Jericho Fans Never Give Up, Out To Save The Show Again
By fred | June 13, 2008
I’m not sure who it is who tuned in to watch that new post-apocalyptic TV drama called Jericho CBS premiered a while back, but obviously those guys are not your usual TV show audience, they’re more than just regular viewers, they’re freaking nuts. And here they go at it again !
As you know, once before they sent billions of nuts to CBS and eventually got their favorite show a second season. Sadly, and despite that new (brief) season being stronger than the first, the show was canceled, again. But fans aren’t done with the show yet, and now they have created a fan-funded and -produced television spot that will be running for 10 days (over 250 times) in the Los Angeles area during the second week of June.
After funding an ad in Variety and a gigantic billboard in downtown Los Angeles broadcasting the need for a new home for their favorite show, Jericho fans – or Jericho Rangers, as they’re often called – have put together over $6,000 to purchase TV advertising in what may be a first for a fan community seeking to show support for a beloved show. Here’s the (very nice & well-done) ad :
Clearly those guys are nuts, I think at this point it might be best just to bring the show back, really.
Seriously though, when I first heard of this I wondered if they weren’t pushing things a bit too far, at some point you have to realize the show is dead and move on. After all, it’s only a TV show. [wait, isn't that the most important thing in the world??] That being said, and as much as I like the show, I had to admit I never considered Jericho to be the best show, or even my favorite. Though when you look at things really, this might have been the best CBS drama in a while, especially if you’re sick of the half a dozen of CSI’s and all the other procedural cop-dramas they have on.
And while I may not go nuts for Jericho myself, I have a couple of TV shows I love behind reason, and should they ever be treated by their network they way Jericho has been, I can only hope for such a strong community of fans to stand up and fight for it that well. After all, CBS did kill the show halfway through its first season, imposing a long hiatus without reruns, they’re responsible for the audience drop and they know it. And for the second season, CBS just put the show on their death slot, Tuesdays at 10.00 Needless to say, they clearly never really had any hopes for it.
The show is dead when it comes to CBS or any big network, but who knows maybe something can be worked out with a cable network. And whether it happens or not, those guys proved without a doubt that Jericho was more than just another drama-to-be-canceled, and that it did deserve better than the way CBS treated it.
What about you : Do you support this and hope for a third season of Jericho ? What network do you think/want as the new home for the show ?
I have watched Jericho since it’s first air date, and refuse to give up fighting for a 3rd, 4th, even 5th season!!
Thank you for your open minded attitude toward the campaign to save Jericho.
I would like to think that we in the movement are fighting to save your favorite show as well as this has evolved into a fight to protect quality television.
Thanks for the positive comments! I have been a fan since day 1 and won’t give up til season 3 happens !
Bring Jericho Home~
I think, absolutely, that Jericho should be picked up by another network. It was definitely one of the best serial dramas to grace television in many years. Excellent acting and brilliant writing made it easy to fall in love with this show. And, as evidenced by the fans, made it a show worth fighting for. We love Jericho and will keep fighting for it until we can’t fight anymore.
Yes I do think that Jericho deserves more seasons on a network that will respect it and the fans. There is so much more story to tell and it’s certainly a nice break from all the cop, law, medical, reality shows that are currently on tv.
Thank you.
Not only I but my whole family enjoyed watching this show. It was a good Sit down & enjoy together show. Everyone had they’re own favorite characters. And lets face it , in today’s society this type of thing is a reflection of what could so easily be true. I Enjoyed every single moment of each and every episode and hope that somewhere someone decides to pick the show up and take it forward. :0)
LOVE THIS SHOW! Have supported it since day one, and truly believe there will be more JERICHO! It has so many facets and can bet taken in so many directions — almost endless possibilites! I have full faith in Carol Barbee and gang to find more ways of sharing JERICHO - and know that cable networks would be NUTS not to pick it up and run with it! KEEP FIGHTING!
Well, fred, we may be nuts but we’re NICE nuts. Yes we are trying to do everything immaginable to keep Jericho in the media, but mostly we just want those who may have interest in picking up this show to know that we are truly devoted. We arent out to attack anyone/network just want folks to know we LOVE this show. Aside from one other show this is the only one i would fight for (and well that other show just finished season four so it aint going anywhere). So YEAH we’re nuts. Now write an article about the dvds for our troops campaign for goodness sakes!!! http://www.jerichorangers4ourtroops.com/dvd/index.htm
thanks fred!!
Yep! Jericho fans sure are amazing! The thing that impresses me most about the whole “Bring back Jericho” fight is the interaction between the fans and the cast and crew. I’ve NEVER heard of fans bonding and communicating with the cast and producers the way Jericho fans have - that in itself is truly amazing, and a testament to just how special this show is!
