Don't hate Jericho because our campaign was successful. We, of course, have no control over the people that don't pay attention to what we did and try to emulate it poorly.

People don't realize that the nuts, while very effective in the quantity that was ultimately delivered, were a symbol. CBS' switchboard was overloaded every single time that it opened for public calls, letters piled into the mailroom, and real e-mails (i.e. not form letters) swamped their mailboxes. Had it not been for the organized juggernaut of communication from tens (hundreds?) of thousands of people, the nuts would have been largely ignored.

That's really my point too, Andrew. I hope it's obvious that I'm being tongue in cheek about hating Jericho, because your success spawned the bad copycat campaigns I really hate (It was the crackers that really pushed me over the edge).

Indeed, it's relatively obvious, and I agree with your point of view completely. I felt the need to comment for the sake of the copycats that don't recognize the holes in their strategies.

I have to say that the title of your blog entry is unfortunate to see on Google News, given that CBS has pretty much dumped the onus of improving viewership on the fans, who are trying to get positive media messages out there. I wasn't going to call you on it, though, once I read the insightful reasons behind your choice, and hoped that others, too, would understand the "tongue in cheek" nature that you were trying to impart.

Honestly, I don't know why in the world you would post something that you don't really hate, but you do hate. And besides, you haven't even seen Jericho so how in the world are you supposed to have an opinion on it? Jericho is the best show and everyone is proud that the campaign works.. well okay, I would say everyone but apparantly there are some people who don't care about audiences being heard by a station anymore. All I can say is how in the world would you feel if you had a favourite show and it got cancelled, then after a landslide campaign, it was brought back. Just think how you would feel!

Oh Tracy Tracy Tracy. Grow a sense of humour and some reading comprehension. And I have seen Jericho, as should be clear if you click on the link where I say I don't hate it.

Though I actually agree, I have to point out that it didn't start with Jericho fans. If anything, Jericho fans are just as guilty of the copycatting as the other campaigns you listed. I don't really know how far back it dates but I can remember when Roswell fans tried to save their show by sending in bottles of Tabasico.

It's just that the Jericho fans succeeded and, as Andrew already pointed out, there was more to their campaign than the nuts... that's just what got the coverage. So now fans everywhere have something to point at and say, "See, look, we're not crazy, it actually works!"

Oy.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a Jericho fan. I'm happy the show is coming back and fans succeeded in showing CBS there was enough of an audience to justify that decision but I'm with Diane. There's definitely more to why Jericho was brought back than the nuts and the letters from fans. I don't want fans to forever use it as an example of how those type of campaigns can succeed without also acknowledging that there were unique reasons it worked this time.

I enjoyed the article and thought it was funny. I know that the success of the Nuts campaign has given other fans hope for their cancelled show and had any of them come before Jericho then we'd be called a copycat.
I wish them all success.

You're right Rae, the "send stuff" idea didn't start with Jericho, but they did an amazing job of gathering support and getting publicity - that's where the real creativity came in. As Andrew said, the nuts were a symbol, and that's something the copycat campaigns don't seem to get.

"Jericho fans sent nuts? Veronica Mars fans should send Mars Bars! The Black Donnellys fans should send crackers! Studio 60 fans should send ... something smart!"

Nuts had to do with a line from the season finale. Perhaps you should go to CBS.com and check out Jericho before you comment on it. I know you are not ripping the show, and while I feel it is a flawed show, it has its good moments. You should check it out.

I know where the nuts came from, and I did check the out. I even reviewed it before it premiered (check the link in that sentence), I just didn't watch it regularly because it's not my thing.

I'm not only not ripping the show, I'm not talking about the content of any of these shows or whether they're worthy of being saved.

I'm actually getting semi-amused that some of my fellow Jericho fans seem to be taking this...personally:D. For crying out loud, read it; half of it is a joke. However, on topic, I agree with the author's point; it seems to be spawning about 10 million "save show" campaigns "inspired" by the Jericho one. Granted, a successful save show campaign inspires hope for the next one, as Jericho fans remembered Star Trek, and other successful ones during our campaign. However, that doesn't mean every cancelled show in the planet needs to be saved. For crying out loud, I've seen talk of more than we have already. Don't we have enough? Whether or not the shows were good, a few people with no time and tons of spare change aren't going to change the networks decision; unless they feel like spending oh, a few million bucks and financing their show's continuation directly.

I don't find ANYTHING about this article the slightest bit amusing. I am offended by it.
Do you have any idea how hard the fans of JERICHO worked to get their favorite show back on the air?? We had nothing to do with the other campaigns so why are you blaming us? We can't be hold responsible for what other fans do. I didn't appreciate you telling us to 'get a life' or calling us 'nuts'. I assure you that I am quite sane. Sane enough to very much enjoy a different, exciting tv show with heart like JERICHO.
And I HATE the title of your article, WHY I HATE JERICHO. That is all over the web now and it is not right. You are knocking us down for no good reason. Don't you have anything better to do?
I am very, very disappointed in you, Diane.

