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Jericho (2006 TV series)

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This article is about the CBS television drama. For the ITV drama, see Jericho (British TV series).
Jericho
Jericho's intertitle
Starringsee below
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes22 (list of episodes)
Production
ProducersJon Turteltaub, Stephen Chbosky, Carol Barbee
Running timeapprox. 43 minutes
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseSeptember 20, 2006 –
May 9, 2007

Jericho is a serial drama produced by CBS Paramount Network Television, with executive producers Jon Turteltaub, Stephen Chbosky and Carol Barbee. The show premiered Wednesday, September 20 2006, on CBS and went on hiatus after the episode of November 29, 2006. It returned February 21, 2007, after a special recapping the first 11 episodes on February 14, 2007,[1] and then concluded with a cliffhanger episode on May 9, 2007. Lackluster ratings prompted concern, as the show hit a new low in early April.[2] Even though the producers seemed confident of a second season,[3] the series was cancelled by CBS on May 16, 2007,[4] confirmed by a May 15, 2007, report in Variety Magazine[5] and by The Wall Street Journal[6] on May 16, 2007. The ratings were down 25% following the nearly three-month hiatus and subsequent return opposite American Idol.[7] During it's one season run, it ranked #48, with an average of 9.5 million viewers.[8]

Synopsis

The storyline revolves about the residents of Jericho, a small, rural Kansas town, in the aftermath of a series of nuclear attacks on most major cities in the contiguous United States. The series begins with a visible nuclear detonation of unknown origin over nearby Denver, Colorado, and a loss of power and modern communications, effectively isolating Jericho. Later, power is restored to Jericho by what is alluded to as the efforts of the U.S. government, but soon after, an Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) disables all electronics. Several themes addressed in the show regularly are the gathering of information, community identity, public order, limited resources, the value of family, and external and internal threats. The show features several mysteries involving the backgrounds of major characters, the perpetrators of the attack, and the extent of damage to the United States and its government.

The pivotal character is Jake Green, a 32-year-old prodigal son, who returns home to briefly visit his family before becoming stranded as a result of the catastrophe. After a tense reunion with his father, Mayor Johnston Green, Jake becomes a hero to Jericho by helping protect it and its residents. As Jake, along with his family and friends, work to help the town survive, they are completely unaware that one of their own residents, Robert Hawkins, knows much more about the attacks that took place than he is letting on.

Characters

Main article: List of Jericho characters

Jericho features an ensemble cast of characters, along with a number of minor and recurring roles. The series web site lists eleven cast members.[9] In addition, Alicia Coppola moved from a recurring role to a regular character in February 2007.[10]

Episodes

Main articles: List of Jericho episodes and Jericho (season 1)

Clips from the pilot episode became free to watch on Yahoo! TV several weeks before the episode actually aired on television.[11] CBS is still showing all of the Jericho episodes on their free Innertube website, as of 16 May 2007,[12], although they cannot be accessed from outside the U.S. CBS repeated the first three episodes on the Saturday nights following their original airings, as did Australia's Network Ten.

Each episode's opening title sequence is accompanied by an audio message in Morse code. The messages vary from generic references to cryptic clues, and are always related to the current episode in some way. In addition to these messages, in the second episode, Robert Hawkins received several additional Morse code messages through a radio that he was fixing.

Web-based tie-ins

In an online interview,[citation needed] Carol Barbee announced that there would be a "digital connection" to Jericho through an online companion (at Jericho's official site) called Beyond Jericho. The television program gave the web address for the online companion. Beyond Jericho was to feature the "other survivors" of the nuclear attacks. According to Barbee, the story was intended to be unique to the site, but as the season of Jericho progressed, the online story would dovetail into the episodes themselves. However, the site and "webisode" are now unavailable, having been removed from the CBS website before the second episode of the TV show was broadcast.

