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'Jericho' Returns For A 7-Episode Run, But Show May Still Come Tumbling Down

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By WALT BELCHER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 12, 2008

Updated: 02/11/2008 05:33 pm

Even though fans of "Jericho" managed to turn around CBS' decision to cancel the apocalyptic drama, the doomsday yarn may still be doomed.

I'm predicting ratings won't be good enough to keep the show going.

"Jericho" returns at 10 tonight to begin a seven-episode run. But eight months have passed since the "finale," and the series has never created as much buzz as fellow cryptic dramas "Heroes" and "Lost."

The new episodes were produced before the writers strike, which should end today. (Hurrah! There will be an Oscars show this month after all.)

It's an experiment. If enough viewers are interested, "Jericho" could come back in the fall. Supposedly, newcomers to the series will be able to pick up on the story even if they have never seen an episode.

But I think the die-hard fans need to stock up on more peanuts.

CBS is giving "Jericho" a second chance because it drove a lot of online users to the network's Web site and because fans shipped in more than 40,000 pounds of peanuts to demonstrate loyalty.

Why peanuts? A "Jericho" character repeated the same response an American general gave to the Nazis during World War II. When asked to surrender, he said, "Nuts!"

Simplistic, Overly Melodramatic

"Jericho" does not draw many comparisons to World War II. Most often, fans see parallels with the war in Iraq.

When "Jericho" debuted in September 2006, it had respectable ratings, and the premise showed promise.

Unfolding as a bleak mystery rooted in post-9/11 fears of global terrorism, the series opened with a string of nuclear bombs destroying America's biggest cities.

Some remote places such as Jericho, a picturesque burg in western Kansas, were still intact. The hero of the piece, the mayor's prodigal son, Jake (Skeet Ulrich), had just returned to reconcile with his father (Gerald McRaney) and brother (Kenneth Mitchell).

He also rekindled a relationship with an old flame (Ashley Scott) even as the outside world went up in flames.

Whoever was responsible for the attacks, and why, remained a mystery as the townspeople, cut off from the world, struggled to survive.

After the first few episodes, some of which defied logic and science (escaping nuclear fallout wasn't such a big deal), the story degenerated into a soap opera and postmodern western when Jericho went to war with a nearby town, New Bern.

At times, it seemed almost too simplistic and overly melodramatic. Some fans saw a message of hope because the mayor was always trying to pull the little people together to face the threat of the week.

Others, especially those who enjoy conspiracy theories, saw paranoid parallels between the war with New Bern and the war in Iraq. But, creatively, survival in the aftermath of nuclear attack is a large-scale premise that's hard to pull off and still maintain a credible story line.

The ratings for "Jericho" were dropping even before the season was interrupted, when CBS took it off the air in November 2006 and didn't bring it back until February 2007.

Where The Series Picks Up

McRaney's character died in the season finale, and federal military forces arrived to restore order between Jericho and New Bern.

The action tonight takes up four weeks after the new army has settled in. Led by a young commander (Esai Morales), this army is taking orders from a makeshift government based in Cheyenne, Wyo.

We soon learn America has two rival governments. The former United States of America has relocated its capital to Columbus, Ohio, and the challenger government, the Allied States of America, is twisting the Constitution to fit its own ends.

A villainous homeland security official (Daniel Benzali) is rounding up suspected terrorists - anyone who disagrees with him. His henchmen work for a private company that seems modeled after real-world firm Halliburton.

The new president (George New-

bern) is a demagogue who blames North Korea and Iran for the attacks. There's a reporter who knows better but keeps mum because Americans can't handle the truth.

Creatively, this is an improvement because survival is no longer the issue. The focus is about the fight for freedom, truth, justice and restoration of the American way.

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