Mourning Jericho
I just read a great article posted over at Ain't It Cool News. The writer talks about CBS moronic move of canceling "Jericho" — a truly awesome show. The article was quite moving actually. You can read it below.
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May 18, 2007
Ain't It Cool News: Coaxial
Merrick here...
Earlier this week, we learned that CBS decided not to renew JERICHO for next season.
I love this show. I really love it. I don’t/won’t say that about many TV shows. Even GALACTICA, which I follow religiously, I can only claim to “like a lot”.
JERICHO is different. At the very least, Herc “likes” it too - I’m not clear to what extent. We’ve discussed it frequently amongst ourselves, even though (for whatever reason) it never received much play on the site. In retrospect, this was probably an error on our behalf. We should’ve talked about it more on AICN…we should’ve said more.
In an effort to increase awareness for JERICHO, and to correct some misunderstandings about the nature of the show, I contacted CBS publicity a few weeks back to arranging some coverage for the series before it headed into its season finale. I never heard back from CBS. The next thing I knew…despite rumors of a begrudging renewal and a new timeslot…it was gone.
JERICHO didn’t find the audience network exes were wanting (needing) it to find. I hold this happened for some very fundamental reasons:
1) TIMESLOT (against BONES or AMERICAN IDOL depending on Fox’s schedule);
2) A three month, mid season break (after which the show’s audience dropped 25% by some counts). In a masterpeice of lousy timing, it was at this same, awkward juncture that JERICHO kicked into high gear. I.e. I personally hold that the prolonged hiatus allowed audiences to drift away before the true nature of the show became evident.
And…most critically…
3) PEOPLE DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS SHOW WAS ABOUT. Early promotion looked like, and felt like, JERICHO was some sort of post apocalyptic drama – MAD MAX –meets- THE WALTONS.
Which, in actuality, is only partially true.
JERICHO was one of the smartest, most compelling shows on television. It took a while to find its rhythm…but when it did…it did it in a big way.
In a macro sense, JERICHO considers what happens when a cross section of Americans are forced to completely redefine their value system, and reassess their perceptions of what’s important in life. Who do we choose to hate, and to what end? Who do we allow ourselves to love? How large a price do we exact for forgiveness? And, at what point does hope of forgiveness turn into thirst for primal revenge. How do we rediscover ourselves when the material attainment which has patterned our lives is suddenly rendered irrelevant? What do we stand for, and why? What is the cost of cowardice and selfishness? The list goes on.
What brings our characters to such a lofty cross roads?
A series of nuclear attacks on 23 multiple American cities, apparently organized & perpetrated by a faction within Homeland Security (using atomic material bagged during the fragmenting of the Soviet Union). America is not destroyed by these attacks – but over 30 million people are instantly killed. The rest of the country sees America’s functionality grind to a halt. Squabbling over the Presidential right of succession ensues as surviving politicians vie for their piece of the pie. At one point, America is divided into six regions...each claiming to be the seat of legitimate government...each amassing regional militaries (National Guard units, and so forth). Insinuations of possible Civil War abound.
In the midst of this upheaval lies a small Kansas town called Jericho. Why’s it so important? Several reason: Jericho’s location is unique – it was beyond the reach of fallout patterns; its farmland remained relatively uncontaminated. It has a massive salt mine, an untainted water supply, and barely enough resources to support its townspeople (some episodes of the series are almost like a SIMS game…dealing with how many people can be fed, how many refugees can be housed, and the ramifications of turning away the waves of displaced wanderers who the town can not afford to feed or house).
And, based on all these desirable factors, Jericho is also a rallying point for the CIA personnel who’ve spent four frustrating years trying to thwart the atomic bomb plot – unaware that the conspiracy to bring down our country was actually orchestrated by the same people who determined their deployment in the field.
One of these agents finds his way to Jericho...with an atomic bomb in his possession; he had infiltrated the conspirators and was supposed to blow up a city. He bailed on ‘em and ran away with their bomb. He’s stashed it, underground, in a rickety shack. And the conspirators (bad ass assassins) are hot on his trail, looking for their nuke.
Ultimately, the world comes to Jericho. Neighboring cities adapt factories & builds mortars to shell Jericho…in an effort to bring the town to its knees so farmland & resources can be taken over. Some form of government, under an oddly configured American(ish) flag, comes to Jericho looking for the missing atomic bomb. Simplicity…becomes a hot spot. Armed via a high-tech stockpile assembled by the increasingly rogue CIA agent, peaceful Jericho is forced to gear up for war.
Despite such grand concepts, Jericho is ultimately driven by very touching, very rudimentary truths. It’s about dedication, love, strength of family, and the danger of divisiveness. Despite its frequent nihilism, the show sends one of the most positive messages on TV right now.
Oh, yeah. JERICHO isn’t on TV anymore. Which, frankly, really pisses me off.
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It's a writer who truly adores the show.
He goes on to suggest a "save our show" campaign could help bring "Jericho" back to primetime. I'm skeptical as in my 23 years, I've never heard of this working. But I commend anyone who jumps in. Information on how to contact CBS is posted in the article.
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