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Jericho (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Jericho is an American action
/drama
series that centers on the residents of the fictional town of Jericho, Kansas, in the aftermath of nuclear attacks on 23 major cities in the contiguous United States. Produced by CBS Paramount Network Television
, with executive producers Jon Turteltaub
, Stephen Chbosky
, and Carol Barbee
, the show was broadcast in more than 30 countries.
The show ran on CBS
from September 20, 2006, through March 25, 2008. It was initially canceled after its first full season because of poor ratings. While a fan campaign was able to convince the network to bring the show back for a seven-episode second season, it was canceled for a second time after that run. On November 20, 2008, TV Guide
reported that the CW television network would air repeats of Jericho to replace the canceled series Valentine
.
In 2007, Jericho was ranked #11 on TV Guide's Top Cult Shows Ever.
In 2009, plans were announced for both a feature film version of the series and a continuation of the Jericho storylines in a comic book
series.
town, in the aftermath of nuclear attacks on 23 major cities
in the United States. The series begins with a visible nuclear detonation of unknown origin in nearby Denver, Colorado, Problems are compounded by a loss of power and modern communications, effectively isolating Jericho. Later, power is restored to Jericho by what is alluded to as the efforts of the U.S. government. However, an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) from an unknown source disables all electronics.
While the first few episodes are centered around restoring life after the attacks, about halfway through the season some of the citizens meet with citizens of a nearby town, New Bern. At first, relations are established, resulting in a trade of windmills (for power) built in New Bern's factory for supplies: food from Jericho's farms and salt from its mine (neither of which New Bern could supply on its own). However, relations sour as New Bern scapegoats Jericho for its problems and the mayor eventually declares war, leading to the season's climactic end.
Several themes regularly addressed in the show included the gathering of information, community identity, public order, limited resources, the value of family, hardships of fatherhood, and internal and external threats. The show also features several mysteries involving the backgrounds of major characters, the perpetrators of the attack, and the extent of damage to the United States and its government.
The pivotal character in this story is Jake Green, the 32-year-old son of Mayor Johnston Green. Jake Green fled the town of Jericho five years earlier when he became mixed up with the wrong people and was involved in questionable activity. Jake briefly returns home to claim his inheritance before being stranded by the catastrophe. After a somewhat awkward return home and a tense reunion with his father, Jake steps up to become a leader in Jericho, fighting to protect the town and its citizens. As the people of Jericho struggle to survive in a changed world, most remain unaware that one of the newest residents, Robert Hawkins, knows a lot more about the attacks than he is letting on.
Known only to Hawkins and a select few, the September attacks were neither a foreign nor domestic terrorist act, but a conspiracy of unknown perpetrators within the highest level of the former U.S. government. Hawkins must calculate his every move to avoid capture, to piece together the trail of evidence, and, ultimately, to bring the truth to light before the conspiracy's mastermind buries it forever.
Meanwhile, Jericho's residents deal with the reality of the new ASA government based in Cheyenne, Wyoming
. Initially welcomed as saviors, the government's military and mercenary agents transform life in Jericho into a repressive police state
, under the leadership of a private security contracting firm, Jennings & Rall. When a Ravenwood contractor kills Bonnie, a deaf farm girl from the outskirts of Jericho, to conceal his embezzlement, the town is put on the edge of open revolt as Jake and the deputies protect Mimi, the only witness to Bonnie's murder, and the embezzlement.
Hawkins unsuccessfully attempts to transport the bomb to his contacts in the reborn Republic of Texas
. The ASA military is tipped off and, after a brief chase, seize the weapon. Hawkins narrowly escapes. The ASA military then transport the weapon to Cheyenne for safe keeping.
Hawkins makes contact with Jake; and the two travel to Cheyenne, where they retake the bomb from J&R contractors. Hawkins is wounded in a brief gun battle. The two make it to the Republic of Texas embassy in Cheyenne with the only undetonated bomb (in ASA territory) from the September attacks. The ASA's military is right behind them. The Republic is considered the swing state
in the struggle for power between the Eastern United States, now governed from Columbus, Ohio
, and the Allied States; the ambassador manages to secure a small jet to carry Jake, Hawkins, and the device there. While en route, two ASA F-15 fighter jets intercept Jake and Hawkins and order them to turn around or be shot down. When Jake refuses to be escorted back to Cheyenne, the two jets drop back to open fire. Suddenly, two Texas Air National Guard F-16 fighters appear, and shoot down the ASA planes. Jake and Hawkins make it to Texas with the evidence, and Hawkins ominously intones that a Second American Civil War was always coming, and that the two of them have made history by giving the United States a fighting chance in the war to come.
is not a live-action show, but a six-part comic book series "from the minds" of the original Jericho production team and written by the Jericho writing team. There have also been rumors of a motion picture version, beginning where Season 2 left off. During the 2011 Comic-Con, it was stated that the Graphic Novel buys are being watched, and could lead to the motion picture being made. Also, in an interview with IDW the following was stated, "a comment about a possible TV movie and a strongly worded conviction that we will get our show back."
of characters, along with a number of minor and recurring roles. The series web site lists eleven cast members. In addition, Alicia Coppola move from a recurring role to a regular character in February 2008. Gerald McRaney did not have a regular role in Season 2. Esai Morales was only present in Season 2.
and Josh Schaer: a post-apocalyptic plot set amidst the trappings of "a little character drama" movie, in the vein of The Day After
, Threads
, and Testament
. However, they soon realized that a two- or two-and-a-half-hour-long film would still not carry the necessary length they felt such a concept required to properly explore the setting and the characters — thus, Schaer and Steinberg decided instead to re-conceive the entire project as a television series, producing a treatment out of the original feature screenplay. Director Jon Turteltaub and producer Carol Barbee
then entered the picture, the pair having pitched the project to them. Turteltaub soon commissioned writer Stephen Chbosky to pen the pilot teleplay based upon Schaer and Steinberg's series treatment.
