Jericho (2006 TV series)

This article is about the CBS television drama. For the ITV drama, see Jericho (UK TV series).

Jericho
Jericho's intertitle
Starring	see below
Country of origin	USA
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	29 (list of episodes)
Production
Producers	Jon Turteltaub Stephen Chbosky Carol Barbee
Running time	approx. 43 minutes
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	September 20, 2006 – March 25, 2008

Jericho is an American serial drama that centers on the residents of Jericho in the aftermath of nuclear attacks on 23 major cities in the contiguous United States. Produced by CBS Paramount Network Television, with executive producers Jon Turteltaub, Stephen Chbosky and Carol Barbee, the show was broadcast in more than 30 countries.

The show ran on CBS from September 20, 2006 through March 25, 2008. It was initially canceled after its first full season due to poor ratings. While a fan campaign was able to convince the network to bring the show back for a seven-episode second season, it was ultimately canceled for a second time after that run. The show's future remains uncertain, as producers may be seeking a U.S. cable television avenue for continuing the series.

Synopsis

Nations in Jericho

   Allied States of America

   United States of America

   Independent Republic of Texas

File:Cities targeted continuity of government report in Jericho TV series.png

J&R Target Cities in Jericho

The storyline centers on the residents of Jericho, a small, rural Kansas town, in the aftermath of nuclear attacks on 23 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 regularly addressed in the show included the gathering of information, community identity, public order, limited resources, the value of family, hardships of fatherhood and internal and external threats. The show also 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 in this story is Jake Green, the 32-year-old son of Mayor Johnston Green, who briefly returns home to visit his family and friends before becoming stranded as a result of the catastrophe. After a somewhat awkward return home and a tense reunion with his father, Jake steps up to become a leader in Jericho, fighting to protect the town and its citizens. As the people of Jericho struggle to survive in a changed world, most remain unaware that one of the newest residents, Robert Hawkins, knows much more about the attacks than he lets on.

Characters

Main article: List of Jericho characters

A mushroom cloud looms on Jericho's horizon.

Jericho features an ensemble cast of characters, along with a number of minor and recurring roles. The series web site lists eleven cast members. In addition, Alicia Coppola and Esai Morales moved from a recurring role to a regular character in February 2007. Gerald McRaney did not have a regular role in season two..

• Michael Gaston as Gray Anderson
• Alicia Coppola as Mimi Clark
• Kenneth Mitchell as Eric Green
• Pamela Reed as Gail Green
• Skeet Ulrich as Jake Green
• Gerald McRaney as Johnston Green
• Lennie James as Robert Hawkins
• Sprague Grayden as Heather Lisinski
• Shoshannah Stern as Bonnie Richmond
• Brad Beyer as Stanley Richmond
• Ashley Scott as Emily Sullivan
• Erik Knudsen as Dale Turner
• Esai Morales as Major Beck

Production

Early development

The series originated as the germ of a feature film idea that co-creators Jonathan Steinberg and Josh Schaer had one day, which was a post-apocalyptic plot line set amidst the trappings of "a little character drama" movie, in the vein of The Day After, Threads, and Testament. However, they soon realized that a two- or two-and-a-half-hour-long film would still not carry the necessary length they felt such a concept required to properly explore the setting and the characters — thus, Schaer and Steinberg decided instead to reconceive the entire project as a television series, producing a treatment out of the original feature screenplay. Director Jon Turteltaub and producer Carol Barbee then entered the picture, the pair having pitched the project to them. Turteltaub soon commissioned writer Stephen Chbosky to pen the pilot teleplay based upon Schaer and Steinberg's series treatment.

One of Chbosky's major contributions to the structure of the series was the introduction of a greater feminine element to the storyline, opining that, "[We] could use some girls, a little kissing, and some laughs." Another significant developmental influence were the four impacts of the 9/11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina, and the sense of "[being] a spectator to a disaster, while not quite being part of it." Co-creator Steinberg in particular felt that after 9/11, the United States saw some of the "best of people," and after Hurricane Katrina, some of the "worst of people," and sought to include both in the fabric of Jericho, with Katrina providing "lots of inspiration" for the show's overall premise.

Filming locations

Jericho is set in northwestern Kansas but the series is filmed in Van Nuys, California. The pilot and all episodes involving New Bern, Kansas, were filmed in Fillmore, California. Filming has also occurred in Pasadena, California including in front of the city hall. The final episode to air was also filmed at Santa Anita race track.

Filming also has taken place in Canada. The commentary for some episodes on the Jericho Season 1 DVD includes the location of their filming. (For instance, in "Heart of Winter".)

First season

The first season of the show premiered Wednesday, September 20, 2006 and concluded with a cliffhanger episode on May 9, 2007. Lackluster ratings prompted concern, as the show hit a ratings low in early April. The ratings were down 25% following the nearly three-month hiatus and subsequent return. During its first season, it ranked 48th, with an average of 9.5 million viewers in the United States. Other Wednesday night programs it competed with were Bones, Deal or No Deal, and ABC's comedy block.

Though the producers seemed confident that the program would be picked up for a second season, CBS officially announced Jericho's cancellation on May 16, 2007.