The Writers Guild of America is petitioning its members to refuse to work on "webisode" projects, due to a dispute between the WGA and many studios and networks regarding payments and royalties for such projects. In one specific case, NBC Universal has filed a counter-grievance against the WGA with the National Labor Relations Board, arguing that webisodes are already covered under current guild contract [13]Although a settlement was reached between NBC Universal and the WGA — part of which included blocking viewers outside the United States from viewing the webisodes — there are reports that other webisode projects are either on hold, or outright canceled, out of fears of further disputes and potential strikes by the WGA and other industry collective-bargaining representative organizations.[citation needed]

CBS has since decided to scrap the current webisode storyline, and instead release a new series of "prequel" webisodes named Countdown that take place before the first explosion. Each of these new webisodes appear concurrently with the broadcast of new episodes, and show Robert Hawkins gathering information before the attack. The webisodes corresponding to all Jericho episodes are available for view on the main Jericho website within the USA.

Beyond Jericho

Main article: Beyond Jericho

The first installment of Beyond Jericho began with an unknown man calling someone on a cell phone, requesting a ransom of $1.2 million for a woman he kidnapped. He then disappears underground through a metal trap door. While climbing down, he hears and feels a bang, but thinks nothing of it. After conversing with an associate about their next plans, he picks the woman up and climbs back up to the roof. When he opens the door, it's surrounded by rubble. The entire city around them has been destroyed. Shortly after, rubble falls through the trap door. With the cell phone (apparently actually the victim's cell phone) dead, and assuming that the man's associate is dead as well in the collapse, they start to climb through the rubble to find out what happened. Nearby, a hand with a surgical glove on emerges from the rubble, as the vignette ends.

Countdown

Starting on October 26, Beyond Jericho was replaced by Countdown, which documents Robert Hawkins' efforts to learn as much as possible about the effects of nuclear bombs before he moved to Jericho.[14] The webisodes do not feature any of the regular characters, consisting primarily of Hawkins, draped in shadows, watching mini-documentaries.

The mini-documentaries feature expert interviews about the effects of a nuclear attack. They are only minimally connected to each episode's plot. For instance, CBS's episode 8 plot summary reads: "A shadowy military unit bursts into the chamber Hawkins has just vacated. On his computer, they find a video." The video was a short documentary about FEMA's response to Hurricane Katrina and their use of paramilitaries. The "shadowy military unit" then patiently waits until the documentary ends to resume its search for Hawkins.

Countdown's sponsor, AT&T, is very heavily promoted in the series using product placement. Nearly all dialog takes place as SMS messages on an AT&T cellular phone, and a full-screen AT&T logo appears in every episode when Hawkins views the expert interviews. This web-based programming is not accessible from outside of the United States.