One of Chbosky's major contributions to the structure of the series was the introduction of a greater feminine element to the storyline, opining that, "[We] could use some girls, a little kissing, and some laughs." Another significant developmental influence were the four impacts of the September 11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina
, and the sense of "[being] a spectator to a disaster, while not quite being part of it." Co-creator Steinberg in particular felt that after 9/11, the United States saw some of the "best of people," and after Hurricane Katrina, some of the "worst of people," and sought to include both in the fabric of Jericho, with Katrina providing "lots of inspiration" for the show's overall premise.
Jericho is set in northwestern Kansas, but the series was filmed in Van Nuys, California
. The pilot and all episodes involving New Bern, Kansas, were filmed in Fillmore, California
. Filming also occurred in Pasadena, California, including in front of the city hall. The final episode to air included portions filmed at the Santa Anita race track. Some filming also took place in Canada. The commentary for some episodes on the Jericho Season 1 DVD includes the location of their filming.
episode on May 9, 2007. Lackluster ratings
prompted concern, as the show hit a ratings low in early April. The ratings were down 25% when the series returned following the nearly three-month hiatus. During its first season, it ranked 48th, with an average of 9.5 million viewers in the United States. Other Wednesday night programs it competed with were Bones
, Deal or No Deal
, and ABC
's comedy block.
Though the producers seemed confident that the program would be picked up for a second season, CBS officially announced Jerichos cancellation on May 16, 2007.
Several online communities, including the official Jericho forums, launched campaigns in an effort to revive the show. Fans also sent just over 20 ton
s of nuts to CBS headquarters; this referred to a scene from the season one finale "Why We Fight
" where Jake Green repeats General Anthony McAuliffe
's historic phrase "Nuts!" from the Battle of the Bulge.
The peanuts and other proceeds from the donations have been donated to charities,
including the rebuilding effort in Greensburg, Kansas
, a town that was largely destroyed by a tornado in 2007.
acknowledged the fan response, stating, "We hope to develop a way to provide closure to… the Jericho story." CBS officials acknowledge the campaign was the largest the network had seen using digital means to protest a show cancellation. President and CEO Leslie Moonves
acknowledged that he was filtering emails from Jericho fans, while senior vice president of communications Chris Ender said, "You have to tip your hat to their ability to get attention and make some noise."
On June 5, 2007, Jericho executive producer Carol Barbee announced that CBS was discussing the possibility of the show's return for an eight-episode mid-season run. A day later, Tassler posted an announcement on the forum stating that seven new episodes of Jericho had been commissioned as a midseason replacement
for the 2007-2008 television season, with the possibility of an extension based on viewership. The last of these seven episodes was broadcast on March 25, 2008, and was not affected directly by the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike.
On August 2, 2007, a video was released on YouTube
showing clips from the first day back at work for the Jericho cast and crew. It included a "thank you" from the cast and crew to the fans for their efforts to revive the show. Several months later, CBS released trailers announcing the second season premiere, including Morse code spelling "SPREAD THE WORD".
Jericho returned for its second season on February 12, 2008 to mostly favorable reviews but with the lowest numbers the ratings had seen yet. In the early days of January 2008, the first three episodes of the second season leaked on the internet via a DVD screener source. The show's second season has also premiered in Canada
on CTV
, mirroring the US broadcast.
The first two episodes of the 2008 season received the lowest ratings to date for the series. Jerichos ratings did increase somewhat for its third episode, but dropped back down to fairly consistent but still low ratings. The second season averaged 6.2 million viewers.
On March 21, 2008, CBS announced that the network would not be renewing Jericho for a third season. CBS entertainment boss Nina Tassler
stated that "The March 25 episode... will be the series finale. Without question, there are passionate viewers watching this program; we simply wish there were more. We thank an engaged and spirited fan base for keeping the show alive this long, and an outstanding team of producers, cast and crew that went through creative hoops to deliver a compelling, high-quality second season.... We're proud of everyone's efforts." According to SyFy's source, two endings were shot for the March 25 episode. One involved a cliffhanger leading in to a third season, while the other would wrap up the series and provide closure for fans who had worked to secure the series' return. "There are a lot of people here who really care about what happens to Jericho, and I think we all wanted to see it succeed," the source, who asked not to be identified, said. "Numbers are numbers, and [CBS] had to do what [CBS] had to do."
and broadcast networks such as The CW (co-owned by CBS). Other possibilities may include a television or theatrical movie.
On April 7, 2008, The New York Times
website reported that CBS Paramount Network Television
held talks with Comcast
about finding a new home for Jericho. Possibilities included an arrangement whereby Comcast would pay part of the series' production expenses and then offer episodes in High-Definition
before they air on CBS.
Jericho fans have also continued efforts to resurrect the series, including a one-page advertisement in the April 25, 2008 edition of Variety
magazine. A second advertisement appeared in The Hollywood Reporter
, as well as banner ads on the Variety and Hollywood Reporter websites.
On January 15, 2009, TV.com
reported that a Jericho feature film is in development.
On March 12, 2009, Devil's Due Publishing
announced that all storylines from the TV series will be continued in a comic book series due to start in the summer or fall of 2009.
On November 25, 2009, Devil's Due Publishing released the first issue of the six-issue continuation
of the Jericho saga.
As of May 29, 2011, IDW Publishing
has re-released the first 3 comics as Jericho: Redux, as well as issues 4, 5 and 6, thus completing its publication.
A 144-page graphic novel collection of all 6 "Jericho Season 3" comics entitled "Jericho Season 3: Civil War" is currently available for purchase on Amazon.com.
March 3 was the last air date for Monday 10 p.m. reruns on Sci Fi. Reruns moved to Fridays 8pm on March 14 and March 21. Episodes 16 and 17 were scheduled to air Friday March 28 but were pulled before they aired. No further episodes were scheduled in April 2008. SciFi will show Episodes 1-8 beginning at 8 AM August 13.
