“How does it feel to make history?”
That was the final line in the series finale of Jericho last night on CBS - and it got me to wondering; but more on that later.
The last episode came, and went, with ratings that were par for the show over the last few weeks with an approximated 6 million viewers, putting CBS fourth amongst the big networks for the evening. I’m guessing another nut campaign is ‘nut’ going to do the trick again, but nice try.
In this abbreviated run of 22 episodes packed into just 7, information flowed fast and hard - and sometimes that’s the way I like it, cutting to the chase.
There are a few spoilers ahead, so if you’re one of many millions who the networks aren’t counting for viewer ratings, but who are going to download from iTunes or watch the On-Demand version instead, then avert thy eyes.
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Hawkins (Lennie James) and Jake (Skeet Ulrich) snagged the nuke from Cheyenne and having possession of the bomb is the proof needed to show that Jennings & Rall were involved in the travesty… if they successfully get the thing to Texas.
The Rangers finally bury Stanley’s sister while the military has started to turn Jericho into a police state. Ah, but all is not lost as Major Beck (Esai Morales) gets a whiff of real evidence of the atrocities committed after looking over Hawkins computer. With this information, he tells his superiors he can no longer take orders from an illegal government, shares the evidence with his troops, and they look to dig in for the fight ahead.
In the process of getting the nuke to Texas, we get to see the mysterious Mr. Smith, but he eludes capture. In a tense and exciting scene, the Texas Air National Guard ends up shooting down two aircraft from Cheyenne to protect Hawkins and Jake from getting shot down themselves. This should pretty much set the scene of the 2nd American Civil War.
Closure? Sure. Room for follow up movies or some other media release? Sure. Viewers left wanting more? You bet.
What do I mean by more?
Over on Sci-Fi Wire, executive producer Carol Barbee says that there are ongoing talks to find the show another home, perhaps on a cable network.
If Jericho is not picked up by another network, Barbee can envision it living on as an internet series or graphic novel, or even a movie.
I don’t mean to burst everyone’s bubble, but since the cast and crew have been freed to pursue other projects, and the show’s sets and back lot have been dismantled and either destroyed or put into storage, I’ve gotta wonder if this is just media spin or blowing hot air (take your pick).
So I go back to my first line: “How does it feel to make history?” Were the creators asking the viewers, the core fans who orchestrated the return of the show that question or was it just a teaser closing sentence that lets us know that if the show continues, we’re in for an interesting evolution of the story?
Interesting note at the bottom of the Sci-Fi Wire post that said:
(Fans wishing to write SCI FI Channel about picking Jericho up should NOT use the scifiwire e-mail address, but should send snail mail to: SCI FI Channel, 21st Floor, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112.)
Sources: Hollywood Reporter, SciFi.com
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20 Comments
I Think this idea should just die now .
I dont think the country under attack works as a weekly soap opera.
Cast are under contract until June 15th and the sets are in storage.
Carol Barbee has confirmed that CBS Paramount is trying to sell Jericho to a different network. (CBS Televison Network showed/canceled Jericho, but CBS Paramount is the company that produces Jericho.)
There are already some interested networks - Sci Fi, DirectTV, and The CW.
There is a list of things the fans are being asked to do:
http://www.jericho-kansas.com/Community/Forums/tabid/74/forumid/27/postid/2148/view/topic/Default.aspx
We will keep updating this page as information becomes available.
Gwen
http://www.jericho-kansas.com
Oh, they can make a weekly show out of anything. And you’ve basically described Battlestar Galactica.
Vic
Vic,
Perhaps a comparison to Galactica can be made
but i think CBS was using Jericho as an attempt to duplicate the success of Lost.
a mysterious scenario where the answers are guadually revealed.
And for me Jericho was more plot driven,
while Lost is more character driven.
and i personally respond better to the character driven approach
just my opinion.
Vic, the internet series idea seemed terribly thin to me, too, now that the actors have long-since moved on. (Have you noticed one of the regular cops from the Jericho sheriff’s office in a lot of commercials lately?)
