The television networks' fall schedules were unveiled this month, with Jericho notably absent from CBS' plans—until a fan groundswell actually changed history and the network's mind (SEE UPDATE BELOW). The popular sci-fi/drama series followed Jake Green and the citizens of the small Kansas town of Jericho struggling in the aftermath of a series of devastating nuclear attacks across America. Towards the end, it was getting really good.

Alas, it's a sign of how fiercely competitive the U.S. television industry has become. Just last issue we were writing about the exciting arrival of Jericho, and this issue, we're writing about its cancellation. And it has to be said: It's a very strange cancellation at that. The producers were said to have been "confident" of a second season, and even most media sources predicted the show's return up until a few days before the official cancellation.

So why did CBS pull the plug on our favorite Kansas town? No official reason has yet been given for the cancellation, but unlike most other shows that have been axed down the years, ratings don't seem to hold the answer; at least not as clearly. Jericho's first season was split into two halves, with a three month winter break in the middle. The first half the season averaged 11 million viewers (a reasonable total), and the second half averaged over 8 million. There is a clear drop, admittedly, but it's not that dramatic. It's certainly not the kind of number that would usually merit straight cancellation (for instance, Star Trek: Enterprise's measly 3 million). What's more, Jericho ran on the same night as American Idol—a show that obliterates all competition across all networks. Those numbers are surely quite respectable.

Let's assume that the network executives weren't delighted with the ratings, and it's fairly certain that they weren't as CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler stated, "It just wasn't performing." Nonetheless, one can't help but speculate that if the show was something CBS had really wanted to succeed, it would be coming back for a second season. They could have changed the night, changed the time slot, tweaked or altered something that would have boosted the show's chances next year.

But no. They didn't. Take a look at what's going to be replacing Jericho in its time slot next season—just what we need! A new reality TV show! Kid Nation, "starring 40 remarkable kids attempting to prove they can form a functioning society in an abandoned New Mexico ghost town, where their adult predecessors failed." Sounds magnificent, eh?

Jericho's cancellation tells a much deeper story than just the cancellation of an average drama series; it's the story of the changing face of American television. And can you truly blame the networks? They're catering for the masses. Shows like American Idol are immeasurably cheaper to produce than programs like Heroes or Lost, and get much higher ratings. It seems like a no-brainer. And so, we see our drama series getting axed and replaced by shows that are more "sexy," "edgy," and "hip" (all words chosen by Nina Tassler to describe CBS' new lineup). Great! Just what we need—more unrealistic crime dramas or voting reality TV shows.

The truth is, science fiction's not having the best time of it on network television. Lost is barely sci-fi (most regular fans would argue it's not at all), Heroes is sci-fi made trendy and exciting to appeal to the masses. Medium's been reasonably successful; but none of these are pure science-fiction like the new Battlestar Galactica, and I'm pretty sure it wouldn't survive long on network television.*

Jericho tried to play the system; mixing a sci-fi idea with soap-esque elements and a modern day setting. And although its ratings weren't bad, it probably wasn't getting the numbers that a much cheaper reality TV show could churn out.

           UPDATE!
 

All is not lost, however. On May 18, 2007, Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment, made a surprise statement: "In the coming weeks, we hope to develop a way to provide closure to the compelling drama that was the Jericho story."

As fans awaited further word and then decided to take matters into their own hands, several facts became evident once again. For one thing, television is changing. Shows like Jericho are against the odds from the moment they begin; unless they really shine, they're quite likely to flop. Their abrupt cancellation is all the more difficult to swallow since drama shows often end their seasons in cliffhangers (just like the Jericho finale). On the other hand, your run-of-the-mill reality shows tend to end their seasons with a happy results show, with a happy winner. This gives TV networks the option of picking the show up for another year, or just ending it (in which case, viewers won't be too sad given that there's been a happy conclusion). Reality TV is the ultimate safe-bet. Although you and I may not be happy about it, it looks set to stay that way until something comes along and revolutionizes the scene. It didn't look like Jericho was going to do that—and then came the shocker.

On June 6, 2007, CBS bowed to fan pressure and gave Jericho a much-welcomed seven-episode renewal for the winter 2007-2008 season, with the possibility of even more to follow—provided the show gets the increase in viewers CBS is looking for.

It's a truly incredible story, if one looks back upon it. Very few fan campaigns have managed to convince a network to renew a show. Along with heartfelt pleas for its return via email, snail mail and phone, they bombarded the CBS offices with shipments of nuts (that's right—actual nuts, most of which were peanuts) as a very real form of complaint. To the casual reader, the nuts may seem somewhat bizarre—but "Nuts!" was a retort used by Jake in the Jericho first season finale to indicate that he wasn't surrendering to the enemy—just as American Gen. Tony  McAuliffe replied to a German call for surrender in World War II's Battle of the Bulge. Rather fitting, eh? If that one line hadn't been included, things might be very different right now.

So, yes, Jericho returns and everyone will be happy once more... Well, almost everybody; this jovial announcement hides a much darker issue—one I am about to launch my very own complaint campaign over. I intend to send shipments of pens to the head of CBS Entertainment, Nina Tassler, to demand that her company not take any further dramatic and unexpected U-turns on show cancellations (until the next issue of SFS Magazine has been released). Hasty, last-minute rewrites are not fun, nor healthy. Does she know how long these articles take to perfect?!

But, alas, such is the nature of journalism!

Chris McQuillen

*Galactica currently airs on the SCI FI CHANNEL, on cable.