CBS Cancels "Jericho"

The show famous for being given a second chance has finally run out of chances. In a statement by CBS, "the March 25^th episode of 'Jericho' will be the series finale."

A very loyal fan base helped propel this show out of cancellation in its first season. After the season finale cliffhanger, CBS announced the show would no longer continue prompting fans to inundate CBS studios with tons of peanuts (literally). Due to such overwhelming support, CBS recanted and produced a second, seven episode season. But the loyal fans were not enough to keep the show in the running. Due to dismal Nielson ratings, CBS made the call to cancel.

However, the show has done surprisingly well online and in downloads. If CBS executives were considering all aspects of the show, perhaps this might have changed their minds. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the second season premiere of "Jericho" was streamed 700,000 times on CBS.com. It is also one of the top downloaded shows on iTunes and is currently making the top ten list for most popular episodes.

A True Second Chance?

One of the main reasons fans appeared to lose interest, was that CBS, though allowing "Jericho" to continue, did not give them an adequate budget, according to the Hollywood Reporter, 3/17/018. Fans claim that CBS should have allowed "Jericho" time for a full season, not force everything into seven episodes. They were also assigned a different and not very desirable time slot and given a lower budget. This forced the show to utilized smaller 2 and 3 person indoor scenes instead of the grand explosions and outdoor settings viewers were accustomed to. Many of the main characters from the first season were either notably absent or used infrequently.

Open-Ended with Closure

According to sources at the Hollywood Reporter, the final episode of "Jericho" will give closure to the season but will leave the door open for possibilities in the future. If a cable network wishes to pick it up, there will be a story thread to pick up and continue. It does not seem likely that another network will want to pick it up though, due to the high cost of production. However, it has been done. After NBC cancelled the crime thriller, "The Pretender," TNT picked it up to complete the series with a two part mini-series. Fans can only hope this will happen with "Jericho."

As an avid viewer of the show, I can say I am very disappointed in this decision to pull "Jericho." When most of the shows on TV are very similar (a la Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Lipstick Jungle, etc.), CBS had a smart, unique action drama. Set in Kansas, against a backdrop of post-nuclear attack, the characters learned to survive and thrive in the unimaginable. The cast, led by Skeet Ulrich as Jake Green, is amazing. The characters are very real and well acted. There was something for every viewer: mystery, love, action, politics, injustice/justice, and family values. If nothing else, watch it for the actors who are incredibly talented: Alicia Coppola, Lennie James, Brad Beyer, Gerald McRaney, Pamela Reed, and Shoshannah Stern.

We fans can only hope that one day they will decide to take this show to the big screen or to another network.

Sources:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i16295f10f81874297d9c13c91f04a4a1?imw=Y

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/features/columns/tv_reporter/e3i571f2049344938de2f085d1474aa66b1

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0805663/

iTunes

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/jericho/