Oh no. Your approval means so much to me, Grace.

Since you seem to not get the nuances of sarcasm and irony, that was both.

Many of the Jericho campaign organizers called themselves "nuts" in their campaign - the humour was part of what made it so effective and got the media to cover it.

But in any case, the humour I find in overwrought comments like yours make the minutes I spent writing this piece absolutely worth it.

In the end, the only reason the Jericho nuts campaign worked, was that there was enough fans willing to join the fight to save the show. If it takes fans of other shows a month to get their protest going, or there are only 100 symbols (chocolates, nuts etc) sent, it demonstrates that the passionate fan base is either too small, just accepting of the cancellation, or just not passionate enough (or a combination of all three!!) I doubt there will be many successful campaigns becuase of this.

The Jericho campaign worked because enough people got involved, acted quickly, and were passionate enough to send nuts, emails, phone calls, letters, not once and not just for a week! They have now organized a fan convention! If other shows had the same fanbase, then maybe more shows would be saved (now, and in the future).

What the real stories are from the Jericho fan campaign, is the way CBS is now working directly with fans, how non-traditional data (other than Nielsens)must be counted (and leveraged for advertising), how targetting specific audience segments can work(not just TV for the masses), and how the viewing audience is no longer watching TV at a set time on a particular day while sat on the sofa!!

Congratulations! This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States.

I think it's silly to base all our success on the Jericho campaign to the nuts. They were a large part of it, yes, but the reason why we were so successful is because this was one of the largest, dedicated, organised, poilte, professional campaigns TV has ever seen. This is the reason why we were so successful and Veronica Mars and others weren't. It's not our fault that we succeeded and other shows didn't, 'fraid to say.

The first time I recall fans campaigning for a network to reinstate a TV was in the 60s when NBC cancelled a 3rd Season of STAR TREK. Thousands upon thousands of fans wrote letters protesting the decision, but it took over six months for NBC to reverse that decision. Although STAR TREK returned to the air, Pearl Harbored it by airing it at 10pm Fridays. Of course, it didn't help that some of the worst ST:TOS episodes ever written were aired during the 3rd Season -- "Spock's Brain," comes to mind. Still, STAR TREK endured, spawning feature films and many subsequent series.

Will this happen with JERICHO? Doubtful. As much as I like the series, and fought for its return, I'm not certain CBS will see it as a potential STAR TREK -- although I'm sure they'd love nothing better!

I can appreciate the tongue in cheek humor of your article. I had to laugh at a few of the lines, and I get your point regarding copycat fans for other TV shows. Something like the "nuts" campaign comes along rarely enough that the novel approach works. Then again, NUTS was a great line, and when it's used to spearhead a movement by thousands of people, it's a powerful gimick. But it's still a gimick, and I'm sure even though CBS got tired of receiving nuts, the thousands of phone calls, emails and letters didn't hurt either.

I'm only afraid people will fail to see the humor in your article, and have a negative, knee-jerk reaction. That would be unfortunate, and I hope my fellow JERICHO fans will, as you say, "grow a sense of humor." Thank you for an entertaining article that made me laugh.

The subject here is a campaign to save a show directed at a television network who does not employ you. The only way you know about this campaign, I assume, is by reading about it on the web or hearing about it on the news.

You have no involvement in the campaign, no vested interest in the show continuing or stopping, and are not a part of the network who has been targeted with shipments of legumes. So, basically, the impact of this campaign is so insignificant in your life that you probably wouldn't have even known about it had you not come across an article about it.

Considering that you don't care if it succeeds, you wish no ill will towards the show, and that you're not the target of the campaign, I have to wonder exactly how this affects you so much that you have formed a negative opinion about it. Maybe this impacts your life in ways I can't guess - I don't know - but from here, it seems like you're taking time out of your day to intentionally crap on something that doesn't hurt anybody, doesn't affect your life in the slightest, and isn't offensive, mean-spirited, or rude.

I don't care what you think about any of these shows - I'm just trying to understand your problem with the campaigns, other than their perceived lack of originality. I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm thinking that most of these efforts are designed to send a message to a network - not to be a clever vehicle for providing you with entertainment. Next time you feel like being entertained with originality, I humbly suggest you turn your attention to a venue that's designed for it - like a good film or a good book - instead of complaining that you're unhappy with the originality of something that's not only not meant *for* you, not meant to *affect* you, and is a tool, not a work of art. These campaigns were not created to bring a smile to your face, Diane. They're a means to an end - they're purely utilitarian - and have zilch to do with you.

I think it's worth mentioning that if the people who participate in these activities need to "get a life," - if their efforts are useless - then perhaps reporting your dissatisfaction with the antics of people who are only wasting their time is a waste of both your readers' time and yours.

