"JERICHO" returns tonight (2/12 CBS 10 pm)

[jonodan]

"Jericho" returns to CBS's broadcast schedule February 12th at 10pm ET/PT for 7 all new episodes.

If you didn't see the program last season, it involves the inhabitants of a small Kansas town who live in the aftermath of multiple nuclear detonations occuring in the United States (and the subsequent collapses of communications and support).

At the end of last seasons cliff-hanger, Jericho was being attacked by a heavily armed neighboring town seeking to take over JERICHO's farmlands and other resources.

If you haven't seen it before, check it out. SCI-FI channel has also begun showing episodes from the previous season...

[I love Lyta]

So the fans managed to have it continued then... I thought as much.

Personally I'm split in two by this show. One side is enervated by the typical armageddon pathos of "Oh, we are all citiziens of one town, we must all stand together, and especially with the cool school girl suddenly falling for the shopkeeping loser, and the other side is curious about the underlying conspiracy plot.
I guess I'll watch it when it is broadcasted here but I wont await it overeagerly.

[jonodan]

Well I enjoyed the first season and thought the show had potential. But as you seem to know, it was cancelled by CBS due to unsatisfactory ratings numbers (whose accuracy has since been questioned... ).

After the outcry of fans and critics supporting the show, CBS agreed to bring it back for a second season of 7 episodes.

If the show is green-lighted for a third season (based on ratings, of course) it will obviouslycontinue on. If not, the show's producers have filmed an alternate ending for season 2 which wraps up the loose threads so fans will not be left hanging...

For anyone who missed last nights episode, you can watch it online for free at CBS.COM

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/jericho...c=3&play=false

[frulad]

Not really a fan, the premise just didn't peak my interest. But bravo to the fans who actually got a network to reverse their decisino, even if it was for just 7 episodes.

[jonodan]

I agree... fans (and critics) who enjoyed the show really pulled together to make a loud statment (in a variety of ways) to get a major network to reconsider its method of calculating ratings and its cancellation decision. Fortunately, it was done soon enough to make the reconsideration possible before sets were gone and actors released.

JERICHO fans were fortunate in this regard. Like so many dramatic TV shows, season one had just ended with a cliff-hanging episode when word came down it was not going to be renewed.

Which brings up a pet peeve... I really wish networks could come up with some way to wrap up (as best they can) cancelled dramatic or ongoing programs with some kind of final episode or special.

I know there are legalities, contracts, budgets and all the usual red-tape this world wallows in... but it really just seems cold and rude to cancel a series (sometimes with millions of viewers) and just leave them hanging... not to mention its the equivalent of throwing art / literature in progress unfinished into the trash can.

Babylon 5 is (thankfully) one of the few series that actually had a start, middle and conclusion (notice I didn't say "end".. lol). But how many others can you think of...

Fortunately, the producers of JERICHO filmed an alternate ending for the short second season in the event the ratings fail to convince the network to green-light a third season. I think the series deserves the chance, but if not... I think its great they expressed their thanks to fans (for the rallying) by assuring there is some closure to the story.

[jonodan]

JERICHO - Ratings are not promising...

From SyFyPortal today...

It looks like the "Jericho" experiment is about to come to an end.

Sources have told SyFy Portal that CBS is gearing up to air the series finale version of the post-apocalyptic series on March 25, one of two endings shot that would either allow a cliffhanger going into a third season, or a proper amount of closure for "Jericho" fans who fought hard to force CBS to reconsider its previous decision to cancel the show.

"There are a lot of people here who really care about what happens to 'Jericho,' and I think we all wanted to see it succeed," the source, who asked not to be identified, said. "Numbers are numbers, and [CBS] had to do what [CBS] had to do."

Ratings for the first two episodes were well below even some of the worst numbers the show experienced at the end of the first season which helped prompt network officials to move toward cancellation. Although it is competing in a post-"American Idol" scheduling environment, "Jericho" struggled to compete with shows that were either in reruns, or not part of mainstream viewing habits.

At the same time, audiences in key demographics of 18 to 49 -- a demo that isn't typically attracted to CBS for many of its other programmings -- were noticeably absent from the first pair of viewings from the show, and there is little chance they'll suddenly return in the coming weeks.

But the decision isn't quite final yet ... network executives still have room to change their mind.

"If the audience can come back to the show in the next two episodes, and I mean a lot, [CBS] may reconsider," the source said. "Fans definitely have a say, and they had a say last summer [with the 'Nuts to Jericho' campaign], but I think the final decision this time is going to come down to hard numbers, and they're just not there for 'Jericho.'"

Please note that none of this has been confirmed by CBS, and should be treated as any rumor would.

"Jericho" airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.