Resurrection: The fans save 'Jericho'

Sometimes going a little nutty is a good thing.

For weeks, "Jericho" junkies have been firing e-mails (effectively shutting down InBoxes at CBS and this newspaper), signing petitions and sending bags of nuts to CBS headquarters in protest.

The assault seems to have worked, "Jericho" creator and executive producer Carol Barbee said Tuesday. CBS executives are in discussions with the show's producers and actors to resuscitate the show  -- killed just last month -- for an eight-episode run in mid-season.

"The idea would not be to bring it for eight and out, but to bring it back for eight with the hope that it would keep going," Barbee said. "They're making deals with the actors and there's other logistical stuff to work out too. 'Swingtown' [a new drama] was supposed to take over the same stages so it's a lot about the logistics of how to work out a schedule that works for all of us."

Barbee said the fan fever for the show did not surprise her-she had been keeping a close eye on the show's viewers on the Web. But she never expected CBS to change its mind because of the devotion.

"I was so kicked in the gut when we were canceled," she said. "I was really upset and angry and mourning over this amazing experience we had this year and this amazing family we put together and this show we were all so proud of. I didn't see the end coming so it felt like it wasn't over."

When the fan fight to save the show would not let up, CBS began talks with producers about a two-hour movie that would wrap up the show, but the writers were not interested, Barbee said.

"We just felt like that was doing it short-shrift, and it's too big of a story to wrap up in a two-hour movie," she said. "I really think that what has been learned here is that networks are going to have to look at numbers and who is watching their show and who is downloading their show in a different way from here on out. I think they have to understand that the Nielsens are not telling the story anymore and that the 18-49 demographic they're all so keen on is online and that's how increasingly they are getting their news and entertainment."

Since the fan revolt began, "Jericho" viewers have insisted they also would not be satisfied with a TV movie or online re-cap that told them how the "Jericho" story ends.

If the actors sign on the dotted line -- and those deals should be in place in the next day or two -- Barbee said "Jericho" junkies will get their way.

-- Maria Elena Fernandez

Comments

[Peggy]

GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAHOO!

[ivana]

omg I'm so happy, Jericho is a great show !!!

[Tonya]

My kids and I love Jericho it is one of the best shows we have ever seen by far. We are hoping that it is going to make a full return. The writers did an awesome job.

[JEFF]

I'VE BEEN VERY NERVOUS ABOUT THE RETURN OF JERICHO SINCE THE LAST EPISODE. NOW IT LOOKS LIKE I CAN RELAX FOR A WHILE AND ENJOY AT LEAST A FEW EPISODES THIS SUMMER. THANK YOU
JEFF ROCK FALLS WI

[JEFF]

I'VE BEEN NERVOUS EVER SINCE THE LAST EPISODE OF JERICHO. NOW IT LOOKS LIKE I MAY BE SEEING MORE, AT LEAST FOR A WHILE. THANK YOU
JEFF ROCK FALLS WI

[Art Carawan]

Great news! Go fans! Go CBS for seeing the light! Now, for Gods sake, don't put it up against American Idol again....

[Kenneth R Creed]

Thanks to everone that joined this campaign. Jerico was one of my favorite shows and i was about to swear off CBS. Hope this works and keeps Jerico on the air with lots of new episodes.

[Penny normandin]

I hope Jericho is coming back for good. It's a real thing that could happen and it shows realistically how people would probably handle it. I am stuck on Jericho. I would TiVo it and then watch 2 ata time and then be upset because I would watch both shows and then have to wait a week for the next one. I am stuck on Jericho.
Penny

[Twilight of the False Gods]

I'm not so much of a fan that I'd call it "one of the greatest shows on TV", but I definitely like the show, and I'm impressed with how far it goes to make you think - not just about the plot, but about human nature. I watch very little TV, but this was one show I tuned into every week. (The only other new show I've been watching over the last year was Deadwood.)

Unfortunately, I never saw any notice that Jericho was coming back on - apparently they're repeating "Season 2" starting tonight in 10 minutes, and I never knew about it. So much for promotion.

I didn't like how season 2 ended (the whole New Bern storyline was a bit silly), but it was nice to see Hawkins taking centre stage. I'd like to see what happens next.

It's typical how the really great TV shows, the ones with the devoted fans, always get cut by the networks: Buffy, Babylon 5, and so on. It seems they don't want you to be a real fan of a show; they just want a passive body in front of the TV who watches the show and then forgets about it when the next show comes on.

Keep the show back on the air, CBS! You don't have any other good programming!

[dana]

I can't tell how excited we are to have Jerico back. It has so many possibilites for story lines. Its one of the most realistic looks at a potential disaster Ive ever seen. Its one of the best shows on tv. JERICO ROCKS!!!!! keep it on.

