News I Missed... A Jericho Comic!

Well, back in March Devil's Due Publishing announced that they had secured the rights to continue the Jericho story in comic book form. (See here). Obviously I missed that bit of pop news, proboably because i'm busy taking care of Swinebread Jr. As of yet, there is no mockup or cover to go from (it's due in October) but I'm cautiously optimistic despite the fact that the art for such projects can often be less than stellar.

Personally, I think a comic book is a great way to continue the story since Jericho was cancelled (Twice!). A comic gives one that visual connection to the characters that you just can't get with a novel. Plus, several other franchises have been succesfully continued in comic form. Some hardcore fans don't quite agree (see here) but for me it bodes well. I'm really interested in finding out more detail concerning the conspiracy to create the Allied States of America.

I do wonder though, if Dark Horse or Dynamite Entertainment might have been a better fit to publish a Jericho title as DDP are the same guys that are doing Barack the Barbarian.



There is a tiny rumble about a Jericho movie too, but I'm not holding my breath on that one.

-Swinebread

Jericho Thoughts

The Jericho adventure is now over with the series finale last night. I was sad to see it go to the point of clockwatching during the broadcast, counting down the minutes left in the program/series. The tone of Jericho was different the second time around as the plot advanced at warp speed but at least the main storylines were resolved as best as they could be for an abbreviated season. Much of the drama that made the show the first time around, which I in fact made fun of, was striped from the second season. Be careful what you wish for because I actually, *gulp* …missed it.

The final episode wasn’t a cliffhanger per se; although it left a lot of room for a continuation of Jericho should any cable channel choose to pick it up which is remotely possible I suppose. The series finale left us with the start of something very big and I was actually quite intrigued with where the creators had wanted to take the show in a 3rd season. I hope that at least a book or comic is published to explore this and I’ve got a feeling it will be.

Fans should be proud that their hard work produced a second season. So many shows get cancelled and that’s it. We got a few more episodes and a chance to say goodbye to Jake and the rest of fictional town that we enjoyed so much without the whole thing being left totally in limbo. Some hardcore fans want to bash CBS, and yes they made mistakes, but they recognized the fan base of Jericho was something special and tried to accommodate that. I’m mystified that the general public didn’t tune in when there was nothing on TV because of the writers strike, but at least Jericho has helped raise important questions about the dinosaur that is the Nielsen Ratings.




Things I liked about the second season of Jericho (spoilers):

The Goetz storyline was satisfactory resolved.

The fictional companies Jennings & Rall and Ravenwoond were the real bad guys behind everything, just like KBR, Halliburton and Blackwater are in the real world.

They spent some money on the series finale. A lot of scenes were shot outside and on location. It gave us a hint of what a full second season might have looked like.

Gray Anderson’s role in the finale worked out well.

I liked that Jake green looked haggard and dirty all the time.

The “Texas embassy” was a nice touch.

I thought Jake becoming Sheriff was a great plot point.

The New Bern plotline was thin but still present. New Bern’s the anti-Jericho.

Looks like a romance could have developed between Edward Beck and Heather Lisinski

I like the twists and turns Hawkins took to solve the mystery of the corrupt new government and trying to get the bomb to Texas.

“John Smith” made an appearance

I think that a couple of Hawkins trusted buddies showing up worked out very well.

Hawkins and Jake realized they had become friends by the end of series.

The start of a new civil war was a compelling idea, full of potential if a third season had been made


Problems with the second season of Jericho (spoilers):

I really don’t see the Liberal Pacific Northwest joining the corrupt Cheyenne government… without extreme force being taken (maybe there was but we didn’t get to see it).

In retrospect, killing off Gerald McRaney’s character, Johnston Green, at the end of season one was a mistake. That probably made older folks lose interest and caused Gail Green to become a superfluous character in an abbreviated second season.

The survival storyline had to be totally jettisoned in the second season rather than phased out over a longer season.

I know we need to suspend disbelief, but just having a few guys guarding the nuclear bomb was ridiculous.

Isn’t he Tenth Mountain Division based in upstate New York? So why are they over in Kansas working for corrupt Cheyenne government?

The budget was noticeably cut for the second season with lots of indoor scenes and not enough outdoor settings.

Although ten-o’clock on a Tuesday was a good time for me personally, I think it was a bad time slot for the second season.

CBS had a very quiet and confusing promotion campaign for Jericho Season 2. Plus, the whole 2 endings announcement made folks not want to invest in a show that was probably going to be cancelled.

