This may not be the freshest of news, but CBS is bringing back Jericho. The freshman post-apocalyptic drama, starring Skeet Ulrich, had been sent off to the scrap heap after its final episode a month back. The premature cancellation sparked a fan campaign of peanut sized proportions.
Fans organized and began to send bags of nuts to CBS offices. So many nuts that, combined, there was over two tons of the salty snacks in the mailrooms. It was a successful campaign, and something that you do not see actually succeed all that often. I know there was the letter writing campaign in the 1960s that brought Star Trek back for one more year. Also, while not the same thing, the mammoth DVD sales of Family Guy prompted Fox to bring the animated series back, and it has been on for a couple of seasons now since the return. Sci Fi Channel brought Farscape back for a four-hour mini-series to wrap up after its sudden cancellation after four seasons.
Now bags of nuts have saved Jericho. I did not partake in the fan response, but I cannot say that I am disappointed that it worked. I like the shoe, and I feel it had gotten much stronger during the second half of the season. Of course, the fact that CBS put it on the shelf from November through the end of January did not help matters. I understand the desire to run large stretches of new episodes without reruns and preemptions, but making a new show that is trying to build an audience disappear for two months is enough to make people stop caring. I know people who had forgotten about the show and thought that it had been canceled.
Well, hopefully this will lead to a full return for the show. CBS is bringing it back for a seven-episode run as a mid-season replacement, and I am assuming if ratings are strong enough, those seven episodes could turn into more.
Now, I am sure that you are wondering where the whole "nuts" thing came from, and no it is not because the fans are nuts, although that may be true in some cases. It stems from the season finale where a story is told where, during WWII, in the face of overwhelming odds a captain responded to a surrender request with "Nuts." Meaning, he would not give up. Skeet's Jake character remembered the story and responded in kind as Jericho was about to be invaded by a neighboring force looking for supplies. That was the end of the episode and sparked the nuts campaign.
Article comments
1 - Jane
Thank you for your article. We thank CBS for giving us more Jericho but a new battle starts now to gain new viewers & change the way TV counts their viewers. Hopefully, everyone will continue their support of our efforts.
Thanks.
2 - Grant Zimmerman
The "captin" that said nuts was not a captin (yes, i am probably spelling that wrong) he was a General at one the most influential and decisive battles of WWII, The Battle of the Buldge. When surrounded in Bastogne, Belgium, he responded to a German Commander's request for surender with "Nuts!" It wasn't just some random captin in some random war. That general deserves more respect then some incorrect passing refference.
PS:I also am extremly glad that CBS brought back Jericho
3 - Brenda Smith
Over 2 tons of nuts? Try over 20 (TWENTY) TONS of nuts!
I'm thriled my favorite show is back.
4 - openminded1
Thank you for such a great article. It has been so much fun coming together with other fans of this show.
5 - Phoenix
A new campaign started the moment Nina's letter hit the internet. We won the battle but not the war, at least not yet. Now we have to gain viewers that can watch the show live. Then we have to convince the networks that the Neilson ratings are outdated and a new method of measuring viewership MUST be developed that includes ALL forms of media.
6 - jackie
Thanks so much for the great article! For those who might not know, season one will start in reruns on Friday July 6th at 8pm central 9pm eastern. Give it a try and you'll be like me, CAN'T WAIT FOR SEASON TWO!