International broadcasters

Country Alternate title/Translation TV Network(s) Series Premiere Weekly Schedule
United States United States CBS Television (Broadcast) September 20, 2006 Wednesdays, 8:00pm ET/PT
Canada Canada A-Channel/Citytv (Broadcast)
SPACE (Cable)		 September 20, 2006 Wednesdays, 8:00pm (A-Channel); Wednesdays, 9:00pm (Citytv Calgary, Citytv Edmonton)
Saturdays, 8:00pm (Space);
Sundays, 6:00pm ET
Australia Australia Network Ten September 21, 2006 Returns as from Friday 25 May, 2007 at 9:30pm
Bulgaria Bulgaria AXN December 10, 2006[15]
Czech Republic Czech Republic AXN December 10, 2006 Mondays, 8:05pm
Denmark Denmark TV2 February 3 2007 Saturdays, 8:00pm CET
Estonia Estonia TV 3 May 9, 2007 Wednesdays, 9:05pm
France France M6 2007[16]
Germany Germany Jericho - Der Anschlag Pro 7 June 4, 2007 Mondays, 9:15pm
Hungary Hungary AXN December 10, 2006
Iceland Iceland Skjár einn February 7 2007 Wednesdays, 10:00pm
Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland TV3 (Ireland) December 06, 2006 Wednesday, 9:00 PM GMT
Israel Israel Xtra HOT on Hot 2007
Italy Italy Rai Due May 2007
Latvia Latvia Džeriko TV 3 May 7, 2007 Mondays, 9:20pm UTC+3
New Zealand New Zealand TV3 February 11, 2007 Sundays, 9:30pm
Norway Norway TV 2 Zebra April 11, 2007 Wednesday, 10:30pm
Philippines Philippines Crime Suspense March 12, 2007 Mondays, 9:00pm
Poland Poland AXN December 10, 2006 Mondays, 8:05pm
Portugal Portugal SIC 2007
Romania Romania AXN December 10, 2006[17]
Prima TV May 18, 2007 Fridays, 9:00 PM
Spain Spain Telecinco /Calle13 (Digital + /cable) 2007
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia
and Arab World		 Showtime Arabia
SHOWSERIES 1(Subtitled)		 April 2,2007 Monday, 22:00
Sweden Sweden TV4 2007[18]
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka MTV February 15 2007 Wednesdays, 8:00pm
United Kingdom United Kingdom Hallmark Channel (Sky Digital/cable)
ITV2 (Digital television)		 January 12, 2007
TBA 2007		 Fridays, 20:00

Efforts to revive the series

CBS officially announced Jericho's cancellation on May 16, 2007. Several online communities, including the official Jericho forums, have launched campaigns in an effort to revive the show. The largest petition claims to have just over 80,000 electronic signatures as of May 24.[19] There are also smaller petitions aimed at convincing other networks to pick up the show. [20] In a response posted on the Jericho forum, CBS president Nina Tassler acknowledged the fan response, stating "we hope to develop a way to provide closure to… the Jericho story."[21] Fans have also sent tons of nuts to CBS headquarters, in a reference to a scene in the final episode where Jake Green repeats General Anthony McAuliffe's historic phrase "Nuts!" from the Battle of Bastogne.[22] The network says that the campaign is the largest it has seen using digital means to protest a show cancellation.[23]

See also

References

  1. ^ "CBS Will Split "Jericho" Season".
  2. ^ Flop sweat: 'Jericho' dips to new low April 5, 2007
  3. ^ http://jerichowiki.cbs.com/page/Ask+the+Producers
  4. ^ "TV Series Finale - 2007 Cancelled Shows: CBS Cancels Several Series".
  5. ^ "CBS cancels 'Jericho,' two others".
  6. ^ "CBS Rolls Out 5 New Shows for Fall, The Wall Street Journal".
  7. ^ "Ratings, Not Bombs, Doom 'Jericho'".
  8. ^ "Hollywood Reporter: 2006-07 primetime wrap". May 25 2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |source= ignored (help)
  9. ^ CBS web site - Jericho cast page
  10. ^ The Hollywood Reporter "Three going full time in primetime"
  11. ^ "Yahoo! TV Fall 2006 Preview". Retrieved 2006-10-11.
  12. ^ "CBS.com Innertube". Retrieved 2006-10-11.
  13. ^ "Webisodes become growing TV labor issue".
  14. ^ "Jericho on CBS - Countdown".
  15. ^ "AXN пуска "Джерико", дублиран на български" (in Bulgarian). 2006-11-30. Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  16. ^ "La rentrée séries en France... M6" (in French). 2006-09-01. Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  17. ^ Boboc, Razvan (2006-11-25). "Serialul „Jericho"- in curand la AXN" (in Romanian). Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  18. ^ "Nya succéserier till TV4 under 2007" (in Swedish). 2006-11-27. Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  19. ^ "Save Jericho Petition".
  20. ^ "Petition aimed at TNT picking up Jericho".
  21. ^ ""A statement from CBS Entertainment".
  22. ^ "'Jericho' fans: 'Nuts' to CBS, Show's demise spurs protest".
  23. ^ ""Jericho" Fans Go Nuts".
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