In Australia
, Network Ten
aired Jericho on a Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. on a "fast-tracked" basis (airing in Australia just hours after airing in the USA), this only lasted a few weeks as ratings began to fall, resulting in the network scrapping the entire series from its schedule. Sci Fi Australia
started airing Jericho starting June 5, 2008 with a three episode mini marathon and two episodes are being shown a week, on a Thursday evening between 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Sci Fi Australia aired Episodes 20, 21 and 22 as a three-episode feature-length season finale of Season 1, on Thursday, August 7. Season 2 aired on September 4, 2008. SciFi also reran episodes 1-5 on March 9, 2009.
ITV4
repeated the first series starting July 29, 2008 at 8 p.m. broadcasting three episodes per week. Season 2 started on the September 24, 2008, with a new episode every week. As a result, the Region 2 DVD of Season 2 has been available before the show finished on ITV4, in contrast to the DVD of Season 1 which became available just after Season 1 finished on ITV4.
The CW announced on November 20, 2008 its intention to air reruns on Sunday nights from 7-8 p.m. EST
through March 2009. They continued to air the show past that date, with the series finale re-run airing on Sunday, June 14, 2009.
Episodes were available on Hulu but were removed on February 11, 2009.
Episodes are, as of August 10, 2011, available for Instant Streaming on Netflix.
several weeks before the episode actually aired on television. CBS is still showing most, but not all, of the Jericho episodes on their Innertube website as of January 2009, although they cannot be accessed from outside the U.S. CBS repeated the first three episodes on the Saturday nights following their original airings, as did Australia's Network Ten.
Each episode's opening title sequence is accompanied by an audio message in Morse code
. The messages vary from generic references to cryptic clues, and are always related to the current episode in some way. The messages were broadcast at 15 words per minute
at a frequency
of 1000 Hz. In addition to these messages, in the second episode
, Robert Hawkins received several additional Morse code messages through a Ham Radio that he was fixing.
. The television program gave the web address for the online companion. Beyond Jericho was to feature the "other survivors" of the nuclear attacks. According to Barbee, the story was intended to be unique to the site, but as the season of Jericho progressed, the online story would dovetail into the episodes themselves. However, the site and "webisode" are now unavailable, having been removed from the CBS website before the second episode of the TV show was broadcast.
CBS since decided to scrap the current webisode storyline, and instead released a new series of "prequel" webisodes named Countdown that take place before the first explosion. Each of these new webisodes appeared concurrently with the broadcast of new episodes during season 1, and showed Robert Hawkins gathering information before the attack.
.
The mini-documentaries feature expert interviews about the effects of a nuclear attack. They are only minimally connected to each episode's plot. For instance, CBS's episode 8 plot summary reads: "A shadowy military unit bursts into the chamber Hawkins has just vacated. On his computer, they find a video." The video was a short documentary about FEMA's response to Hurricane Katrina
and their use of paramilitaries
. The "shadowy military unit" then patiently waits until the documentary ends to resume its search for Hawkins.
Countdowns sponsor, AT&T
, is very heavily promoted in the series using product placement
. Nearly all dialog takes place as SMS
messages on an AT&T cellular phone, and a full-screen AT&T logo appears in every episode when Hawkins views the expert interviews. This web-based programming is not accessible from outside of the United States.
On November 1, 2008, the domain name jenningsandrall.com expired. The site can still be viewed, however, at jenningsandrall.tomtooman.com.
that CBS ran in conjunction with Jericho beginning in August 2007. The game began with a cryptic letter posted on a web site, supposedly from a Tom Tooman of Lame Deer, Montana
. This letter was accompanied by a series of bar codes, some with decimal numbers and others with Mayan numbers
. These numbers were used to create an IP address
for a second website. More clues were released, as well as a blog
on the CBS web site connecting the game with Jericho. The game abruptly ended with the cancellation of the series, with no closure offered. A synopsis of the game and the puzzles appear at TomTooman.com.
Action genre
The word action has more than one meaning in fiction. Action is one of the fiction-writing modes authors use to present fiction. The term is also used to describe an exiting event or circumstance.-Action as a fiction-writing mode:...
/drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
series that centers on the residents of the fictional town of Jericho, Kansas, in the aftermath of nuclear attacks on 23 major cities in the contiguous United States. Produced by CBS Paramount Network Television
CBS Paramount Network Television
CBS Paramount Network Television was the main production arm of CBS Paramount Television, a division of CBS Corporation. It was known as Paramount Network Television and CBS Productions until 2006.It is now CBS Television Studios, starting in fall 2009....
, with executive producers Jon Turteltaub
Jon Turteltaub
Jonathan Charles "Jon" Turteltaub is an American film director and producer. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and the USC School of Cinematic Arts...
, Stephen Chbosky
Stephen Chbosky
Stephen Chbosky is an American novelist, screenwriter, and film director best known for the coming-of-age novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower...
, and Carol Barbee
Carol Barbee
Carol Denise Barbee is an American television writer, actress and producer.-Biography:Barbee graduated from Central Cabarrus High School in Concord, North Carolina and attended Wake Forest University for Undergraduate School. She graduated from UCLA for Graduate School.She is married to actor...
, the show was broadcast in more than 30 countries.
The show ran on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
from September 20, 2006, through March 25, 2008. It was initially canceled after its first full season because of poor ratings. While a fan campaign was able to convince the network to bring the show back for a seven-episode second season, it was canceled for a second time after that run. On November 20, 2008, TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
reported that the CW television network would air repeats of Jericho to replace the canceled series Valentine
Valentine (TV series)
Valentine is a romantic comedy/drama television series created by Kevin Murphy, who also serves as executive producer alongside Courtney Conte. The show is produced by Media Rights Capital. It premiered on October 5, 2008 at 8:00pm on The CW Television Network and Citytv in Canada and after four...
.
In 2007, Jericho was ranked #11 on TV Guide's Top Cult Shows Ever.