Were you chomping at the bit today to find something to sneer at, or are you just in a foul mood? :-

I wish they'd stop sending me emails about all their stupid campaigns, for one.

But if you haven't understood that the issue IS the lack of originality, which makes the "utilitarian" campaigns completely useless, and if you don't appreciate my sense of humour, or get the fun in venting about something completely trivial, there's not much more I can say to you. I can't take your earnestness about this triviality seriously. It makes me laugh, actually.

Man, and I was expecting the Studio 60 fans to harangue me. I called them stupid, and praised the Jericho campaign. I guess that's further proof of the Jericho fans' dedication.

The reason you're getting bad comments is the title, "Why I hate Jericho" shows up on google news and the ilk, which means that anyone typing Jericho in Google News gets...you:D. Trust me, Studio 60 fans would do the same to you if they knew of this:D. Seriously guys, chill. It was a humor article, and I found it pretty funny, even though I was originally inclined to get irritated with the author due to the title.

I must say that I am very disappointed, Diane, in some of my fellow Rangers. CBS commended us for our manners and behavior throughout the campaign. Seems some manners have slipped. It is your blog and your article. What's done is done, Rangers. I don't think Diane is the one in a " foul mood." If you don't like what she writes don't read it. There is no reason to blast her and make all of us look like Nuts.

Well put Jane. A few loud mouthed Nuts make everyone else in your camp look bad. And clearly that's wrong.
I've had my share of backlash like this before, Diane and it's a pain mainly because it puts an end to open and lively discusssion. At least you didn't make a joke about a ceratin male American Idol runner-up. Those fans really go for the jugular.
Still, I thought your article was witty and smart.

I think she just wanted publicity and this was an easy way to get it.
Forget about all the JERICHO fans who worked so hard to get their show back. She just makes fun of it.
She calls it humor. I call it cr*p.
NUTS to you and your blog.
You could do us a lot of harm with the title of your article. I just hope you will think about that....but you won't because you're too busy trying to prove that you are right and we are wrong.
You have quite an ego there don't you?

While I wish fans of other shows success with their efforts, I think there were a couple differences between the Save Jericho campaign and most others. 1) CBS put Jericho on an almost 3 month hiatus after decent ratings for the first half of the season and 2) Jericho is a continuing drama and the season ended with a major cliffhanger. The hiatus was a mistake on the part of the network that, lucky for us fans, they eventually recognized and are willing to give the show another (uninterupted) chance. The ending on a cliffhanger issue was most likely responsible for the larger number of protesting fans than most cancelled shows inspire. Sure the Nuts campaign was a great way to get publicity for "the cause" but I don't think it would have succeeded were it not for the hiatus/cliffhanger issues.

WHY I HATE DIANE KRISTINE (NOT) SUBTITLED: YOU MISSED THE POINT

Oh Diane Diane Diane. Grow a sense of Internet awareness, loose your dreams of being a Stand-Up Comic, and by all means, please, please, puh_leeze -- keep your day job, at least until you develop more effective writing skills. :-)

I mean honestly, look at what you've written. First the title, is well... Hate? Hate is a powerful word. Learn what it means, and learn to use it purposefully ... not flippantly. But there's more. You state you "didn't watch Jericho" yet you state you "have seen it"(huh?) and that you "bear them (Jericho fans) no ill will" followed by "I mean, good for them. I say this almost sincerely." Almost? ALMOST!?!? This sends very "mixed signals" to many of your readers! Did you even proof read what you wrote?

The effectiveness of your writing skills, are, shall we say, lacking? ;)

When will you newbies ever learn that sarcasm and electronic communications don't mix well? Unlike some language systems, English has no punctuation for written sarcasm. Sarcasm on the 'net should always include a tag like "[/sarcasm]" or at least emoticons to convey the writers emotion. A significant portion of effective communications is non-verbal. But tonal inflection and body language are non existent on the Internet. So use sarcasm sparingly, and always designate it as such.

But most of all, the reason I HATE DIANE KRISTINE most [/sarcasm], is that you have entirely missed the point. Yes, the 'Nuts' Campaign brought Jericho back, but more importantly, it was instrumental to the reevaluation and updating of the Nielsen Ratings System, bringing it out of the dark ages, and into the 21st century with the rest of us.

From Nielsen's Website (click here for the full page)

"New York, NY - June 14, 2006 -
Nielsen Media Research, a unit of VNU, N.V., today announced that it will provide integrated, all-electronic ratings for television regardless of the platform on which it is viewed."

Similar fan campaigns have been going around for years, and I've been complaining about them for nearly as long. While I have no opinion (pro OR con) about Jericho and am glad for its fans' sake that it was renewed, my initial reaction last month was, "Here we go again." I saw it with Buffy, Veronica Mars, Everwood, Farscape (a rare semi-success), and a handful of other shows. Every show on the bubble has a devoted fanbase more than willing to organize a send-stuff-to-the-network campaign.

