivered seven terrific episodes at a time we needed original programming during the writers strike."

 

Fans, however, have a very different take on the "Jericho" saga. Despite CBS risking a pickup, many blame the current "Jericho" woes on the network's lack of support.

 

"CBS should have done the right thing and gave 'Jericho' a chance," one fan wrote on AOL's "Jericho" message board. "Instead, they gave it a terrible time slot, a lower budget (and) tried to cram an entire season into seven episodes."

 

It's true that "Jericho" budget cutbacks resulted in noticeable differences. Season 2 has been a ghost of the first -- missing characters, less action, fewer exterior shots and plenty of two-people-in-a-room scenes.

 

Showrunner Carol Barbee, who also is an executive producer on CBS' upcoming summer drama "Swingtown," defended the network's cuts as "a blessing in disguise."

 

"We'd have come back if they gave us $1.95 and three days to shoot," Barbee says. "I like two people in a room talking. We've earned the right to not have to run-and-gun every few minutes. I think the quality has taken a huge leap up."

 

So what's the lesson to learn from "Jericho?" That networks should always base programming decisions strictly on the ratings?

 

With media distribution systems reaching young viewers in new ways, such a strict stance seems foolish. Not to mention creatively depressing. At its peak, "Jericho" infused its drama with likable characters caught in impossible moral dilemmas. Maybe the show's lesson is that, sometimes, there's just no right answer.

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It saddens me that with as bad as television has become when a truely great show comes along people just ignore it. At this point in time only Lost and Jericho even register as must watch shows. I've just started watching Dexter. It's about the only new show (new as in I don't have cable) I can watch with my schedule. It looks pretty good so far. As more shows like Jericho gets axed I find myself drawn further away from TV. There is no reason for me to keep watching if they take good shows off and replace it with garbage reality shows. I would rather watch a good old show like Kojak. Guys like Telly show just how far entertainment has fallen. 30 years after Kojak there is barely a hint of the type characters that made tv great. Jericho had the same type of characters and it's about to go. It's enough to break your heart.

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They certainly left the door wide open to continue the series...hopefully someone will pick it up but I've read in several places that the series is rather expensive to make so that will turn off a lot of companies....

 

Was it just me or did the finale seem a bit rushed.? I guess they would have needed a double episode at least to tie up all the threads....

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  • 4 weeks later...

Jericho Seeks Home On Comcast

 

The New York Times reported that CBS Paramount Network Television has held talks with Comcast, the cable provider, about finding new life for Jericho, citing two people briefed on the talks who requested anonymity.

 

It's unclear what form a revived Jericho would take or where it would air.

 

The low-rated post-apocalyptic series ended its short second season in CBS last month without being picked up for a third season.

 

But executive producer Carol Barbee told SCI FI Wire last month that producers were holding talks with a number of unspecified parties, including cable-television networks, about picking the show up.

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Jericho Seeks Home On Comcast

 

The New York Times reported that CBS Paramount Network Television has held talks with Comcast, the cable provider, about finding new life for Jericho, citing two people briefed on the talks who requested anonymity.

 

It's unclear what form a revived Jericho would take or where it would air.

 

The low-rated post-apocalyptic series ended its short second season in CBS last month without being picked up for a third season.

 

But executive producer Carol Barbee told SCI FI Wire last month that producers were holding talks with a number of unspecified parties, including cable-television networks, about picking the show up.

 

I sure hope they find this show a new home before it's to late.

If they wait to long most of these actors will have to find new employment.

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  • 1 year later...

Jericho season 3 begins later this month.... in comic book form!

 

http://jerichocomic.squarespace.com/

 

https://store.devilsdue.net/product_info.php?products_id=569

 

6 issue mini-series that picks up right where season two's finale ended.

 

JERIDDPS06_00.jpg

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I guess that's better than nothing. A full series would have been nice. I don't like investing my time in a show of that nature if it's going to end unresolved. I knew they wouldn't give it a chance, but I took a gamble anyway. The sad thing is that if the show would have been a success they would have no doubt dragged it out ala Prison Break. Maybe one day they will make a movie to tie up all the storylines.

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