In 2009, plans were announced for both a feature film version of the series and a continuation of the Jericho storylines in a comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series.
First season
The storyline centers on the residents of Jericho, a small, rural KansasKansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
town, in the aftermath of nuclear attacks on 23 major cities
Locations in Jericho (TV series)
This article contains a summary of the fate of various cities in the American fictional drama/adventure television series Jericho.-The attack:...
in the United States. The series begins with a visible nuclear detonation of unknown origin in nearby Denver, Colorado, Problems are compounded by a loss of power and modern communications, effectively isolating Jericho. Later, power is restored to Jericho by what is alluded to as the efforts of the U.S. government. However, an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) from an unknown source disables all electronics.
While the first few episodes are centered around restoring life after the attacks, about halfway through the season some of the citizens meet with citizens of a nearby town, New Bern. At first, relations are established, resulting in a trade of windmills (for power) built in New Bern's factory for supplies: food from Jericho's farms and salt from its mine (neither of which New Bern could supply on its own). However, relations sour as New Bern scapegoats Jericho for its problems and the mayor eventually declares war, leading to the season's climactic end.
Several themes regularly addressed in the show included the gathering of information, community identity, public order, limited resources, the value of family, hardships of fatherhood, and internal and external threats. The show also features several mysteries involving the backgrounds of major characters, the perpetrators of the attack, and the extent of damage to the United States and its government.
The pivotal character in this story is Jake Green, the 32-year-old son of Mayor Johnston Green. Jake Green fled the town of Jericho five years earlier when he became mixed up with the wrong people and was involved in questionable activity. Jake briefly returns home to claim his inheritance before being stranded by the catastrophe. After a somewhat awkward return home and a tense reunion with his father, Jake steps up to become a leader in Jericho, fighting to protect the town and its citizens. As the people of Jericho struggle to survive in a changed world, most remain unaware that one of the newest residents, Robert Hawkins, knows a lot more about the attacks than he is letting on.
Second season
The military forces of the new Allied States of America (ASA), which now govern most of what was formerly the Western United States, have restored order to Jericho and its surrounding region, putting an abrupt end to the conflict between Jericho and its rival town, New Bern. As a sense of normality returns to town, the plot shifts away from the day-to-day survival to life and political intrigue under the ASA government.Known only to Hawkins and a select few, the September attacks were neither a foreign nor domestic terrorist act, but a conspiracy of unknown perpetrators within the highest level of the former U.S. government. Hawkins must calculate his every move to avoid capture, to piece together the trail of evidence, and, ultimately, to bring the truth to light before the conspiracy's mastermind buries it forever.
Meanwhile, Jericho's residents deal with the reality of the new ASA government based in Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
. Initially welcomed as saviors, the government's military and mercenary agents transform life in Jericho into a repressive police state
Police state
A police state is one in which the government exercises rigid and repressive controls over the social, economic and political life of the population...
, under the leadership of a private security contracting firm, Jennings & Rall. When a Ravenwood contractor kills Bonnie, a deaf farm girl from the outskirts of Jericho, to conceal his embezzlement, the town is put on the edge of open revolt as Jake and the deputies protect Mimi, the only witness to Bonnie's murder, and the embezzlement.
Hawkins unsuccessfully attempts to transport the bomb to his contacts in the reborn Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
. The ASA military is tipped off and, after a brief chase, seize the weapon. Hawkins narrowly escapes. The ASA military then transport the weapon to Cheyenne for safe keeping.
Hawkins makes contact with Jake; and the two travel to Cheyenne, where they retake the bomb from J&R contractors. Hawkins is wounded in a brief gun battle. The two make it to the Republic of Texas embassy in Cheyenne with the only undetonated bomb (in ASA territory) from the September attacks. The ASA's military is right behind them. The Republic is considered the swing state
Swing state
In United States presidential politics, a swing state is a state in which no single candidate or party has overwhelming support in securing that state's electoral college votes...
in the struggle for power between the Eastern United States, now governed from Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, and the Allied States; the ambassador manages to secure a small jet to carry Jake, Hawkins, and the device there. While en route, two ASA F-15 fighter jets intercept Jake and Hawkins and order them to turn around or be shot down. When Jake refuses to be escorted back to Cheyenne, the two jets drop back to open fire. Suddenly, two Texas Air National Guard F-16 fighters appear, and shoot down the ASA planes. Jake and Hawkins make it to Texas with the evidence, and Hawkins ominously intones that a Second American Civil War was always coming, and that the two of them have made history by giving the United States a fighting chance in the war to come.
Third season
Season 3Jericho Season 3 (comics)
Jericho Season 3: Civil War is a comic book limited series that continues the storyline of the CBS television show Jericho following its cancellation. It is being written by Jason M. Burns and the Jericho writing team, and being published by Devil's Due Publishing...
is not a live-action show, but a six-part comic book series "from the minds" of the original Jericho production team and written by the Jericho writing team. There have also been rumors of a motion picture version, beginning where Season 2 left off. During the 2011 Comic-Con, it was stated that the Graphic Novel buys are being watched, and could lead to the motion picture being made. Also, in an interview with IDW the following was stated, "a comment about a possible TV movie and a strongly worded conviction that we will get our show back."
Characters
Jericho features an ensemble castEnsemble cast
An ensemble cast is made up of cast members in which the principal actors and performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on...
of characters, along with a number of minor and recurring roles. The series web site lists eleven cast members. In addition, Alicia Coppola move from a recurring role to a regular character in February 2008. Gerald McRaney did not have a regular role in Season 2. Esai Morales was only present in Season 2.