One frustrating thing about the above replies is that those active in the Jericho campaign are saying that the renewal is *entirely* due to the nuts, phone calls, and other fan efforts. I'll certainly agree that they played an important role, but don't give yourselves 100% of the credit, guys.

Like most other network shows, each episode of Jericho costs over a million dollars to produce. The new 8-episode order represents a serious investment on CBS's part -- one which may or may not be recouped through advertising revenue. Yes, the fan campaign was huge, but did it represent each one of the millions of viewers needed to justify the additional money? Maybe, maybe not. I'll admit I don't work in the industry, but I'm sure there were MANY other factors involved than simply fans sending peanuts, writing e-mails, and making phone calls. CBS runs a business. The bottom line is bigger than just "Let's give those vocal fans what they want."

I'm glad the reruns did so well in the ratings last week. I hope the eight new episodes kick ass in the ratings, both for the fans' sake and to send a message to the networks that premature cancellation is often a stupid move. But let's get some perspective, okay?

Thanks John - you made me laugh ... on purpose!

I find it peculiar, to say the least, that people think the title of the post will cause harm to the show. Any publicity is good publicity, right Grace? I don't think the power of suggestion is that strong that former fans will suddenly hate the show, and anyone who wasn't previously a fan who reads it will not find anything denigrating about the series.

If I hadn't already seen it (as opposed to "watched it," by which I mean regularly) and knew it wasn't my thing, I might have been completely turned off by the comments of the fans, but that's another story.

P.S. Jericho fans, don't give me that much credit for damaging your show with a title. I don't have that much power - but you do. You're the ones giving this post prominence with your comments.

Diane,
I agree with you- publicity is great whether it's good or bad. I'm going to be reading you a lot more often now.

Diane,

Us Jericho fans are somewhat touchy right now. The reason being is that we need to make the viewership grow due in order to continue with the series into Season 3.

I believe the show can stand-up for itself, but after having to campaign for the show like what we did and as intensely as it was done, I understand why people are afraid of titles with the word hate in it.

The article is good, I like it. Check out Jericho online and watch the show online.

General feeling the season's second half was when the writing REALLY took hold.

Why on earth would Studio 60 fans harangue you. We are far too intelligent. The reason we didn't do the "send something" campaign is that we knew it was never going to work. We knew the sets had been taken down, even if poor Jack Myers hadn't heard the news until it was too late.

Instead, we opted to do something a little more positive and asked the fans to donate money to Tipitina's Foundation, an organisation featured in the show. To date, contributions have exceeded $3000, with further fundraising planned. That's a lot of nuts, Mars Bars or crackers. We were also polite enough to thank the cast and crew for a show that we knew was worth watching, whatever the networks thought.

Yeah, a second season would have been great, but I'd rather watch the DVDs of S60 and West Wing than sit through adverts and trailers for "Age Of Love" and the other NBC offerings. Aaron will be back at some point and we'll be waiting for him.

Jane - Since you quoted me in the last line of your post about bad manners, I should mention that you might want to double check my post; it was civil, and chock full of "good manners."

Anyway, Diane, I'm glad I could bring a smile to your face with my last post. I hope it improved your day. :) I am assuming, since you decry the efforts of campaigns to save television shows for their lack of originality, that you have some pretty fresh and original ideas yourself. Perhaps the originality of these campaigns could be improved if you shared your ideas with us.

ArcticFOX, I hate to keep pointing out the ways in which you've missed the point, but if you want to know what I think makes an effective campaign, read the post. Jericho got it right by making the nuts only a symbol of their passion for the show. It was the demonstration of support through emails, calls, letters, blog posts, media articles, etc. that got the nuts noticed. The Black Donnellys got it wrong by focusing on the quantity of crackers, mimicking only the symbol and not the passion.

My "creative idea" is to not try so hard for the creative idea. A save our show campaign doesn't have to have a gimmick unlike anything anyone's ever seen before - remember the Everwood ferris wheel? Didn't save the show. A campaign does have to have a fanbase that's got enough numbers and passion to justify a network taking a second look at whether Nielsen is underrepresenting the audience, or whether that passion might be used to build a bigger audience. The attention-getting gimmick, whether it's nuts or Mars Bars or crackers, might get media coverage, but it's not going to save a show. Showing collective passion can.

The post-Jericho rush of save our show campaigns were cynical attempts to cash in on that success without demonstrating the same heart.

With the Black Donnellys, if there aren't enough fans with enough passion, buying a lot of something to send to the network is not going to help. The show is doomed, move on. It was way too late to save Studio 60 by the time the proposal was made - and probably too expensive for the network to change its mind even if a huge fan campaign had been mounted. Same with Veronica Mars - creator Rob Thomas said the Mars Bar campaign needed to come a month earlier for it to have any affect, but even then, it had been given 3 years and his sense was the head of the network was not willing to give it another shot.