I tuned in! But I didn’t have a Neilsen box so I didn’t count. Loved the show…would love to see another network pick it up (hint, hint, SciFi Channel!) I agree with you whole heartedly that CBS was responsible for the audience drop (but apparently it’s easier for them to blame the fans, both for not watching and for not generating more fans when they aired Season 2). Shameful!
Thanks for the great article! You hit the nail on the head, CBS’s stupidity was one reason why Jericho was canceled again.
We are still here though and we will not stop fighting until we get another season of Jericho.
I am another one of those “Jericho Rangers.” I watched the show from the beginning but when real life (work) happened on Wed night (or Tues night) when Jericho was scheduled on tv I watched the episode either on Itunes or on CBS website. I, however, am not counted watching any of the shows because I am not a Nielsen family. Nielsen needs to change the way they count viewers.
I want Jericho back for season 3 but I also want Nielsen changed. How many of your favorite shows will be canceled because the fans are not Nielsen families?
You bet I want a third Season of Jericho and you’re right - we are freaking nuts! We’re nuts enough to buy ads in trade papers, fund a billboard, buy TV ads and we’re also nuts enough to donate over $20,000 to Greensburg Kansas, DVDs to the troops and peanut butter to food banks.
“Clearly those guys are nuts . . . .” You say that like it’s a bad thing!
Seriously though, the fans also donated over $20,000 for Greensburg, KS just after the tornado happened, and raised more money for this cause recently through an auction, but CBS is just getting on the bandwagon now. The “millions” (not billions) of nuts were donated to shelters and to the troops; the troops were sent DVDs for the much needed entertainment; and are being sent DVDs of S2 for their much needed entertainment; One of our Jericho Rangers who is presently deployed in Iraq has been sent 100s of pounds of care package which he in turn donates to the hospital unit he is attached to; Peanut butter is being donated to shelters and food banks; a campaign to help military families who have children diagnosed with autism is being started . . . . Yeah, we’re nuts! and Proud of it.
So, it’s just a TV show?
I have to admit, you paid attention during journalism class. At the end, you ASK your readers their opinions instead of telling them what to think. And *that* is part of the “Jericho” charm. I did not become a rabid “Jericho” fan until three episodes before its second cancellation. I watched it on the Internet during a leave of absence from work due to illness. And all the questions about civics, loyalty, devastation on our own homeland, and several other sub-plots just sucked me in. Then I learned about “the backstory” — The Peanut Campaign. And I thought how ‘dumb’ can a major network be??? Oh, wait. It’s all about the bottom line. How PROFITABLE can we be while ’selling’ a “product” (i.e., a program) to the least common denominator… And I remembered why I don’t watch television anymore.
Great article. Well written. Thanks for the kudos to the commercial — I hadn’t seen it since I live on the east coast. And I’m crossing my fingers, saying more than a few prayers, and telling all my friends about “Jericho” to see a 3rd Season come to fruition.
Well Fred normally i would react in the same way . its a freaking tv show get over it . BUT this time i got hooked on a quality show . charaters get depth to the point they feel like family . it is sci fi but frightening realistic at times . Cancelling the show now just feels so wrong , its like reading lord of the rings and finding out they ripped out the last 10 chapters halfway through the book .for the first time in my life i joined a fandom, even though our chances are very slim, i feel i need to support my show .
We Rangers do so much more then annoy the press and the execs but it is no surprise the show attracts loyal fans . the whole story is about common folk helping out a few specialists fight a big company after great injustice has happened . What did the big cahunas expect when they , as a big company , treat us so unfair . The first time we send 20tons of nuts but we couldn’t keep sending nuts alone , that would get old .But we want to show the world that 7 episodes on a limited budget is a slap in the face for all those loyal fans .
We refuse to be a victim off an obsolete medium , this is de E-generation afterall . How can they (CBS&Nielsen) claim it hasn’t enough viewers when the Net is flooded with rangers ?
I am proud to call myself a ranger and i think this has become more then just bringing back a television show . They have to make what we want to watch on any platform we want , but we don’t have to watch what they produce .
Quality TV shows like Lost,Heroes,Jericho,etc are very popular because they give something back we lost when the reality TV boomed . Viewers do not longer have problems with feature movies that are 3 hours long .DVD sales for entire seasons are going strong . To me that are all signs there is a big need for an “escape” into a fictional world when the public wants .
If i knew now i would have 6 million customers ( at the very least) i would go start making that product asap
Hey guys,
Thanks for all the comments!
