Jericho for Sale: Fans Not Willing to Give Up on Cancelled CBS Drama

Towering high above Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, California is an example of today's dedicated television viewer. Fans of the former-CBS serial drama Jericho, self-named Rangers, have erected a billboard offering their favorite show "For Sale". While acquisition of a billboard may seem extreme for most fandoms, Jericho fans are known for their innovative ideas which have changed the way future fandoms might deal with the loss of a beloved TV show.

After CBS' first cancellation of Jericho at the conclusion of its freshman season, viewers banded together to send 20 tons of nuts to CBS studios. Their barrage was in line with a quote from the season finale in which the town's hero, Jake Green, led battered Jericho, Kansas into battle against a neighboring town with a battle cry of -- you guessed it!-- "Nuts". CBS acknowledged errors made in cancellation of the series and brought it back for seven mid-season episodes which debuted in February 2008. They put the responsibility of increasing the number of season two viewers on the shoulders of the dedicated fans; a move fairly unprecedented in television.

Mediocre ratings led to a second CBS cancellation (though pulling 6 million viewers in a notoriously difficult time slot should be viewed as impressive). Fans immediately began to send postcards and letters to CBS, as well as other venues they thought might be interested in airing the remaining Jericho story. Nut deliveries have been made to Nielsen, who many Jericho fans blame for their show's cancellation due to an outdated viewership counting system.

Encouraging words from the show's producers gave fans the idea to promote the show as available, sparking the recent "For Sale" campaign. Similar ads ran in April issues of Variety and Hollywood Reporter, though the results of those ads are apparently unknown. The billboard will be seen by many television executives making their way to work each day, obviously hitting the Ranger's target audience. However, the sign also brings the fight to everyday commuters who might not have realized the show would not return. This might garner the publicity and support fans need to continue their fight for Jericho.

Amazingly, in a time of tight budgets and increasing costs, the Jericho Rangers have not only fought for their show but also contributed to charities in the name of Jericho. DVDs for the Troops gathered donations to purchase Jericho Season One DVDs to send to deployed service members. They are doing the same for the soon-to-be-released Jericho Season Two DVDs. One loyal viewer is even donating her cigarette money toward the DVDs for the Troops fund. Some fans are heading up a large peanut butter donation to the Kansas Food Bank. During the first renewal fight, Rangers became involved in donating toward the rebuilding of Greensburg, Kansas, after it was affected by a devastating tornado. While most of the charitable endeavors are funded by donations directly from the Rangers, the costs of promotions such as the billboard have been partly covered by auctioned autographed Jericho memorabilia.

What does this all mean on a grander scale? Well, television executives can no longer expect viewers to accept the cancellation of shows without a fight. Fans of the cancelled shows Veronica Mars and Moonlight, for example, have taken a page from the well-written Jericho fandom story to wage a battle for renewal. Some viewers have taken to the idea of skipping freshman TV series seasons altogether. With the large number of shows cancelled after one season, it should be no surprise that viewers no longer want to invest the time and energy into a storyline which will disappear after one season. This is especially a prevalent issue for dramas which traditionally build upon themselves moreso than comedies or reality TV shows. After skipping the first season, viewers will find it more difficult to jump into a series which has been renewed and, thus, may decide not to tune in at all.

And what is next for Jericho and its loyal viewers? Rumors of promising talks have ranged from continuing seasons on another network to movies or even books. The Ventura Boulevard billboard will stay in place for one month. Fans hope to capitalize on the billboard hype by securing a commercial spot to air in Los Angeles' Time Warner cable market. Fund raising is ongoing for that endeavor. Whether you watched Jericho or not, it is difficult not to be impressed by the dedication and determination of a diverse and varied group of individuals, who have banded together on a mission. The attention they have drawn to the flaws in the Nielsen system and the need to count online viewers should have lasting effects that may someday save your favorite show. Fans are betting that those changes won't come too late to save Jericho.