And if you need other people who don't want to save your show to come up with a strategy for you, you should probably turn the channel and find something else to watch, too.

Gosh, no, your ideas aren't *needed* - only welcomed. I just figured, you know, you must have some real corkers up your sleeve if you've got such a specific idea of what *not* to do. Thanks for your input - have a good day!

I'm glad I took the time to read through the comments before adding mine. I was going to say what John Hawkins wrote about the real benefit of this campaign outside of saving a worthwhile show - the need for the networks to pay more attention to ratings outside Nielsen.

Possibly this will enable the networks to consider thoughtfully and not give in to knee-jerk cancellations like what happened to Studio 60. Nielsen ratings are not the best barometer in the age of the internet for analyzing a TV program's appeal, the "times, they are a'changin'" ;).

Good point made, Diane on the topic of the copycat processes many fans are turning to regarding saving shows, but it most likely signals a new trend in the television market regarding viewer impact. Perhaps it's all the reality shows on in which audience are allowed to vote for their favorites that are seeing the viewers try to work at gaining some level of empowerment over the networks. Carrying the 'vote' process into a different direction.

I am glad it succeeded, though and "Jericho" saved.

If you're the arcticfox who emailed me to publicize the Mars Bar campaign days before I published the Rob Thomas interview where he said the show was dead, here's the corker for you: the Mars Bars campaign, coming right after the success of Jericho, when Veronica Mars was in serious trouble long before that, made that campaign look pathetic rather than passionate. Anything other than copying the Jericho gimmick would have been better than that, from simple phone calls/emails/letters to an event or gesture.

Honestly and truly, I have no connection with anything to do with Veronica Mars, and I wouldn't have mailed you out of the blue. :) I only know the name of the show and assume it has a female protagonist (or antagonist, I guess.) That's the extent of my knowledge about the show. Having had more than one show canceled just as I was getting into it, though, I am inclined to sympathize with the participants of such campaigns, even if their efforts are clearly doomed.

Honestly, I think this page may generate more interest and discussion than a simple blurb in an online newspaper detailing one campaign or another. A forum for free discussion can result in truly positive things!

Well, I guess the TBD fans (or one of the seven - the title of another blog) were bound to show up here. I am a huge fan of Jericho and actually became one through posting on their board about The Black Donnellys. The Jericho fans are great and Jericho along with The Black Donnellys are both quality TV.

I have seen several posts about the tactic of crackers and would like to explain. The fans dubbed themselves the "firecrackers" after the name of the bar the Donnelly brothers own. In one of episodes one of the brothers purchased a new sign for the bar displaying a "flame" + a "cracker", stating that this symbol was a new beginning for the Donnelly brothers. We couldn't send matches or fire so we sent crackers symbolizing TBD's new beginning on another network.

We don't believe that a bunch of network execs crunching on crackers will persuade them to pick up our show. But it sure has gotten a lot of buzz; good, bad or ugly; a lot of attention. It has also brought Jericho a lot of attention! hoorah! We have also sent quarters to HBO along with letters (the quarters represent the jukebox that Sean/Jimmy bought in the last episode that aired on TV). These donations are going to the Autism Society.

Diane - I did enjoy you article! We try not to take things too seriously and your article was quite humorous. I just wanted to give a little clarification on why we sent crackers.

Thanks for giving Jericho and The Black Donnellys some buzz!

The campaign to save The Black Donnellys was well underway before the Jericho cancellation. Because of this calling us copycats is not fair. Paige already stated the reason for the crackers and if you watched the show you'd know. Jericho was given a full season to gain viewers while The Black Donnellys was taken off the air without notice by NBC after only 6 episodes aired. We were forced to watch one episode online. They censored our boards and deleted our posts. We were told to purchase iTunes episodes and stream episodes online and they would reconsider. That never happened. We had to regroup. While CBS was willing to work with Jericho fans, NBC was not as kind. They were busy infighting and axing employees and cared nothing about what the viewers wanted to watch. They still don't. That's why NBC's ratings continue to be at the bottom. The bottom line: we were unlucky that NBC was the network we were dealt. We're just trying to change that.

If I read the article I linked to, I would know why you chose crackers. Oh wait, I did. That's exactly the point. Jericho sent nuts because nuts factored into the show, so The Black Donnellys decide to send crackers after Jericho got so much attention. Deborah, if you have a link that shows the idea to send crackers to NBC was launched before the Jericho nut campaign was launched, I'll apologize for calling you copycats.

The reason NBC isn't paying nice with the Black Donnellys fan campaign is that the circumstances are completely different. CBS was on the fence about renewing Jericho in the first place - the show didn't completely tank in the ratings the way The Black Donnellys did. The new CBS fall schedule didn't wow advertisers or affiliates, so the network realized they'd need more depth to their schedule for the future cancelled shows. Jericho also had a significant online fan base. Networks can track website traffic and unique visitors, but it doesn't even take that to see that Jericho's online buzz is far greater than The Black Donnellys.

