[Movie] CBS's Nuclear Apocalypse Drama: Jericho

I gots them on my ftp, coming online now

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Just watched the season finale. Oh wow, seeing that new flag was actually kinda creepy. But man, I didn't expect him to die. He was a pretty entertaining character. ;_;

What a conclusion though... with just enough air of mystery to keep me interesting while sill not knowing who's good and who's bad still.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

This was one of the worst episodes of the season. I mean, a whole army is supposed to be coming down the road, and Hawkins radios ahead to tell them this. YET, by the time he arrives on horseback they still haven't gotten their sh*t together and started to move out? (Instead, they spent the time having "touchy-feely" moments. )

It just reminded me of the time the town got shelled and they all stood around out in the open so they could be targets and get hit again instead of getting inside to shelter.

It's just not realistic that people would be that stupid or act in those ways. It's like watching a bunch of lemmings running to the sea...

How ya doing, buddy?

I never caught back up with this show once it came back, so how was the second half of the season compared to the first? I know the ratings weren't that good, but that doesn't necessarily reflect the quality. I don't know what it was, but I just couldn't keep my attention on this show when it was on TV, so I may catch it on DVD.

How ya doing, buddy?

I thought the second half was much better, because they started revealing what was going on in the rest of the country, we got some answers on Hawkins' role, and people finally started dying.

STFU, speculative. This series has never placed a high premium on realism, so you shouldn't have expected much. Any episode with a tank, a battle, and a glimpse of the condition of the government (that flag was an awesome touch) makes it better than all the crap we had to put up with the first part of the season with Eric and his love triangle.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by nuttyturnip

This series has never placed a high premium on realism, so you shouldn't have expected much.

What you would call a lack of realism, I see as a lack of common sense. For example, LotR wasn't at all "realistic," but it was extremely believable:

Quote:

Suspension of disbelief is an aesthetic theory intended to characterize people's relationships to art. It refers to the alleged willingness of a reader or viewer to accept as true the premises of a work of fiction, even if they are fantastic, impossible, or contradictory.

Further, inconsistencies or plot holes that violate the initial premisees, established canon, continuity, or common sense, are often viewed as breaking this agreement.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspension_of_disbelief

As the article states, ymmv.

FELIPE NO

So you're suggesting that I should suspend my disbelief in relation to Jericho? Ok, fine, call it what you want, that's what I meant. To paraphrase MST3K, "Just repeat to yourself it's just a show; you should really just relax".

If the show was realistic, the nuclear fallout would have contaminated the ground and made their crops inedible. How could New Bern have come up with that many working vehicles after the electromagnetic pulse?

This is one of those shows that if you think too much, the whole thing falls apart. Just enjoy it for what it is, harmless drama, and don't think too much on the implausiblity.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Any word on whether or not this series is returning? The way it ended it seemed like they kind of didn't expect it to return, yet left things open just in case. I could see them easily doing at least one more year's worth of episodes with the storylines they've opened (Homeland security plots, new government, etc.). In fact, if they did a Half-Life 2 thing where Jericho was under martial law and they had to revolt somehow by using fire-hot rebar chunks for cross-bow bolts, I see the ratings going through the roof...

Jam it back in, in the dark.

As far as I know, it performed much better than CBS was expecting, given the subject matter, and was considered one of the hits of this season. I don't think there's any danger of it not being renewed.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Actually, I heard the first part of the season did really well, but viewership dwindled a lot when it came back for this spring run. But I think that was the case for several shows that did a hiatus. Networks are actually learning their lesson now and should be airing their shows next fall continuously, also known as the 24-style. =p

About Jericho coming back though... dunno.

How ya doing, buddy?

Yeah, lots of shows (Jericho, Heroes, Lost) dropped a ton of viewers when they went on hiatus. I don't think CBS will hold it against Jericho.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I honestly wouldn't be that surprised if CBS dropped this show. I mean, even though they called it a hit, it was only getting around 11 million viewers or so for the first half. It was probably better than their expectations for it, but I honestly wouldn't call that a hit (reruns of some shows get more viewers than that).

And since its return from the hiatus, the show's only been getting around 7 million viewers, which is a pretty big dropoff. Smith was getting around this many viewers when it first came on, and it got canned after three episodes. They probably had bigger expectations for that show though, and it was probably more expensive to make as well.

But yeah, Jericho could go either way. Depending on how many other shows they bring back and how many new shows they pick up, it can easily be picked up or dropped.

I was speaking idiomatically.

IGN says Jericho is unofficially cancelled. The new CBS shows for next fall look so stellar too. [/sarcasm]

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Looks like Jericho may not be so cancelled after all. There was an online campaign to save the show which encouraged viewers to send nuts to CBS to protest the cancellation. CBS was so inundated that they've reconsidered their decision, and have agreed to bring the show back mid-season for 8 episodes. All that's left is to sign the actors to new contracts. It's amazing when these petitions to bring a show back actually succeed. Source article.