It was sad losing most of the minor characters and their plotlines like Hawkins’ relationship with his kids, Dale and Skylar’s situation, Dr. Kenchy Dhuwalia and Jessica Williams at the hospital, Jonah Prowse roaming the countryside, and Maggie Mullen - did she make it?

All of the other love stories were lost except Mimi and Stanley (it was the best one though)


Missed/lost opportunities:

I had a feeling that Colonel Hoffman (from the end of the first season) was going to Jericho, Kansas where he would meet Gail Green and end up in a relationship with her. Consoling her because of the loss of her husband.

The second season was so compressed that I saw many events in the show that screamed to be explored or revealed over a longer period of time, kinda’ like Serenity.

The full second season would have shown more of what was happening around the country.

We never got to see the remains of any bombed city, which would have really made the world of Jericho seem like it was on the edge.






On a side note, I got a feeling those Allied States patches will be prized collectibles


-Swinebread

Jericho Cancelled a Second Time

The ratings were bad so I knew this was coming, but it’s still sad as it was one of the few shows I really enjoyed watching.

"Jericho" has been canceled, and no amount of peanuts will bring it back.

"The March 25th episode of Jericho will be the series finale," CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler said in a statement. "Without question, there are passionate viewers watching this program; we simply wish there were more."

The show was canceled after its first season, but was resurrected when fans joined together and sent tens of thousands of pounds of nuts to get the network to change its mind.

CBS ordered a second season of seven episodes which premiered on Feb. 12, 2008. Ratings never equaled the first season's numbers, and have taken a tumble since the premiere.

"We have no regrets bringing the show back for a second try," Tassler said. "We listened to our viewers, gave the series an opportunity to grow, and the producers put a great story on the screen. We're proud of everyone's efforts."

Producers hedged their bets by shooting two alternate endings to the final show, which airs Tuesday.

One is a cliffhanger that could have led to a third season and the other ending is said to bring "closure" to fans.

But, sources tell the Hollywood Reporter, there's enough wiggle room in the final episode to make room for new life of the series on cable.

"Jericho" is a drama about what happens in the aftermath of a nuclear explosion in the once peaceful town of Jericho, Kansas.

from here

It's an expensive show so I'm not holding my breath for a pick up by a cable channel. I'll do a post next week after I watch the final episode to sum up my thoughts. If you didn't watch Jericho you missed a good show.

-Swinebread

Jericho Season 2... Tonight!

It’s been a strange ride for Jericho fans but the second season is finally here. Hell Yeah! In addition to being resurrected from cancellation by crazed fans, Jericho is in the unique position of being one of very few scripted shows on television due to the writers strike. In fact, the truncated seven-episode season which CBS authorized last spring turned out to be a blessing in disguise because if there had been an eighth episode the WGA walkout would have stopped production on the finale. I wanted more and now I’m glad I didn’t get it. There seems to be positive unintended consequences when it comes to jericho.

If the show’s second season proves to be popular (and the reviews have been good) there might be another season on the horizon and critics tout the premiere as a good jumping on point. Also, being on a 10 o’clock means there will be no completion from American Idol, so the network learned their lesson this time around.

I’m just glad Jericho beat the long odds and that we’ll have something entertaining to watch.

Next stop The Allied States of America…



-Swinebread

Latest Jericho Trailer

The Official CBS Season 2 trailer for Jericho. Looks exciting...


It came out right after Christmas but I guess I was partying too hard at that time to notice.

Jericho: Tuesday February 12

2nd Season of Jericho has a time slot

Tuesday February 12, 2008.


Mark your calendars!

My understanding is that they've shot two different season finales. The first is a cliffhanger if the series gets renewed for a third season and the second ending will wrap-up the plotlines if Jericho is cancelled.

Can’t ask for more than that especially since it was resurrected from the dead.

Season 2 Promo:



-Swinebread

Jericho Update

Haven’t made an update about Jericho in awhile, so I thought I’d post a few odds and ends. As you know, Jericho was saved after it was cancelled because fans sent in huge amounts of nuts to CBS.

First up is the “thank you” vid that was presented at Comic Con. There's great behind the scenes shots along with some footage from season 2 and the extremely happy cast and crew members. From wikipedia:

On August 2, 2007, a video was released on YouTube showing clips from the first day back at work for the Jericho cast and crew. It shows clips of the first season, explaining the cancellation, followed by brief clips from the second season premiere and a "thank you" from the cast and crew to the fans for their efforts to revive the show

The official Jericho website has all kinds of new content and this time the producers have free reign to post what they want. Check out their production blog here.