I almost hope it doesn’t live on, if it can’t live up to the first season. The second season had me towards the end, but it wasn’t half as good as the first. Let’s part with Jericho on good terms, shall we?
Les Moonves is to blame on this. He hates sci-fi fringe programing. I think that guy (CBS CEO) sucks to put it mildly.
Screw you les!
Um, how about the bad ratings that only got worse, 790? Jericho consistently lost its timeslot, including to repeats of shows like Law & Order. Not impressive.
I still think Les Moonves is a jerkoff.
The show was barly advertised and supported.
CBS was just looking for an excuse……
I think you have to give CBS credit for renewing
Jericho.
they promised 7 episodes and they delivered 7 episodes.
they did something thay was pretty much unprecedented .
Snark,
Yeah, i refer to the idea of quitting while ahead all the time. the only recent show that comes to mind that did that is Seinfeld.
Vic
I used to belong to a Birds of Prey message board.
It took them close to two years to accept that the show wasnt coming back .
once the cast is officially released and the sets dismantled I hope the fans move on.
Otherwise they are just prolonging the pain for themselves.
Yeah Bruce it seems like sci-fi shows allready have 2 strikes against them. Only giving a show that has millions of fans one season to make it seems very biased.
Les Moonves hates sci-fi and I’m sure that he was the deciding vote to cancel. The guys a a-whole deluxe.
And I’m sure the contraversial subject matter of the show didn’t help ether.
I just hope I live long enough to see american Idol crash and burn.
Btw throw in all the reality shows.
I hate them all.
“Over on the SCi-Fi Wire interview, Barbee says that show’s sets and back lot have been dismantled and either destroyed or put into storage and the actors released to do other things.. it seems like it is done. Too bad CBS didn’t put their back behind it, that’s for sure.”
The statement about the actor’s contracts and sets did NOT come from Carol Barbee. The statement came from the CBS Television press release and it’s false. The actors are under contract until June 15th and the sets are in storage since another show is using the sound stage.
There is also a difference between CBS Television Network, which showed/canceled Jericho and CBS Paramount who produces Jericho.
Gwen
http://www.jericho-kansas.com
True Gwen most tv sets go into storage. Movie sets that are location shoots are usually destroyed.
I have a feeling this show isn’t nuked just yet. I think Sci-fi is going to pick it up…. Stay tuned.
Gary,
Jericho is like Lost? As a rabid fan of Lost, I have to say…spot on. I caught the first season on DVD over the winter (finally trying to see what all the hype was about), and I, too, started drawing similarities with Lost. Mysterious happenings, big, ubiquitous company behind it all, and not to mention everyone seemed stuck in Jericho–much like castaways on an island. But I didn’t fault the show for those similarities. Even if the creators were intentionally copying off of Lost–which I honestly doubt–what better show to draw your material from?? Heck, let EVERYONE copy off of Lost. Maybe we’d fill the airwaves with a few more decent shows for a change. I will say that you are also right about character aspect missing from Jericho. They had different faces and names, but my indifference toward them all was pretty much equal.
Thanks for your comments boballoo.
I was beginning to think I was the only one who saw the Lost connection.
I just got around to watching the final two episodes. Bruce, you have the quote wrong. It is actually, “How does it feel?” (”About what?”)
“How does it feel, making history?”
SPOILERS (2 weeks old)
The comparisons to Lost don’t resonate with me at all. I *care* about the mysteries in Lost. They aren’t just introduced out of the blue. They’re carefully woven. They make sense. To have all this come down to one evil scheming man, who has about two minutes of screen time–pretty lame.
Anyway, a show of hands as to Texas using the nuke against Cheyenne?
It’s almost certain Sci-Fi Channel will pick this show up. Why? Because there isn’t one ounce of science fiction in it.
Vic, Journeyman bowed out gracefully, although after a short run.
Bruce, I meant to say “slightly wrong.” Obviously you captured the meaning!
When I did the write up, I watched it on my lunch break then wrote it up after work.
My worries about another network picking it up is how much they might change it. Will they be able to afford the original cast? The writers? Or do we get a vanilla wrapped version?
If someone does pick it up, I hope they do it right.
Thanks for writing in everyone.
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