Several online communities, including the official Jericho forums, launched campaigns in an effort to revive the show. Fans also sent just over 20 tons of nuts to CBS headquarters; this referred to a scene from the season one finale Why We Fight where Jake Green repeats General Anthony McAuliffe's historic phrase "Nuts!" from the Battle of Bastogne. The peanuts and other proceeds from the donations have been donated to charities, including the rebuilding effort in Greensburg, Kansas, a real-life town that was largely destroyed by a monstrous tornado in 2007.

Second season

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." CBS officials acknowledge the campaign was the largest the network had seen using digital means to protest a show cancellation. President and CEO Leslie Moonves acknowledged that he was filtering emails from Jericho fans, while senior vice president of communications Chris Ender said, "You have to tip your hat to their ability to get attention and make some noise."

On June 5, 2007, Jericho executive producer Carol Barbee announced that CBS was discussing the possibility of the show's return for an eight-episode mid-season run. A day later, Tassler posted an announcement on the forum stating that seven new episodes of Jericho had been commissioned as a midseason replacement for the 2007-2008 television season, with the possibility of an extension based on viewership. The last of these seven episodes was broadcast on March 25, 2008, and were not affected directly by the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike.

On August 2, 2007, a video was released on YouTube showing clips from the first day back at work for the Jericho cast and crew. It included a "thank you" from the cast and crew to the fans for their efforts to revive the show. Several months later, CBS released trailers announcing the second season premiere, including Morse code spelling "SPREAD THE WORD".

Jericho returned for its second season on February 12, 2008 to mostly favorable reviews but with the lowest numbers the ratings had seen yet. In the early days of January 2008 the first three episodes of the second season leaked on the internet via a DVD screener source. The show's second season has also premiered in Canada on CTV, mirroring the US broadcast.

The first two episodes of the 2008 season received the lowest ratings to date for the series. Jericho's ratings did increase somewhat for its third episode, but dropped back down to fairly consistent but still low ratings. On March 21, 2008 CBS announced that the network would not be renewing Jericho for a third season. The final episode aired on Tuesday, March 25, 2008. According to SyFy's source, two endings were shot for that episode. One involved a cliffhanger leading in to a third season, while the other would wrap up the series and provide closure for fans who had worked to secure the series' return. "There are a lot of people here who really care about what happens to Jericho, and I think we all wanted to see it succeed," the source, who asked not to be identified, said. "Numbers are numbers, and [CBS] had to do what [CBS] had to do."

On March 21, 2008 it was officially announced that the show had been canceled. CBS entertainment boss, Nina Tassler stated that "The March 25 episode... 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're proud of everyone's efforts."

Jericho's cast, however, still held hope that the show would be picked up for a third season. "We're hoping that the ratings will go up and we'll have a reason to be picked up," Brad Beyer, who plays Stanley Richmond, told TV Guide. "This has been one of the best experiences of my career. Our show got rave reviews; people don't really write things like that very often. It's a shame that hasn't yet transferred into higher numbers for us." Beyer added it would be difficult to see the show canceled twice.

Potential continuation

In January 2008 the SCI FI Channel announced that it had acquired off-network cable rights to seasons one and two of Jericho from CBS Television Distribution. Jericho made its debut on SCI FI with a four-episode marathon on February 11, and began airing in its regular timeslot on February 18.

The producers at that time considered other options for continuing the series, including a move to U.S. cable networks such as the Sci Fi Channel. On March 25th, an article on the Sci Fi Channel's website indicated that CBS was indeed in talks with cable networks to find the show another home. At this time, the progress of the talks have yet to be determined.

Episodes

Main article: List of Jericho episodes

Clips from the pilot episode became free to watch on Yahoo! TV several weeks before the episode actually aired on television. CBS is still showing all of the Jericho episodes on their Innertube website as of January, 2008, 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. The first 17 episodes can also be viewed with limited commercial interruptions on Joost.

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.

The first season of the show was released as a DVD set on October 2, 2007. The first three episodes of the second season were unofficially released on the internet based on a DVD screener copy.

Web-based tie-ins

An online companion to Jericho is 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 contractAlthough 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 cancelled, out of fears of further disputes and potential strikes by the WGA and other industry collective-bargaining representative organizations.

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. 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.

Tom Tooman

Tom Tooman is an alternate reality game that CBS ran in conjunction with Jericho beginning in August 2007. The game began with a cryptic letter posted on a web site, supposedly from a Tom Tooman of Lame Deer, Montana. This letter was accompanied by a series of bar codes, some with decimal numbers and others with Mayan numbers. These numbers were used to create an IP address for a second website. More clues were released, as well as a blog on the CBS web site connecting the game with Jericho. The game is still currently under way; there has been no indication yet as to how it will be affected by the cancellation of the series.

See also

• Continuity of Operations Plan – the Continuity of Government plan for the U.S. government
• List of nuclear holocaust fiction
• Nuclear War Survival Skills – the official nuclear Civil Defense manual from United States Department of Defense
• Nuclear weapons in popular culture
• Survivalism

External links

• Jericho's official website at CBS