If you want to find out why the Jericho fans were so crazy about the show then drop 50 bucks and get Season One, which comes out on DVD October 2.

Now if they could just get a Jericho comic book going…

-Swinebread

It’s official… Jericho Season 2

An open letter from CBS confirms it’s coming back for season 2.
Originally posted at TV GAL

To the Fans of Jericho:

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.

A loyal and passionate community has clearly formed around the show. But that community needs to grow. It needs to grow on the CBS Television Network, as well as on the many digital platforms where we make the show available.

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.

At this time, I cannot tell you the specific date or time period that "Jericho" will return to our schedule. However, in the interim, we are working on several initiatives to help introduce the show to new audiences. This includes re-broadcasting "Jericho" on CBS this summer, streaming episodes and clips from these episodes across the CBS Audience Network (online), releasing the first season DVD on September 25 and continuing the story of Jericho in the digital world until the new episodes return. We will let you know specifics when we have them so you can pass them on.

On behalf of everyone at CBS, thank you for expressing your support of "Jericho" in such an extraordinary manner. Your protest was creative, sustained and very thoughtful and respectful in tone. You made a difference.

Sincerely,

Nina Tassler

President, CBS Entertainment

P.S. Please stop sending us nuts : )

The fans did it. I'm sure the cast and crew are really happy as well.

-Swinebread

Jericho Fans go Nuts… Save the Show?

It seems that Jericho might get renewed after all. Thanks to a tip from Dean Wormer, this newsie item from TV Guide lays out the down low here.

Multiple sources are telling me that CBS is thisclose to sealing a deal to bring Jericho back for at least eight episodes, possibly at mid-season

I knew there was a big letter and email campaign from the fans but I took little notice as these things rarely work. Plus, I think I ignored the whole thing as I didn’t want to be disappointed. But this time the fans took some inspiration from that show itself and sent CBS truckloads of peanuts. See in the final episode of Jericho one of the characters references General Anthony C. McAuliffe famous line “Nuts” from the Battle of Bastogne, as inspiration to defend their town. So Fans of the show began buying huge loads of Peanuts from Nuts Online to send to CBS. Jeffrey Braverman of nuts online was amazed at the response.

Braverman thought about one of his favorite television shows, "Lost," and how he would feel if suddenly ABC pulled it off the air like CBS did with "Jericho." That's when he realized his company would do whatever they could to help fans of "Jericho" make a statement with its "Nuts to You, CBS!" campaign. And Tuesday morning, the network's New York offices will have more than 1,000 pounds of peanuts -- enough to make more than 2,000 people quite satisfied -- sitting in its mailroom.

from here

According to this thread at TV.com they're up to 38,000 POUNDS or 19 TONS O' NUTS already! Wow, that’s alotta’ nuts. CBS is coming to the realization that they blew it by putting Jericho opposite American Idol. If the show does come back, it’s very cool that desperate situations both real, the soldiers of Bastogne, and imagined, the defenders of Jericho, motivated it. Regardless, My hat’s off to the fans. It looks like you may have done it.

-Swinebread

Jericho Cancelled

While almost nobody cares, I thought I would pass along that Variety announced here that Jericho is gone for good. Although it seemed inevitable because of the poor ratings, Jericho appeared like it might survive and be allowed time to find a new audience. But alas, it’s not to be. I think I knew this was coming, but it’s still a mild downer considering the show was one of the few things I watched on network TV.

The fact that Jericho was picked up for a full season originally demonstrates that there was an audience for a post-apocalyptic drama but Jericho somehow lost it along the way. While the balance between soap opera dramatics, survival, and thriller heroics wasn’t always even, it might simply be that the predicable storytelling doomed the series. It was really the actors and the terrorist conspiracy that held the show together. Maybe the producers sensed that Jericho was gone and that's why they killed off Gerald McRaney’s character. It really would be a different show without him anyway.

