The battle of “Jericho” is over. Tuesday’s episode of “Jericho” will be the last, as least on broadcast television. The series, dumped once, then brought back to life after CBS was barraged with nuts (literally) from the self-styled “Jericho” nuts, has been axed again.
Apparently fans found it more exciting to get riled about the initial cancellation than to actually watch the show.
A statement released today from Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment, on the show’s demise said: “The March 25th episode of Jericho will be the series finale. Without question, there are passionate viewers watching this program; we simply wish there were more. We thank an engaged and spirited fan base for keeping the show alive this long, and an outstanding team of producers, cast and crew that went through creative hoops to deliver a compelling, high quality second season. We have no regrets bringing the show back for a second try. 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.”
It all started with a mushroom cloud over Denver. From there, the post-apocalyptic thriller starring Skeet Ulrich veered from one gloomy scenario to the next. Lawlessness, death and destruction, family feuds and conspiracy theories — there was never a dull moment in the fictional little Kansas town.
The ratings story was equally gloomy from the start.
Last year, when it was nuked the first time, “Jericho” was pulling in about 9 million viewers an hour over a 23-episode season. This year, it fell to 6.8 million viewers on average for the five episodes aired since February. Tuesday’s episode is the final planned hour of the season.
The grassroots campaign to keep the serial going worked the first time, but the further ratings decline sealed the fate of “Jericho.”
Cable’s SciFi network has picked up the first two seasons and has been showing the reruns since February.
Fittingly for the conspiracy-minded series, the trades are rife with whispers about behind-the-scenes machinations to keep the show alive or about how best to kill it off. The Hollywood Reporter said two potential endings for the series were filmed and that the one chosen to air isn’t as definitive as it could have been. The Reporter suggests the ending CBS is running won’t necessarily preclude the series from coming back somewhere (cable? the Internet?). Don’t hold your breath.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