- Skeet UlrichSkeet UlrichBryan Ray Trout , best known as Skeet Ulrich, is an American actor best known for starring in the CBS drama Jericho as Jake Green and for portraying Billy Loomis in Scream...
as Jake Green - Lennie JamesLennie JamesLennie James is an English actor and playwright.-Career:James attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 1988...
as Robert Hawkins - Ashley ScottAshley ScottAshley McCall Scott is an American actress. She is known for her work on television and in film including her roles in the television series Birds of Prey, Dark Angel and Jericho.-Acting career:...
as Emily Sullivan - Kenneth Mitchell as Eric Green
- Michael GastonMichael GastonMichael Gaston is an American film and television actor. He played agent Quinn on the show Prison Break. He appeared as Gray Anderson on the CBS drama series Jericho. He also appeared in the first season of The Sopranos as a compulsive gambler in trouble with Tony...
as Gray Anderson - Gerald McRaneyGerald McRaneyGerald Lee "Mac" McRaney is an American television and movie actor. McRaney is best known as one of the stars of the television shows Simon & Simon, Major Dad, and Promised Land. He was a series regular for the first season of Jericho.-Early life:McRaney was born in Collins, Mississippi, the son...
as Johnston Green - Pamela ReedPamela ReedPamela Reed is an American actress. She is known for playing Ruth Powers in various episodes of TV's The Simpsons, as Arnold Schwarzenegger's hypoglycemic partner in the 1990 movie Kindergarten Cop and as the matriarch Gail Green in Jericho...
as Gail Green - Sprague GraydenSprague GraydenSprague Grayden is an American television, film and theater actress. She appeared in the television drama Jericho, playing schoolteacher Heather Lisinski.-Early life:Grayden was born in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts...
as Heather Lisinski - Shoshannah SternShoshannah Stern-Life:She was born in Walnut Creek, California into an observant Jewish and fourth-generation deaf family. One of her grandmothers is a Holocaust survivor. Her hometown is Fremont, California, where she attended the California School for the Deaf, Fremont....
as Bonnie Richmond - Brad BeyerBrad BeyerBradford G. Beyer, Jr. is an American actor.A native of Waukesha, Wisconsin and a graduate of Catholic Memorial High School, Beyer briefly attended the University of Minnesota before moving to New York to pursue an acting career, on the advice of a professor.Beyer's roles include guest appearances...
as Stanley Richmond - Alicia CoppolaAlicia CoppolaAlicia Coppola is an American television actress.-Career:Coppola started her TV career as a hostess on the MTV game show Remote Control. In 1991, she was hired to play vixen Lorna Devon on the soap opera Another World; she played the role until 1994...
as Mimi Clark - Erik KnudsenErik KnudsenErik Kenneth William Knudsen is a Canadian actor. He is known for playing Daniel Matthews in Saw II and Robbie Mercer in Scream 4 and played Dale Turner in the CBS series Jericho.-Life and career:...
as Dale TurnerDale Turner (Jericho character)Dale Turner is an American trumpet player, best known for being a member of the American new wave band Oingo Boingo.Turner was born in Minnesota.-Music:Turner was a member of Oingo Boingo for the entire length of the band's existence, from 1974 to 1995... - Esai MoralesEsai MoralesEsai Manuel Morales is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Bob Morales in the 1987 biopic La Bamba. He also appeared in the PBS drama American Family and in the Showtime series Resurrection Blvd.. However, he is best known for his roles as Lt...
as Major Edward Beck
Early development
The series originated as a feature film idea of co-creators Jonathan SteinbergJonathan E. Steinberg
Jonathan E. Steinberg is a television producer and screenwriter. Along with Josh Schaer and Stephen Chbosky, he co-created the television series Jericho, where he served as writer, producer and executive story editor, Jericho ran on CBS from September 20, 2006, through March 25, 2008.Steinberg then...
and Josh Schaer: a post-apocalyptic plot set amidst the trappings of "a little character drama" movie, in the vein of The Day After
The Day After
The Day After is a 1983 American television movie which aired on November 20, 1983, on the ABC television network. It was seen by more than 100 million people during its initial broadcast....
, Threads
Threads
Threads is a British television drama produced by the BBC in 1984. Written by Barry Hines and directed by Mick Jackson, it is a documentary-style account of a nuclear war and its effects on the city of Sheffield in northern England....
, and Testament
Testament (film)
Testament is a drama film directed by Lynne Littman and starring Jane Alexander.The film tells the story of how one small suburban town near the San Francisco Bay Area slowly falls apart after a nuclear war destroys outside civilization....
. However, they soon realized that a two- or two-and-a-half-hour-long film would still not carry the necessary length they felt such a concept required to properly explore the setting and the characters — thus, Schaer and Steinberg decided instead to re-conceive the entire project as a television series, producing a treatment out of the original feature screenplay. Director Jon Turteltaub and producer Carol Barbee
Carol Barbee
Carol Denise Barbee is an American television writer, actress and producer.-Biography:Barbee graduated from Central Cabarrus High School in Concord, North Carolina and attended Wake Forest University for Undergraduate School. She graduated from UCLA for Graduate School.She is married to actor...
then entered the picture, the pair having pitched the project to them. Turteltaub soon commissioned writer Stephen Chbosky to pen the pilot teleplay based upon Schaer and Steinberg's series treatment.
One of Chbosky's major contributions to the structure of the series was the introduction of a greater feminine element to the storyline, opining that, "[We] could use some girls, a little kissing, and some laughs." Another significant developmental influence were the four impacts of the September 11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, and the sense of "[being] a spectator to a disaster, while not quite being part of it." Co-creator Steinberg in particular felt that after 9/11, the United States saw some of the "best of people," and after Hurricane Katrina, some of the "worst of people," and sought to include both in the fabric of Jericho, with Katrina providing "lots of inspiration" for the show's overall premise.
Filming locations
Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California
Van Nuys is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California.-History:Look at the two photos of Van Nuys' first year—and then listen to what the Los Angeles Times wrote on February 23, 1911, the day after the Van Nuys town lot auction--"Between dawn and dusk, in the...
. The pilot and all episodes involving New Bern, Kansas, were filmed in Fillmore, California
Fillmore, California
Fillmore is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 15,002 at the 2010 census, up from 13,643 at the 2000 census.- History :...