Oh well, if a show seems like it’s working early on maybe the suits shouldn’t put it oppsite a ratings powerhouse like American Idol after a too long hiatus. That’s a recipe for cancellation if I ever saw one. Maybe that was the point? CBS wanted Jericho to croak. Hmmmm…

-Swinebread

Jericho on the Edge

Jericho 1 season ended with a big cliffhanger and an apparent new direction. While I was never an über enthusiastic fan of the show, I enjoyed it well enough to see it through, probably because I like post apocalyptic sci-fi so much. Jericho became grittier as I was hoping it would. The dire situation of the town eclipsed the soap opera aspects or at least cast them in the light of survival. Food is scarce, folks die and the rival town of New Bern begins its invasion to seize farmland. Plus, over the 2nd half of season 1, much of the plot behind the terrorist bombers is revealed. Thank goodness for that.

Part of the appeal of the show is the sense that Midwest values are being put to the test. Norman Rockwell’s America is bloodied and sullied. Can it survive? That’s a question for the both the townsfolk of Jericho and for the folks at CBS as the show hovers between cancellation and renewal. Strangely, I’ve read that it’s sure to get a 2nd season and that it’s gone for good, so I have no idea. Some fans seem pretty angry at the death of Gerald McRaney’s character. Maybe that’s a sign that the writers decided to go for broke in the finale but it may prove to be a mistake. If Jericho does get a second season cloak and dagger themes will apparently permeate the show as the bad guys have zeroed in on Hawkins (the guy hiding a nuclear bomb) along with usual small town drama.

One of the most interesting elements of the finale was the flag displayed by “federal” troops. This bizarre vertical striped flag both confirms the rumors that the states are not united and that a new Civil War is occurring across the continent, which was most likely the terrorists intent. A quick look-see on wikipedia ties this flag to the mythical United States Civil Flag. Interesting… Hopefully we’ll get a 2nd season to see this and other storylines play out and maybe the introduction of Colonel Hoffman, the leader of these oddly bannered troops, might soften the blow of McRaney leaving the show. We’ll have to see…

Jericho Where Art Thou?

Basically, I haven’t been following any primetime TV shows. I’m not doing Lost, Heroes or CSI. Yeah, yeah, but life gets in the way. The one thing I am watching is Jericho, CBS’s post-apocalyptic drama. Sounds funny to have the words post-apocalyptic and drama in the same sentence, but essentially that’s this program’s shtick. It is really bizarre to juxtapose unrequited love and adultery with nuclear fallout and social disintegration but, hey, maybe that’s the appeal for me. I’m what I call a dissonant type of guy. I enjoy putting two seemingly unlike things together just to see what you get. Kinda’ like that Hegel dialectic if ya know what I mean. So, CBS is trying something different, and that is good, right? Sure, I guess.

The show is set in a small Kansas town that looks nothing like Kansas, with residents that struggle to survive the nuking of several major U.S. cities. Jericho’s characters are in the dark about what’s happening outside their one pickup truck berg while interpersonal relationships are pushed to the breaking point. Several characters have shadowy pasts, like Jake, played by Skeet Ulrich, and Hawkins, played by Lennie James. My understanding is Jericho is very Lost-like, but obviously the stakes are much higher as we’re dealing with a huge attack on the good old US of A and not events on some forgotten island. Although, I would say the creators have decided to go light on the nuclear holocaust in favor of soap opera sentiment. In other words, Jericho is like Party of Five meets The Day After.


While trying to do two very different genres in the same show, Jericho just manages to come out on the plus side despite some problems. Strangely, the love and angst tend to be rather predictable and there isn’t enough atomic horror for my fanboy tastes. What holds the show together at this point is the conspiracy of the who, the what, and the why, of the attacks and how the town fits into the scheme of things. Jericho will have to be careful with this though, as an audience can tire of hidden plots that string one along too slowly or for too long. Maybe that’s the reason the show’s creators are infusing it with so much drama. I do think the patience of the audience was finally rewarded with the 12th episode. I now have much more reason to like or be interested in these characters as some secrets and relationships have been revealed in this flashback episode.
The show may fail but I don’t buy “it’s too depressing” line that critics are spouting. After 9-11 and the Iraq debacle, I think Americans can handle a heavy premised program like this. Jericho earned a full season so apparently some folks want a “downer” of show. I genuinely like the actors, especially Ulrich, so if the plots and dialog tighten up we could be in for a good ride. Also, I have a sense after watching episode 12, CBS is willing to spend a little more on the budget. So, maybe I’ll get more of that atomic horror I’m looking for. As big post-apocalyptic fan I’d like this show to succeed. Maybe that’s why I watch it over other programs… …or maybe it’s because CBS had the sense to put it on demand.

-Swinebread