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| Producers have been told the show is ending its run on the broadcast network, sources said. CBS will air the season finale on Tuesday with an ending that helps give closure to fans. entirely slam the door on the series, but is different than the cliffhanger version, sources said. It also doesn't preclude the possibility of "Jericho" finding a second life on cable, though the economics of the production will likely prevent a continuation of the show. The most recent episodes of "Jericho" have averaged about a 1.9 rating among adults 18 to 49 during their Tuesdays at 10 p.m. time period. CBS declined comment, though a formal announcement is expected later today. |
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Jericho, the TV drama portraying the aftermath of nuclear attacks on the United States, has been cancelled by CBS, despite viewers' protests. The network said the programme, seen on ITV and Hallmark in the UK, had low ratings despite its "passionate" fans. Last year some of them sent 40,000lb (18,100kg) of peanuts - a reference to a line of dialogue - to CBS when it announced Jericho was being scrapped. CBS made more seven episodes, but Tuesday's edition is to be the last. "Without question, there are passionate viewers watching this programme," said Nina Tassler, the network's entertainment president, in a statement issued to the Associated Press. "We simply wish there were more," she added. "We have no regrets bringing the show back for a second try." An online campaign led to CBS being deluged by deliveries of peanuts last May. It was linked to a remark by the character played by Skeet Ulrich at the end of the first series. Towards the end of that season, Jericho had been attracting about 10.5 million viewers per episode. But when the first of the seven additional shows was screened in February, its audience fell to some 8.1 million people, dropping further as the run continued. Story from BBC NEWS: |
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| Jericho Seeks A New Home Carol Barbee, executive producer of CBS' canceled post-apocalyptic series Jericho, told SCI FI Wire that talks are ongoing to find the show another home, perhaps on a cable network. "I can't really say [much] about specifics, and, ... partially, it's because I'm not the one having those conversations," Barbee said in an interview on March 24, the eve of the show's final episode. "[CBS] Paramount [Television, which produces the show,] has been pursing it, and our agents have been into that, so, you know, I am pushing those people and coming up with ideas to have those people pursue." Barbee wouldn't offer details about any talks. "There were several ideas that have been floated, and there was some interest, but we'll have to see," she said. "It wasn't something that could be sewn up before we were going to air the finale. ... It would have been better had we been able to announce one with the other, but it just didn't happen that fast." Barbee said that she and the show's cast and crew got official word of the show's cancellation at the end of last week, in time to choose one of two endings for the season finale: A cliffhanger or a series ender. "We were told that they were having a meeting on Thursday, ... internally at CBS, to decide which of the endings to show for this Tuesday night's finale, and then we were given the heads up after that meeting that they were going to show the alternate [ending, with the series finale], which obviously to us meant that we were going to finish our run on CBS," Barbee said. Barbee asked CBS to delay its formal announcement for 24 hours so she could inform the cast and crew; the news broke on Friday. If Jericho is not picked up for another season by a TV network, Barbee said that she could envision it living on in some other form. "There's definitely an Internet series to be had, and we always talked about a graphic novel, and ... a movie," Barbee said. "I mean, there are lots of things that I could easily see as a way to continue the story." But time may be running out. Jericho wrapped its second season of episodes back in November, just as the writers' strike was beginning. Since then, the cast and crew have been freed to pursue other projects, and the show's sets and backlot have been dismantled and either destroyed or put into storage. Barbee herself has moved on to another series, Swingtown, created by Jericho alumnus Mike Kelley, about the lives of couples experimenting with sexual and social mores in a 1970s Chicago suburb, which will air on CBS this summer and is shooting on the same stages once occupied by Jericho. Looking back on Jericho, Barbee was pleased that it attracted a core of diehard fans who were responsible for getting CBS to resurrect the show for a second season. "We appreciated the second life that we had, and we feel like we've made the most of it, and we will just be forever indebted to the fans for taking us on this amazing ride," she said. "I think it will always be a highlight in our careers, that we got to be a part of that." |
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| Jericho Fans Buy TV Ads Fans of the twice-cancelled CBS series Jericho are continuing their campaign to bring the show back by sponsoring more than 200 local ad spots to air on cable TV stations in the Los Angeles area. The group, dubbed the "Jericho Rangers," has already purchased a print ad in Variety and rented a billboard in downtown Los Angeles to show their support for the series and help find it a new broadcast home. The group paid for the advertising time through a fundraising campaign which generated more than $6,000 in the past three weeks. The fan-created 30-second ad features a voiceover provided by actor Brad Beyer, who played Stanley Richmond on the show. It's scheduled to air for 10 days, beginning June 12th, during several popular cable shows, including Ghost Hunters on SCI FI Channel and Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel. The ad will also be hosted at the group's official site, SaveJerichoAgain.com. Jericho was cancelled for the first time last year after one season. CBS brought it back for seven more episodes in early 2008 in response to the efforts of fans, who sent in bags of nuts in support of the show. After the new episodes earned lackluster ratings, CBS decided not to renew the show for fall. |
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| Cast Endorses Jericho Movie Brad Beyer and Ashley Scott, two of the stars of the twice-canceled CBS show Jericho, told journalists that they have been hearing rumors of a possible feature-film version and would be interested in doing it if the opportunity presented itself. "We got here and caught wind of a possible movie idea, which we thought was really good," Scott said in an interview at the Saturn Awards in Universal City, Calif., on June 24, where she and Beyer were acting as presenters. "I think Brad had heard about it online the other day, and I just heard tonight, and I thought that would be really wonderful, wouldn't it? Kind of put a closing on it." Jericho was canceled after the end of its first season in 2007, but returned for seven additional episodes earlier this year after a fan campaign convinced CBS to bring the show back. It was canceled again after the episodes aired to mediocre ratings. Beyer, who played farmer Stanley Richmond, said that he would like to see the film cover the escalating civil war between the remaining survivors of a nuclear attack in the U.S. "We kind of feel like it needs some closure, because it still feels kind of weird," Beyer said. "I mean, we didn't get to a whole second season. ... I think you can do a lot more with it. I think there's a lot of different ways you can go with the story." Fans of the show are currently campaigning for another network to pick the show up. Both actors said that they would gladly come back, whether it be for a feature film or a new incarnation of the series. "I think we're all very passionate about the show." said Scott, who played Emily Sullivan. "We have been from the moment I read the script, the first script, the pilot. I think we're all very passionate about it. We're so thankful that our fans have been so incredible. It's been such a blessing to know that we're thought of that way. I think, at least speaking for myself, I know I'd be back." Beyer added: "Yeah. I think everybody that I keep in contact with would definitely jump on board with it. ... We're all pretty much open to it. It was such a great, positive experience, why wouldn't we want to do it again?" |