. Filming also occurred in Pasadena, California, including in front of the city hall. The final episode to air included portions filmed at the Santa Anita race track. Some filming also took place in Canada. The commentary for some episodes on the Jericho Season 1 DVD includes the location of their filming.
First season
The first season of the show premiered Wednesday, September 20, 2006 and concluded with a cliffhangerCliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
episode on May 9, 2007. Lackluster ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
prompted concern, as the show hit a ratings low in early April. The ratings were down 25% when the series returned following the nearly three-month hiatus. During its first season, it ranked 48th, with an average of 9.5 million viewers in the United States. Other Wednesday night programs it competed with were Bones
Bones (TV series)
Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...
, Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which was the Dutch Miljoenenjacht produced by Dutch producer Endemol. It is played with up to 26 cases with certain sums of money...
, and ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's comedy block.
Though the producers seemed confident that the program would be picked up for a second season, CBS officially announced Jerichos cancellation on May 16, 2007.
Several online communities, including the official Jericho forums, launched campaigns in an effort to revive the show. Fans also sent just over 20 ton
Short ton
The short ton is a unit of mass equal to . In the United States it is often called simply ton without distinguishing it from the metric ton or the long ton ; rather, the other two are specifically noted. There are, however, some U.S...
s of nuts to CBS headquarters; this referred to a scene from the season one finale "Why We Fight
Why We Fight (Jericho episode)
"Why We Fight" is the twenty-second episode of season one of the CBS drama Jericho. It was broadcast as the season finale; after the broadcast, CBS announced that the series had been cancelled, a decision they reversed on June 6th when they picked it up for seven more episodes...
" where Jake Green repeats General Anthony McAuliffe
Anthony McAuliffe
General Anthony Clement "Nuts" McAuliffe was the United States Army general who commanded the 101st Airborne Division troops defending Bastogne, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II...
's historic phrase "Nuts!" from the Battle of the Bulge.
The peanuts and other proceeds from the donations have been donated to charities,
including the rebuilding effort in Greensburg, Kansas
Greensburg, Kansas
Greensburg is a city in and the county seat of Kiowa County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 777. Greensburg is also home to the world's largest hand-dug well....
, a town that was largely destroyed by a tornado in 2007.
Second season
In a response posted on the Jericho forum, CBS president Nina TasslerNina Tassler
Nina Tassler is an American television executive, a graduate of Boston University , and holds the position of President of CBS Entertainment since September 2004....
acknowledged the fan response, stating, "We hope to develop a way to provide closure to… the Jericho story." CBS officials acknowledge the campaign was the largest the network had seen using digital means to protest a show cancellation. President and CEO Leslie Moonves
Leslie Moonves
Leslie Moonves is President and Chief Executive Officer of CBS Corporation.Moonves served as co-president and co-chief operating officer of Viacom, Inc., the predecessor to CBS Corporation, from 2004 until the company split on December 31, 2005...
acknowledged that he was filtering emails from Jericho fans, while senior vice president of communications Chris Ender said, "You have to tip your hat to their ability to get attention and make some noise."
On June 5, 2007, Jericho executive producer Carol Barbee announced that CBS was discussing the possibility of the show's return for an eight-episode mid-season run. A day later, Tassler posted an announcement on the forum stating that seven new episodes of Jericho had been commissioned as a midseason replacement
Midseason replacement
In American and Canadian television, a midseason replacement is a television series that premieres in the second half of the traditional television season, usually between January and May...
for the 2007-2008 television season, with the possibility of an extension based on viewership. The last of these seven episodes was broadcast on March 25, 2008, and was not affected directly by the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike.
On August 2, 2007, a video was released on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
showing clips from the first day back at work for the Jericho cast and crew. It included a "thank you" from the cast and crew to the fans for their efforts to revive the show. Several months later, CBS released trailers announcing the second season premiere, including Morse code spelling "SPREAD THE WORD".
Jericho returned for its second season on February 12, 2008 to mostly favorable reviews but with the lowest numbers the ratings had seen yet. In the early days of January 2008, the first three episodes of the second season leaked on the internet via a DVD screener source. The show's second season has also premiered in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
, mirroring the US broadcast.
The first two episodes of the 2008 season received the lowest ratings to date for the series. Jerichos ratings did increase somewhat for its third episode, but dropped back down to fairly consistent but still low ratings. The second season averaged 6.2 million viewers.
On March 21, 2008, CBS announced that the network would not be renewing Jericho for a third season. CBS entertainment boss Nina Tassler
Nina Tassler
Nina Tassler is an American television executive, a graduate of Boston University , and holds the position of President of CBS Entertainment since September 2004....
stated that "The March 25 episode... will be the series finale. Without question, there are passionate viewers watching this program; we simply wish there were more. We thank an engaged and spirited fan base for keeping the show alive this long, and an outstanding team of producers, cast and crew that went through creative hoops to deliver a compelling, high-quality second season.... We're proud of everyone's efforts." According to SyFy's source, two endings were shot for the March 25 episode. One involved a cliffhanger leading in to a third season, while the other would wrap up the series and provide closure for fans who had worked to secure the series' return. "There are a lot of people here who really care about what happens to Jericho, and I think we all wanted to see it succeed," the source, who asked not to be identified, said. "Numbers are numbers, and [CBS] had to do what [CBS] had to do."
Post second season
In early 2008, executive producer Carol Barbee said talks were ongoing to find another home for Jericho, perhaps on a cable network, and raised the possibility of the Sci Fi ChannelSyfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
and broadcast networks such as The CW (co-owned by CBS). Other possibilities may include a television or theatrical movie.
On April 7, 2008, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
website reported that CBS Paramount Network Television
CBS Paramount Network Television
CBS Paramount Network Television was the main production arm of CBS Paramount Television, a division of CBS Corporation. It was known as Paramount Network Television and CBS Productions until 2006.It is now CBS Television Studios, starting in fall 2009....
held talks with Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
about finding a new home for Jericho. Possibilities included an arrangement whereby Comcast would pay part of the series' production expenses and then offer episodes in High-Definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
before they air on CBS.
