Has CBS gone nuts?
According to a wide swath of media reports, CBS is on the verge of bringing "Jericho" back from the dead, ordering the previously cancelled drama for at least a limited midseason run.
The plan appears to be to have "Jericho" back for seven or eight episodes at midseason, which would allow the show's fans to see the resolution of Jericho's ongoing conflict with the neighboring town of New Bern.
After averaging 10.7 million viewers in its first 11 episodes last fall, "Jericho" lost nearly 3 million viewers after an extended mid-year hiatus and a return against FOX's "American Idol." The producers opted not to resolve most of the season's running plotlines, leaving fans furious at CBS when the show failed to make the network's fall schedule. Supporters of the show inundated CBS with nuts, responding to the finale's last line, which echoed General Anthony McAuliffe's famous response to a German surrender request at Bastogne.
Those nuts appear to have done their job.
Although the news was initially broken online, The Hollywood Reporter has the most details on the complications holding up an official announcement.
While CBS has contract options on most of the show's leads, the reduced order would also probably include a reduced budget and, in turn, a reduced regular cast. In addition, many of the show's writers have already migrated to other shows, including season one showrunner Carol Barbee, now serving in a similar capacity on another CBS midseason drama, "Swingtown."
Stay tuned for Zap2it for the official announcement.
"Please stop sending us nuts," writes CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler.
Ms. Tassler today posted a letter on CBS's "Jericho" Web site announcing the apocalyptic drama has been renewed for seven episodes to air in midseason. The network has been bombarded with about 40,000 of peanuts by incensed fans lobbying the network to renew the freshman series, whose season finale cliffhanger found the citizens of Jericho on the verge of war with a neighboring town.
Rather than continuing to pressure CBS, Ms. Tassler urged fans to channel their passion into recruiting more viewers.
"You got our attention; your emails and collective voice have been heard," she wrote. "But, for there to be more "Jericho," we will need more viewers ... we will count on you to rally around the show, to recruit new viewers with the same grass-roots energy, intensity and volume you have displayed in recent weeks."
CBS plans to re-air the first season this summer, release the season on DVD Sept. 25 and hinted at online extensions to keep fans engaged until the show returns next year.
"Jericho" averaged a 2.8 rating among adults 18 to 49, according to Nielsen, though the ratings fell off sharply after its midseason hiatus. Nonetheless, CBS appreciated the program for its younger-skewing demographics and heavy online interest.
Bringing back the series in midseason allows CBS to run a second season straight through without repeats-just like Fox's "24" and ABC's "Lost" next year.
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