Please Save Jericho

One the great risks about releasing a new television show is that the story is often bigger than one episode, or even one season. Such is the case with shows like Heroes and Lost, which have very complex storylines that keep viewers riveted every week. Since these shows have quite have a following, they will no doubt have several seasons.

Unfortunately, there are other shows with bigger storylines that never last a season. Such is the fate of Jericho. I was surprised that CBS did not renew this show for another season, but I suppose that the decision was made because of a lack of viewers. I really don't understand why this show never generated a following. Jericho has one of the most intriguing premises that I've seen in a long time, and one that I'm surprised has not been tried before.

Essentially, Jericho takes place in a small Kansas town (called Jericho) that has survived a nuclear war. It isn't your typical nuclear war model where everyone launches their nukes, but only specific cities in the United States have been targeted. Who did this heinous crime? Some rouge group of terrorists, apparently. There is one man in Jericho, Robert Hawkins, who is trying to figure out who is really responsible for wiping out millions of people, but he may or may not be involved.

Of course, Hawkins is not the main character, but only one interesting character in the midst of many. If there is a main character, it probably is Jake Green. Jericho begins with Jake returning to Jericho after a five-year absence. He has not given any explanation as to why, but episodes have shown him performing certain secret operations. He quickly becomes a leader of men in the small town after they see the mushroom cloud.

Then the show becomes about survival. Jericho is suddenly put in an area where they have limited food and resources, and how they band together in order to face the winter. The world outside of Jericho has become an anarchistic land, filled with ravagers and pillagers. Jericho must do its best to repel anyone on its borders, yet still retain enough humanity to look out for others as well.

Yet what makes Jericho work is that the basic premise is quite believable. With all the fear after 9/11 about "dirty-bombs" and terrorists, I think we all wanted to prevent a real-life Jericho from ever occurring. There are references on Jericho that the United States has somehow split into six different sections, and that each one is fighting for total control. It really makes you wonder what kind of savagery is occurring in the outside world, and the writers are smart enough to let viewers imagine the brutality.

The show just aired its season finale, but it actually is the series finale. The storyline did not come to any sort of closure, but seemed to leave it open for another season. Personally, I think Jericho is one of the finest dramas on television today, and deserves a second season.

I have seen shows that were ended before their time, then given an extension due to fan outcries. For example, Farscape and Firefly both had movies made that wrapped up the story. And Family Guy was actually brought to life after phenomenal DVD sales, and rerun viewings. Therefore, I'm going to do my best to get Jericho where it belongs, back on the air.

If you haven't watched it, you will be addicted to it by the second episode, believe me. Hopefully, you can still catch all the episodes at www.cbs.com.

Here are some online petitions that you can fill out to vote Jericho to remain on the air:

http://www.petitiononline.com/saveJeri/petition.html

http://www.petitiononline.com/09272006/petition.html

You can also use CBS online comment box to voice your opinion:

http://www.cbs.com/info/user_services/fb_global_form.shtml