I have been a fan of The Black Donnellys since the pilot first aired and have been involved in various Save The Black Donnellys campaign efforts since the middle of April. We started with all of the traditional methods of campaigning: letters, emails, and phone calls to NBC; petition signing; posting on the NBC boards; and contacting cast members to help with publicity. At NBC's urging, we streamed the episodes online, purchased the episodes on iTunes, and encouraged others to do the same. We contacted the media and other "save my TV show" campaigns to obtain additional support. We've been campaigning longer than any other fan campaign this season. To be sure, some of our efforts have had better results than others. On one hand, we were not fortunate enough to convince NBC to renew The Black Donnellys. On the other hand, our efforts did convince Mark Cuban to purchase the rights to show The Black Donnellys on television (and in high-definition) on HDNet. Likewise, we've established connections with the cast and have the interviews to prove it. Finally, we now have a few strong allies from other campaigns who have been instrumental in pushing our ongoing campaign efforts forward. The cracker campaign, for example, grew out of one Jericho fan's suggestion that we find something that represented our show and bombard the networks with it. We did that with our crackers and, so far, at least the media is paying attention. It remains to be seen what effect our campaign will have on HBO or other networks. In the end, the point is not really who had what idea first. It's about doing what needs to be done to save the shows we love. As others have pointed out, Jericho's campaign relied on tactics that have been used in prior campaigns. I say, good for them and am not ashamed to be doing the same. Why waste a good idea? Use what works--successful people always do.

Oh and one last thing from a passionate fan...Save the Black Donnellys, of course! Check out www.savetheblackdonnellys.net.

I am surprised that you did not mention Arrested Developement's bananas or Roswell's hot sauce.


Mailing in a symbolic something, like crackers for The Black Donnellys, has been going on for years....long before Jerico found nuts. And it has been some what successful..but not completely.

The best way to ensure your viewership is noted and the network fires someone for their misshap, I can only hope this occurred--particularly after Firefly, is to buy the DVD sets......

And hound the station with mass quanties of what ever works for you.

The Black Donnellys is a great show. I think your mistaken when you say it has a few rabid fans. There is a strong fan base & support for a second season of The Black Donnellys. What do you suggest that people do when a show has been cancelled by a network that doesn't have a clue about what people actually want to see on T.v.? WE SURELY DO NOT WANT MORE REALITY TV! I like you have to fight for what you want and that is exactly what we are trying to do.

I have to agree with the author about the Save insert name of show here campaigns. There are far too many of them nowadays. However having only known this side of the television industry I can understand any fans frustration and I myself am frustrated with networks canceling TV shows without a conclusion of any kind. If the networks could only give the show runners enough prep time to conclude their stories I think that would stop many of the save our show campaigns before they even had a chance to get started.

Speaking as someone who participated in the Save Jericho campaign I have to say I've never seen such an organized, quick to act, passionate group of people who also remained respectful of the network.

Before any new campaigns to save this show or that form please remember that the Save Jericho campaign sent 20 tons of peanuts, raised over $20,000.00 for the save Greensberg Kansas fund, wrote letters, emails and sent faxes and sustained the effort for weeks with no signs of letting up.

We were also fortunate enough to have the support and encouragement of the cast and crew of Jericho and found an online peanut supplier (NutsOnline.com) who was sympathetic to our cause and went out of his way to accomodate us.

As the author said the nuts were a gimmick to get attention and in this case it worked but was not responsible for saving the show. The sustained passion of the fans is what saved it.

Having been charged by CBS to recruit new viewers is probably why some Jericho fans are not getting the humor of this article. I don't think CBS is playing fair but Jericho fans will do whatever it takes to keep their show on the air.

We Jericho fans did what it took to save our show from being cancelled by the morons at CBS. Maybe Studio 60 and the other shows you mentioned would have been saved if their fans had got off their butts and said no like we did.

Bravo.

Your article tells the exact reason why people like me just lose interest in television. Actually I have no interest in a major portion of the entire human race... but that's a whole 'nother thread

I admit I am biased because I am a passionate fan of JERICHO but what the heck does Mars bars have to do with Veronica Mars? I have never seen the show, nor do I care but somehow I don't think a Mars bar even made it into the show. Not one mention of mars bar. period.

At least the Nuts campaign was a rallying cry that connected to the show. Maybe, in some perverted way, the others are too. But they are just trying to copy what has already been done. And no one cares anyway. At least I don't.

The average American (I live in the U.S. so I claim the right to dis Americans), and probably the average human are nothing but sheep bleeting at the same the same old thing that's been done again and again and again and you get the idea.

The big broadcast corporations regurgitate the same old tired story lines, and fake "reality game shows". There is no originality, at least in my mind... which is kind of warped anyway... still... another thread...

