Jericho to Rise from the Ashes?

Jericho, the CBS series that was canceled and brought back and canceled again may yet survive.

In case you’ve missed the pleasure of watching this series, Jericho premiered about two years ago on CBS. It was about a small Kansas town called Jericho and what happened to the people there after a mysterious nuclear attack on the United States.

While you might be tempted to dismiss such a premise as some cheap post-apocalyptic Mad Max ripoff, the show has nothing in common with such trash (Max Max was fun, but the rip-offs were all trash). The nuclear attack only sets the backdrop for a story filled with intrigue, plot twists, and 3-dimensional characters who really pull you in.

The series was canceled after the first season, probably because the idiot network ran no new episodes for 2-3 months mid-season…plenty of time to lose a viewership.

Then, after a fan campaign sent tons of peanuts (the story behind that is contained in the final episode of Season 1) to CBS, the network resurrected it.

However, because the show got a late production start, it didn’t get going again until several months after the normal TV season starts…again, giving potential viewers plenty of time for either forget about the show or get used to watching something else. So CBS canceled it again, to the bitter disappointment of fans.

Now word comes from Media Daily News that the show may be revived on another network:

Executives say Paramount has been talking to a number of networks–including Sci-Fi Channel and Hallmark Channel. Paramount could be looking at three partners for a new deal, perhaps including a cable operator such as Comcast in the mix–as well as trimming back production costs for the show.

The New York Times recently reported that CBS Paramount was possibly looking to start up the show with cable system operator Comcast Corp., perhaps running it on one of its VOD channels.

A few shows have gone on to ratings success after changing networks. JAG, the Navy lawyer drama, ran for one season on NBC before being canceled and moving to CBS, where it ran for several more highly successful years.

CBS treated Jericho like the proverbial red-headed step-child from the beginning.

This fantastic show deserves a real chance. Hopefully it will get one at another network.

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