Jericho fans have also continued efforts to resurrect the series, including a one-page advertisement in the April 25, 2008 edition of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
magazine. A second advertisement appeared in The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
, as well as banner ads on the Variety and Hollywood Reporter websites.
On January 15, 2009, TV.com
TV.com
TV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
reported that a Jericho feature film is in development.
On March 12, 2009, Devil's Due Publishing
Devil's Due Publishing
Devil's Due Publishing is an independent comic book publishers in the United States. Based in Chicago, Illinois, DDP is best known for its wide selection of genres, including licensed and original creator-owned properties that populate its monthly comic book series and graphic novels.Though...
announced that all storylines from the TV series will be continued in a comic book series due to start in the summer or fall of 2009.
On November 25, 2009, Devil's Due Publishing released the first issue of the six-issue continuation
Jericho Season 3 (comics)
Jericho Season 3: Civil War is a comic book limited series that continues the storyline of the CBS television show Jericho following its cancellation. It is being written by Jason M. Burns and the Jericho writing team, and being published by Devil's Due Publishing...
of the Jericho saga.
As of May 29, 2011, IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
has re-released the first 3 comics as Jericho: Redux, as well as issues 4, 5 and 6, thus completing its publication.
A 144-page graphic novel collection of all 6 "Jericho Season 3" comics entitled "Jericho Season 3: Civil War" is currently available for purchase on Amazon.com.
Syndication
In January 2008, the Sci Fi Channel announced that it had acquired off-network cable rights to seasons one and two of Jericho from CBS Television Distribution. Jericho made its debut on Sci Fi with a four-episode marathon on February 11, and began airing in its regular timeslot on February 18.March 3 was the last air date for Monday 10 p.m. reruns on Sci Fi. Reruns moved to Fridays 8pm on March 14 and March 21. Episodes 16 and 17 were scheduled to air Friday March 28 but were pulled before they aired. No further episodes were scheduled in April 2008. SciFi will show Episodes 1-8 beginning at 8 AM August 13.
In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
aired Jericho on a Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. on a "fast-tracked" basis (airing in Australia just hours after airing in the USA), this only lasted a few weeks as ratings began to fall, resulting in the network scrapping the entire series from its schedule. Sci Fi Australia
Sci Fi Channel (Australia)
Sci Fi Channel is an Australian subscription channel that airs science fiction, fantasy and related programs. It is available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television's subscription platforms. It is currently the only Sci Fi channel worldwide to keep the Saturn logo.-Shows:Sci Fi currently airs...
started airing Jericho starting June 5, 2008 with a three episode mini marathon and two episodes are being shown a week, on a Thursday evening between 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Sci Fi Australia aired Episodes 20, 21 and 22 as a three-episode feature-length season finale of Season 1, on Thursday, August 7. Season 2 aired on September 4, 2008. SciFi also reran episodes 1-5 on March 9, 2009.
ITV4
ITV4
ITV4 is a British television station which was launched on 1 November 2005. It is owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc, and is part of the ITV network. The channel has a male-oriented line-up, including sport, cop shows and US comedies and dramas, as well as classic ITV action...
repeated the first series starting July 29, 2008 at 8 p.m. broadcasting three episodes per week. Season 2 started on the September 24, 2008, with a new episode every week. As a result, the Region 2 DVD of Season 2 has been available before the show finished on ITV4, in contrast to the DVD of Season 1 which became available just after Season 1 finished on ITV4.
The CW announced on November 20, 2008 its intention to air reruns on Sunday nights from 7-8 p.m. EST
Eastern Standard Time
Eastern Standard Time may refer to:*North American Eastern Time Zone, UTC-5*Australian Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10*An album by Hip Hop group Kooley High...
through March 2009. They continued to air the show past that date, with the series finale re-run airing on Sunday, June 14, 2009.
Episodes were available on Hulu but were removed on February 11, 2009.
Episodes are, as of August 10, 2011, available for Instant Streaming on Netflix.
Episodes
Clips from the pilot episode became free to watch on Yahoo! TVYahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
several weeks before the episode actually aired on television. CBS is still showing most, but not all, of the Jericho episodes on their Innertube website as of January 2009, although they cannot be accessed from outside the U.S. CBS repeated the first three episodes on the Saturday nights following their original airings, as did Australia's Network Ten.
Each episode's opening title sequence is accompanied by an audio message in Morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
. The messages vary from generic references to cryptic clues, and are always related to the current episode in some way. The messages were broadcast at 15 words per minute
Words per minute
Words per minute, commonly abbreviated wpm, is a measure of input or output speed.For the purposes of WPM measurement a word is standardized to five characters or keystrokes. For instance, "I run" counts as one word, but "rhinoceros" counts as two...
at a frequency
Frequency
Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit time. It is also referred to as temporal frequency.The period is the duration of one cycle in a repeating event, so the period is the reciprocal of the frequency...
of 1000 Hz. In addition to these messages, in the second episode
Fallout (Jericho episode)
"Fallout" is the second episode of season one of the CBS drama Jericho. It received a rating of 11.47 million viewers.-Plot synopsis:...
, Robert Hawkins received several additional Morse code messages through a Ham Radio that he was fixing.