Ok, so it's getting late and I am starting to get a little punchy... probably not making much sense... but I am pushing on.

JERICHO is different. It, at least in my opinion, showed some originality. If you read the news it could quiet possibly be the next reality television show. It really makes on think beyond "If you think Johnny Rotten should be voted off the island please text your answer to 1-900-yerstupid" and "Well Simon what do you think? Well, I think you sound like a cow giving birth and should go back and live in your mothers basement you worthless bag of mush"

Ok, so, I'm turning into a bag of mush and those are my comments for now.

Again Bravo for a great article, regardless of what those with no imagination, or sense of humor, feel.

Be Nuciferous

if you want to lay some blame it ain't Jericho it should go to.

but Roswell and their gallons and gallons worth of little tabasco sauce bottles.

now every cancelled or possibly in jeopardy fandom looks for something to send.

Jericho just got lucky that there's was so darn cute

I was referred to this article through a blog in which the writer proposes the "right" way to save shows.

I have to say, I've never watched Jericho, except to walk in the room while my dad was watching it, but the title of this article definitely caught my attention. After reading about the dedication of the Jericho fans (wow, they actually saved the show through... nuts?), I was interested in the show.

But then I read the comments. Diane is right, the title of the article has no negative effect. It drew me in. I will probably never watch the show simply because the fans took this tongue-in-cheek article totally out of context. Apparently Diane is a critic, and you're critiquing her? Hasn't anyone ever told you not to critique a critic?

Jericho fans saved the show--awesome. Maybe this was a bad introduction to the show for me, but if this group of narrow-minded people is representative of the show's target audience... no, thanks.

She was looking for trouble before she started writing this article. If she had fought as hard as we did to save our favorite show, she would be a bit upset by her blog too. Of course she will deny this and say she has a life, etc.
She's always right, don't you know. And she thinks she's clever and funny. So....NOT!

Cassie,
I assure you this group posting here are not representative of the majority of us. As with any large group you will have some who can't understand that what they do and say reflects negatively on all of us. When CBS told us they were bringing Jericho back they also thanked us for the respectful way we ran our campaign. I truly am sorry if a few people have made you dislike Jericho. It is my hope that you will reconsider.

Chrome -- I disagree with you strongly. The renewal was entirely due to the fans. If the fans had not made their voices heard, CBS would have had no reason to order seven more episodes. The network would have let the show fade quietly into the night as the cast and crew went on to other projects and the sets were torn down.

Had there been a single, successful champion of the show inside CBS, it would have been quietly renewed and the fans would never have picked up the phone or mailed a letter.

Yes, CBS runs a business. We challenged them to see it as more than that. And we challenged them to see the viewers also as customers who wanted one particular discontinued product brought back.

Diane -- with all due respect, please find something more important to do than to "vent about something completely trivial." There is no need to spread more sarcasm and sour grapes around the Internet. There's no need to bash people who had set out to achieve something and accomplished it. If you have a specific problem with the way our campaign was run, or if you don't understand why we rallied around -- yes -- a TV show, then by all means speak up. But I still believe in the old adage: If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

Speaking of saying something nice.... here are the reasons....

WHY I LOVE JERICHO

1. The Story

Nobody likes to talk about terrorism, especially fears of nuclear attack. But we think about it. Many of us grew up during the tense days of the Cold War when the threat of World War III was very real. After 9/11, we realized that we had been asleep and that bad things can and do still happen. Jericho provides an outlet for us to deal with those fears, to put ourselves in that situation and think about how we would live through it.

The story is not flawless, but it is believable and compelling. There are character backstories that we have only just glimpsed and which we want more fully divulged. The technique of keeping the viewers in the dark about "what is going on" outside Jericho may turn off some people, but it draws in even closer the viewers who anxiously watch for every little detail in the dialogue or scenery. It's almost like playing the game Clue. With each episode, we get a little closer to discovering the truth about what has happened or is happening. It's very addicting, but in a way that does not destroy brain cells or add to one's girth.

2. The Cast and Crew

CBS assembled an incredible group of talented actors and production people to create the world of Jericho. The cast were largely unknown before this series, but they do a remarkable job of telling the story. The onscreen chemistry between and among the characters is wonderful. There are many moments when the story is advanced with absolutely no dialogue -- only the looks on the actors faces or a panning view of scenery.

3. The Fan Community

Jericho is not true science fiction -- it is an alternate-reality drama -- but it speaks to its audience the way a good sci-fi show often does: by exploring the human condition.

The fans who rallied together to save the show -- many of whom are avid sci-fi readers and viewers -- saw something worth saving. We saw a story that could educate us about disaster and emergency preparedness. We saw a story about hope and fear, about love and distrust. We saw a mystery with hints and clues. We saw a program that a family could watch and discuss together without wincing at gratuitous sex, violence, and gore. We saw an undercurrent of patriotism, family loyalty, and community service in the show that touched a chord in our own lives. We saw a small town where we would want to live if the-world-as-we-know-it someday came to an end.