FELIPE NO

I don't believe it, I still don't believe it. A petition that worked?! Doesn’t that violate a law of nature or some thing?

Anyway, regarding the show itself, I came to watch the show near the end of the season I was flipping through my video demand menu and started watching a few episodes. I was intrigued and entertained. From those episodes I gathered that the criticism towards the show was not unjustified. The show requires a lot of suspension of disbelief and puts touchy-feely emotion ahead of realism at times common sense but the show was doing it well enough (and Hawkins is just plain awesome) that I kept watching the episodes up in till the season final and I must say that made me officially a Jericho fan. Given that I had accepted the show for what it was low realism high emotion the final worked fantastically. Really the only point that drew me out of it was them using their only tank round on a small group of retreating enemies but other then that it was honestly the best seasons final I’ve seen this year (not really saying much as I have been thoroughly disappointed with the way all the other shows I have watched this season have ended).

After this I went back and started watching the episode online and wow after the first episode of two there is definitely a massive drop in quality up in till it the point were it returned from it hiatus. If they can maintain the quality of the second half I’ll watch. I find it interesting the article mention how basically people are watching show via other means and not when it airs, since Jericho is the first show I have watched entirely in such a fashion. So if nothing else I’ll remember Jericho for that.

And I’ll say it again a save the show petition actually worked? Ok on a more serious note the send nuts idea was actually pretty clever and thoughtful so that likely what made this the rare one that hit its mark.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Dan

I don't believe it, I still don't believe it. A petition that worked?! Doesn’t that violate a law of nature or some thing?

I think it was the fact that something physical was mailed and it wasn't some pointless e-petition that could be deleted with one click and ignored.

Jericho deserves another chance for the set-up alone, but they need to fire that one bad writer they've got that keeps "cheesifying" things.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by speculative

Jericho deserves another chance for the set-up alone, but they need to fire that one bad writer they've got that keeps "cheesifying" things.

This is CBS we're talking about, the network that brought us Matlock, Murder She Wrote, and Dr. Quinn. They have to stick some cheese in there for the old people.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Holy shit, they're bringing Jericho back to us?
This just made my day.

Thank God I signed the petition.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Killy

Thank God I signed the petition.

Yes, but did you ship them your nuts?

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Well, seeing as they decide to go on with another 8 episodes, I'm glad I didn't.

How ya doing, buddy?

Hmm, not the first petition to actually work (I know La Femme Nikita was one of the first shows to have a succesful petition, which resulted in an eight-episode fifth season), but it is a small number nonetheless. This may give me incentive to keep watching, which will be easier to do now that the first season will be coming out on DVD this fall.

It will definitely be interesting to see how well this show will do when it does come back. Will it do good enough to get a longer pickup, or will it do terrible and put the final nail in the show's coffin? Because no matter how successful this petition was, I can't imagine CBS renewing it again in the face of similar or worse ratings.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

First, off TWOP has posted a hilarious “transcript” of how the decision to bring back Jericho might have gone down:
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com...content/a13167

Secondly, I have never really thought about this until now but could someone more in the know about these things fill me in. Are Nelson ratings the only relevant variable when executives determe cancellation or do they factor in things such as DVR, On Demand, and online viewer ship. Most of the article I have read regarding Jericho's cancelation seems to imply that these means of view aren’t part of the decision making or are least not weighed as heavily as the perhaps should be.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Dan

Secondly, I have never really thought about this until now but could someone more in the know about these things fill me in. Are Nelson ratings the only relevant variable when executives determe cancellation or do they factor in things such as DVR, On Demand, and online viewer ship. Most of the article I have read regarding Jericho's cancelation seems to imply that these means of view aren’t part of the decision making or are least not weighed as heavily as the perhaps should be.

Well, I think recently DVR ratings were added to the Neilson ratings, but there was some other factor added on to it (like only viewings that took place within 24 hours of the original airing counted, or something like that). Other than that, I'm not sure about the rest of those things. I'm sure they count for something (not for Neilson ratings, but I'm sure CBS still pays attention to them), but there's no telling how much influence they actually have. That's as much as I know.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by RockgamerXIII

Well, I think recently DVR ratings were added to the Neilson ratings, but there was some other factor added on to it (like only viewings that took place within 24 hours of the original airing counted, or something like that). Other than that, I'm not sure about the rest of those things. I'm sure they count for something (not for Neilson ratings, but I'm sure CBS still pays attention to them), but there's no telling how much influence they actually have. That's as much as I know.

Besides the problem with DVRs, Nielsen also doesn't measure viewing in non-traditional venues (most notably college dorms). The whole Neilsen system is flawed when faced with today's technology and viewing habits.

Jam it back in, in the dark.