First of all, when I said you were nuts, I meant that with all the love in the world! ;) Really, I certainly didn’t mean it as a bad thing or anything, was just meant to express all the support & devotion fans were showing towards Jericho, which clearly isn’t usual and went way beyond what has been seen for other shows in the past.
The fight to save Jericho clearly expanded to much more, and you’re right I like the idea to think of it as a fight to protect quality television, yes, especially in those days were we see great shows struggle to get a chance and crap renewed over & over again, the fight to keep a show such as Jericho on the air does stand for a better television.
One thing indeed that might separate this fight from others is how involved the cast and crew of the show are, and I think Carol Barbee is indeed still shopping around trying to find another home for the show as well, which is why - as long as all main actors haven’t gotten other jobs - there’s still a chance this might work. And yes, I’d love to get the show back!
Regarding Nielsens, it’s funny because I’ve always felt like they probably didn’t count viewers in a very accurate way, and many times your hear people say things like “why would they get it wrong for Jericho, but not CSI ?” I think they probably get it wrong for CSI as well, not as many people watch CSI as they think. My guess would be that Nielsens family may have been a good indicator of what people used to watch on TV, before things evolve, before the Internet, DVR and all the new ways people actually watch their content now. So when it comes to more “traditional” show, like CSI or Idol, the impact might just be less visible…
Anyways, yes Jericho is just a TV show, but the fans turned this whole experience into much more, obviously, and yes maybe into a fight for good television, where quality and pleasing viewers comes before pleasing advertisers and selling more crap. As I said, I never was a die-hard fan of the show, though I’ve been watching & liking it from the start, and I do hope something can be worked out with a cable network. Then, I hope said network gets even more viewers than CBS did during the second season, just because they would actually believe in it and promote it, let’s show those stupid execs there is a place for quality on TV !
Nuts! :)
Here in the UK, Jericho was buried on one of the less well viewed TV channels and poorly promoted. By chance I caught one episode and enjoyed it so much I purchased the DVD to view the whole first series. I did not know of the fight for season two (as it only started here on Satellite last month). I have ordered the Region 1 DVDs from the US to be able to view Season 2.
The show is well written, well acted and is one of those rare shows nowadays that I would watch without getting bored. It provides moments for thought, empathy and suspense within the premise of a modern terrorist/government scenario.
The fact that certain shows get money thrown at them and are the same old rubbish (e.g. CSI, Big Brother, etc) with a few period dramas (vehicle for the current actor requiring more air time). Jericho was a breath of fresh air which, at this moment, leaves many fans (like myself) wanting to know more about what happens after such an event.
Regards
Diggers
England
Jericho was my favorite show. I think Jericho fans are terrific and I appreciate all that they have done to save the show.
JERICHO ROCKS!!!!! great article fred….i am proud to be an international jericho ranger from Romania…i loved the show from day 1 and im not giving up ….not as long as i have a breath left in me….we will have more then season 3…. GO RANGERS!!!!
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I heard about Jericho by word of mouth, and have rented both seasons on DVD. My wife and I have enjoyed the show immensely and hope it will be picked up for a third season. Think about it: CBS renewed the Amazing Race and Dancing with the Stars, “reality” TV shows which are both absolute garbage. I wonder if Jericho isn’t too politcally charged for CBS’s corporate sponsors. After all. it makes thinly veiled references to Blackwater and Halliburton, and could even be seen to imply that 9/11 was an inside job. It also calls for revolution against tyrannical government. Needless to say, “reality” TV is is much cheaper
to produce, while encouraging complete passivity among the brain-dead populace. No wonder CBS is so anxious to dump Jericho on the scrap pile. I would hope that HBO would pick up this series. Along with Rome and Freaks and Geeks, Jericho is one of the best TV Series I have ever seen. Come to think of it, Freaks and Geeks was cancelled after one season and Rome after a mere two seasons. Does anyone see a pattern here?
I cannot remember the last time I looked forward to watching a television show. I am not one to watch TV at all but after watching the premiere of Jericho I was hooked. I never missed an episode and my roommates all became fans as well. It is obvious that CBS killed this show from the beginning and it was never really given a chance. I hate that most TV today is absolute junk and it was so exciting to look forward to a quality drama every week. Since the show was canceled a second time I have refused to watch CBS. If they are not commited to quality TV and a dedicated fan base then I am not dedicated to them ! I hope all of the fans out there who desperately want to see the revival of Jericho join in boycotting CBS.
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This networks track record with well written, quality dramas is terrible. This has to be the worst type of publicity that one can generate. They put a show on the air…interesting viewers who then become fans and the exec’s cancel the show as its building a strong fan base. Nuts, pardon the pun. Then, just to see if anyone is paying attention, let’s do it again with Moonlight. Does anyone wonder why this particular network is floundering?