Each of us saw something different and special in Jericho. Together, we formed a community of people with a mission and purpose. In as little as three weeks (but for some much longer) we have formed lasting friendships, stormed the gates of the Internet, made the news, raised money for a tornado-ravaged city, and politely convinced a network giant to change course. Now we have the makings of a fan club and a convention, fan fiction, artistic expression, fan advertising and promotion of the show, and collaboration with the CBS network.

We made television history. We do not take that for granted. We are now, in a strange way, a part of the Jericho story. We are the Jericho family. And yes, we are very, very NUTS!

Diane,
I am so sorry for the rude behavior shown in many of these posts. I suppose there are far to many people, when given a forum to speak in forget their manners quite easily when they don't have to be worried that anyone will know who they really are. Please believe me when I tell you this is not what the majority of Jericho fans are like. We could never have won our show back with this bunch of hotheads. Thank you

Please don't feel the need to apologize! I'm not judging the entire fanbase by the people who missed the point of the article. I have to admit I have a total aversion to the show after this, but I still admire the Jericho fans who were savvy enough to conduct a respectfully passionate campaign that caused CBS to take another look at the show rather than develop that same aversion! You guys did something right when it counted and you should be proud, even if it spawned some ridiculous campaigns for other shows immediately after your success.

"Please don't feel the need to apologize!"

Diane, no matter what, if jackie is who I think she is, don't listen to her. She's Jackie of the "the (TV) show must go on," an annoying blog about popular TV shows which is fun for others to come and comment bomb, especially when she spews out misinformation and loves to rip on "Lost", but won't even take a few minutes out of her day to listen to the official Lost podcast.

GREAT NEWS!!
JERICHO is returning to CBS in Feb.!!!
Eight brand new episodes will start on Tuesday, Feb. 12th, at 10 p.m. EST.
I've seen previews and it looks AWESOME!!
Plenty of action and romance.
What an exciting and different show.
Do yourself a favor and give it a try.
I promise you won't be sorry.
PASS THE WORD SO THAT WE GET A THIRD SEASON!
THANK YOU and ENJOY!!

SAVING JERICHO: The Final Word

Here's 10 things to keep in mind for the people who will stop at absolutely nothing to save the TV show Jericho.

1- AVOID JERICHONET'S FORUM; hormonal teenagers who think they are the ruling class leading a "Revolution" aren't really people you wish to be associated with.

2- SAVE THE SHOW'S DIGNITY, BEFORE THE SHOW; Season 2 made for a different show, not the one millions of fans enjoyed to begin with. Don't make it even worse, let it die in dignity and be remembered for its initial quality.

3- IF PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO JOIN, HARRASSING THEM WON'T HELP; flooding emails and message boards with the same "orders" to write and protest makes you a troll, not a nice person.

4- BE A FAN, NOT A PAIN IN THE ASS. The latter gives the former a bad name.

5- BE PATIENT; "Forever Knight" came back as "Moonlight", "Angel" and "New Amsterdam". "Cupid" will come back as..."Cupid"! Hollywood as a limit to its creative well; wait 5 years, the show will come back, in one form or another.

6- REPEAT AFTER ME - IT.IS.JUST.A.TV.SHOW. 500 channels, millions of books in print, magazines, webcasts, radio shows, major league games, PORN for crying out loud! It's entertainement, the same as all those.

7- NETWORKS ARE NOT CHARITIES; greed aside, when a product costs more to manufacture than the profit it generates, no business in its right mind would keep making it. Jericho didn't make any money, CBS tried TWICE, now it's dead. Simple equation, really.

8- IF IT DROWNS, IT'S NOT A WITCH; people who liked season one and not season two might want to discuss the show, engage in challenging conversations. CALLING THEM TROLLS FOR THAT MAKES YOU ONE!

9- IF YOU HAVE SO MUCH ENERGY, DEDICATION AND MONEY TO SPEND, SPEND IT ON CHARITY. Again, 'nuff said.

10- AVOID JERICHONET'S FORUM; it deserved repeating. They get on everyone's nerves, on any board where a Jericho discussion takes place. THESE people are killing the show.

Very interesting column and comments. Some people, apparently get a little too wrapped in a tv show and what it represents to them. And I say this after participating in a couple 'Save our Shows' campaigns, one of which was renewed. (The Sentinel if you want to know)

I applaud those who put forth such time and effort, all of you did a great thing.

However, in the end it comes down to this, TV is a business and if The Powers That Be decide that Show X is not making enough money for them, out it goes. Cold and heartless, yes? But that's reality.

Also, if you can't find anything to watch on tv, turn it off. There is an 'off' button on the tv and the remote for that exact reason.

Thanks for the interesting read.