[Rob Bindschatel]

Thank you CBS for bringing Jericho back to us. The show is so relevent to many Americans expecially now (post 9-11). We're getting the word out to our family & friends to help build a larger base of viewers. We'll do our part, but you need to do yours as well. Example: Invite some of the cast members onto "Late Night with David Letterman" to tell the amazing story of how we fans were able to change the course of an amazing televison show.
Again, thanks for listening to our concerns.

[Rick]

I'm hoping with all the peanuts and publicity Jericho has received at CBS, more people will watch it in January. This should create such a viewing audience, CBS will have ot renew it and keep it going a few more years. I hope people are curious to want to know why it's been the only show to get brought back after being axed, then received so much fan mail about it. Tell all your friends to watch. They'll get hooked as we did. This type of show could be real, unlike all the so-called reality crap on TV that is too far away from real to ever get there. Here's hoping Jericho lives a long and prosperous life on CBS. And if CBS doesn't want it, there must be another network out there willing to see its potential for greatness. Everybody get busy and advertise it to your friends before the Jan 31 start date. This gives us plenty of time to make it popular before it starts this winter. Here's praying it does well enough to stay on TV. Maybe CBS doesn't have enough nuts.

[Rick]

After having read all the comments above (mostly from Jun 5), it appears most everyone is as excited as I am about Jericho coming back. I do have some concerns about why it was cancelled in the first place.

CBS, you are using a very antiquated system when putting Nielson boxes in only a number of houses in each of about 4-6 cities across the country. You call this a sampling of the market. I call it a bad reading and recommend you either update your number of boxes to other locations in the country and not just concentrate on areas like NYC, Philly, Chicago and LA. With 300,000,000 people in this country now, and the technology being available, all major networks need to upgrade the way they determine which new shows make it and which ones don't.

It's obvious the Jericho fans have spoken and CBS, fortunately listened, but will any network listen again when this happens the next time or is this just a one time thing? You believe when your planted boxes aren't registering the numbers you're looking for to keep a show on, you've aleady made up your mind to not renew certain programs. That is not only unfair to the show and everyone involved with it, but it's also unfair to the audience that gathers around every week to watch it. When millions of people are watching, but you don't know it because it's not being registered anywhere, you're chopping a show with a large audience but your numbers don't show it. Either stop using the current system, upgrade it to something more fair to all (not just a select few) or devise a more workable solution to determine what goes and what stays.

I think most of America is tired of all these new reality shows coming out when the old ones should be buried. We don't need any more of these. At least Jericho uses a plot which is possible in the real world. THAT'S REALITY!!!! It shows human nature and how people act under those conditions. Also, I hope they do well enough to get a renewal and not end it after 7 or 8 episodes early 2008. Asking others to watch to increase the audience is useless since the ones I ask to watch are not being monitored anymore than I am, so how are you going to know if there is a larger audience if the added numbers don't fit into your selected homes. Why do we in America have to rely on those select few to determine what we get to watch and that which we don't. When there is a problem, it needs to be fixed. This is a major problem and definitely needs to be fixed by all major networks that use this system to determine what lives and what dies on all of America's television sets. Please take this seriously. I will be sending it to all networks.

Thanx, Rick

[maybei]

So glad we are getting 7 more episodes!! And the extras on the season one DVD are awesome!!

[Deana]

we are so happy to hear its back. When it first started I was so addicted to jericho I would have given up months of my life to get all the eposides at once! It got a little slow in the middle but we love it. I am happy to hear its going to finish.

To CBS why not use the internet to see what people are watching. You will get a much more acurate idea of what people really love. Have a website where people can vote (once) for their favourite programs, then you have a true idea of what programs are really being watched. (also have their age group and anything else you need to know.

Thanks so much for all of your hard work in getting jericho back! Cant wait to see it. that is if they get it here in New Zealand

[Tracey]

My husband and I watched every episode of the first season using Comcast On-Demand because we both work nights and cannot watch when it originally airs in primetime. Now, we no longer have On-Demand, so we watch our CBS shows online. I hope that CBS takes On-Demand viewers, online viewers, and DVR viewers into considerations when calculating their viewers! I miss me some Jericho!!!! Bring it back!!!!!

[Tanya]

I am very glad that Jericho is being brought back. Its a great show, and I will do all I can to promote it. It makes you think about what could happen.

I think the Tuesday night time slot right after The Unit was a great decision by CBS. I will be watching Jericho every week.

[Wendy]

YEA!!! ITS COMING BACK. GREAT SHOW! THANKS CBS!

[Bruce Schwartz]

NEXT LOS ANGELES COMIC BOOK AND SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2008 @ SHRINE HALL - 700 WEST 32ND ST.

The STARS and PRODUCERS of the CBS-TV series JERICHO appear on stage at 2:00 P.M. to discuss the return of the show. At 1:00 P.M. there's a Premiere Screening of a new episode of JERICHO. JERICHO is airing again starting in February due to the successful campaign launched by the fans of the show to bring it back. The names of the STARS and PRODUCERS of JERICHO who will be on stage will be announced the week of the Convention.

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