The Battle For Jericho Is Over!

The theme for what was to be Jericho's last episode on CBS was, "if you value it, fight for it, and never give up." In a one word answer to a threat, Jake Green quotes a WWII general by telling the enemy, "NUTS!" In keeping with the spirit of this bold answer, when CBS announced Jericho would be cancelled, fans sent not just letters and e-mails, but...nuts. Thousands of them. We fans fought hard to get Jericho back, and finally won, but, CBS warns, it's our job as loyal fans to recruit more viewers. The quote from the official statement reads, "We will count on you to rally around the show, to recruit new viewers with the same grass-roots energy, intensity and volume you have displayed in recent weeks." Ok, fine, I'll tell my friends, but I thought it was networks that are responsible for advertising and promoting. CBS seemed truly awed and humbled by their collective dismissal of the loyalty and passion of the Jericho fan base in the opening to the statement, which starts, "Wow! Over the past few weeks you have put forth an impressive and probably unprecedented display of passion in support of a prime time television series. You got our attention; your emails and collective voice have been heard. As a result, CBS has ordered seven episodes of “Jericho” for mid-season next year. In success, there is the potential for more. But, for there to be more “Jericho,” we will need more viewers." Ok, thanks for listening to your viewers, for bringing back our favorite show. Here's how you get some buzz. Get Katie Couric to report on the "Save Jericho" campaign and show those who aren't watching just how loyal the fan base is, what we did, the response, and show them all of those nuts! People watching the news will say to themselves, "Huh. I can't believe the fans did all of that. That show must be pretty good, I'll have to check out the re-runs this summer. Of course, I'm no Madison Avenue Ad Man, but I think it could work. In the meantime, my thanks to CBS and my fellow fans who brought Jericho back to life. If you're not watching, you should. If you believe in America, in self-reliance, in fighting for what you believe in, and good television, you will love Jericho. If you believe in none of those things, tune in, and maybe you will begin to believe.

CBS Execs Loose Their Damn Minds, Cancel Only Great Show

Yeah, it's true. Sad to say, but Jericho will not have a season two. I don't think there has ever been a show on television that captured my attention so immediately and held it for so long, and if you were a kid like me, it's not hard to see why. I grew up during the Cold War, when the threat of global nuclear war was always hovering over our heads, during the Iran hostage crisis, when, on the CBS evening news, I watched as young Arab radicals burned our flag and proclaimed America the Great Satan. The nation was still licking the wounds of Viet Nam, scared by an energy crisis, tired of losing economic ground to foreign countries, and angry at Jimmy Carter for telling us it was all our fault. If you grew up in these times, too, you probably know, as I know, that Jericho maybe fiction, but it's pretty close to being a prediction. Add to that a superior cast of actors and actresses, exceptional dialogue, realistic outcomes, and enough mystery to keep a person in suspense to the very point of screaming at the T.V., "Oh! I've got it! Hawkins is in league with the Chinese," and you have got a show that beats the tar out of 24 any day of the week. So why would CBS cancel such a show? Well...one angry viewer believes CBS is run by liberals who don't want to seem sympathetic to the president and the war on terror. Another suggests that it's part of a conspiracy. Some people blame CBS for pitting such a show against American Idol. I'm not in the mind of CBS execs, so I can't say why they cancelled it, but I can tell you this: NBC tried to cancel Quantum Leap and were met with scores of angry viewers holding signs that read, "Keep The Leap!" Not only did the show survive, it now lives on and does well on the SCI-Fi Network. Folks, let me tell you something. I've often said that we don't live in a democracy, we live in a republic, but this time the people really have a say. Here's what I want you to do. Don't just go to CBS and bitch, go to Proctor & Gamble, or Chase Manhattan, and tell them you want Jericho back. If they don't put the money back into Jericho, assure them they will loose money. Then make it happen. Normally, I'm against boycotts, but just this once, I'm willing to compromise to support good television. Jericho is the one show on Television that spoke to Americans without speaking down to them, and it had a huge future, not to mention a huge following and incredible social relevance. Save This show, people. It's more important than American Idol, and more important than you know.