Ratings
| Season | Episodes | Season premiere | Season finale | TV season | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | September 20, 2006 | May 9, 2007 | 2006–07 | 9.24 |
| 2 | 8 (Including 1 recap) | February 12, 2008 | March 25, 2008 | 2008 | 6.16 |
DVD releases
| DVD name | Release date (Region 1) | Release date (Region 2) | Ep # | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The First Season | October 2, 2007 | March 10, 2008 | 23 | Featurette: Building Jericho Featurette: What If? Commentary and Deleted scenes on select episodes. |
| The Second Season | June 17, 2008 | September 29, 2008 | 7 | Featurette: Rebuilding Jericho Featurette: Nut Job Commentary and Deleted scenes on select episodes. Unaired Season finale alternate ending |
| The Complete Series | June 17, 2008 | 15 October 2009 [Germany] | 30 | Featurette: Tick Tick Boom Featurette: Behind the Scenes "Thank You" 100 Reasons to Watch Jericho Table Read Napalm Action Sequence (from Season 2) Train Action Sequence (from Season 2) Cast Members' Memorable Moments. |
Web-based tie-ins
An online companion to Jericho is called Beyond JerichoBeyond Jericho
Beyond Jericho was a short-lived online extension of the CBS series Jericho. It was meant to take the form of a series of short "mini-episodes" that could be viewed on the official website, however only one episode was released on September 21, 2006, acting as a companion to the Pilot...
. The television program gave the web address for the online companion. Beyond Jericho was to feature the "other survivors" of the nuclear attacks. According to Barbee, the story was intended to be unique to the site, but as the season of Jericho progressed, the online story would dovetail into the episodes themselves. However, the site and "webisode" are now unavailable, having been removed from the CBS website before the second episode of the TV show was broadcast.
CBS since decided to scrap the current webisode storyline, and instead released a new series of "prequel" webisodes named Countdown that take place before the first explosion. Each of these new webisodes appeared concurrently with the broadcast of new episodes during season 1, and showed Robert Hawkins gathering information before the attack.
Beyond Jericho
The first installment of Beyond Jericho began with an unknown man calling someone on a cell phone, requesting a ransom of $1.2 million for a woman he kidnapped. He then disappears underground through a metal trap door. While climbing down, he hears and feels a bang, but thinks nothing of it. After conversing with an associate about their next plans, he picks the woman up and climbs back up to the roof. When he opens the door, it's surrounded by rubble. The entire city around them has been destroyed. Shortly after, rubble falls through the trap door. With the cell phone (apparently actually the victim's cell phone) dead, and assuming that the man's associate is dead as well in the collapse, they start to climb through the rubble to find out what happened. Nearby, a hand with a surgical glove on emerges from the rubble, as the vignette ends.Countdown
Starting on October 26, Beyond Jericho was replaced by Countdown, which documents Robert Hawkins' efforts to learn as much as possible about the effects of nuclear bombs before he moved to Jericho. The webisodes do not feature any of the regular characters, consisting primarily of Hawkins, draped in shadows, watching mini-documentariesDocumentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
.
The mini-documentaries feature expert interviews about the effects of a nuclear attack. They are only minimally connected to each episode's plot. For instance, CBS's episode 8 plot summary reads: "A shadowy military unit bursts into the chamber Hawkins has just vacated. On his computer, they find a video." The video was a short documentary about FEMA's response to Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
and their use of paramilitaries
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
. The "shadowy military unit" then patiently waits until the documentary ends to resume its search for Hawkins.
Countdowns sponsor, AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
, is very heavily promoted in the series using product placement
Product placement
Product placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the...
. Nearly all dialog takes place as SMS
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
messages on an AT&T cellular phone, and a full-screen AT&T logo appears in every episode when Hawkins views the expert interviews. This web-based programming is not accessible from outside of the United States.
JenningsandRall.com
Created for the Tom Tooman game, JenningsandRall.com is the purported website of Jennings & Rall, the corporate giant which plays an increasingly prominent role in the second season of the series. The site contains a wealth of information about the company's post-holocaust global operations, with significant hints regarding events in the show.On November 1, 2008, the domain name jenningsandrall.com expired. The site can still be viewed, however, at jenningsandrall.tomtooman.com.
Tom Tooman
Tom Tooman is an alternate reality gameAlternate reality game
An alternate reality game is an interactive narrative that uses the real world as a platform, often involving multiple media and game elements, to tell a story that may be affected by participants' ideas or actions....
that CBS ran in conjunction with Jericho beginning in August 2007. The game began with a cryptic letter posted on a web site, supposedly from a Tom Tooman of Lame Deer, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. This letter was accompanied by a series of bar codes, some with decimal numbers and others with Mayan numbers
Maya numerals
Maya Numerals were a vigesimal numeral system used by the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization.The numerals are made up of three symbols; zero , one and five...
. These numbers were used to create an IP address
IP address
An Internet Protocol address is a numerical label assigned to each device participating in a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two principal functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing...
for a second website. More clues were released, as well as a blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
on the CBS web site connecting the game with Jericho. The game abruptly ended with the cancellation of the series, with no closure offered. A synopsis of the game and the puzzles appear at TomTooman.com.
See also
- Continuity of Operations PlanContinuity of Operations PlanContinuity of Operations is a United States Federal initiative, required by Presidential directive, to ensure that agencies are able to continue performance of essential functions under a broad range of circumstances....
– the Continuity of GovernmentContinuity of governmentContinuity of government is the principle of establishing defined procedures that allow a government to continue its essential operations in case of nuclear war or other catastrophic event....
plan for the U.S. governmentFederal government of the United StatesThe federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and... - List of nuclear holocaust fiction
- Nuclear War Survival SkillsNuclear war survival skillsNuclear War Survival Skills or NWSS by Cresson Kearny is a civil defense manual. It contains information gleaned from research performed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory during the Cold War, as well as from Kearny's extensive jungle living and international travels.The book aims to provide a...
– the official nuclear Civil DefenseCivil defenseCivil defense, civil defence or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state from military attack. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation, and recovery...
manual from United States Department of DefenseUnited States Department of DefenseThe United States Department of Defense is the U.S... - Nuclear weapons in popular cultureNuclear weapons in popular cultureSince their public debut in August 1945, nuclear weapons and their potential effects have been a recurring motif in popular culture, to the extent that the decades of the Cold War are often referred to as the "atomic age."-Images of nuclear weapons:...
- SurvivalismSurvivalismSurvivalism is a movement of individuals or groups who are actively preparing for future possible disruptions in local, regional, national, or international social or political order...