We were in the middle of our normal late-afternoon routine, just trolling the Internet, looking for bits of information we may have missed - or just something to kill the next two hours - when we came upon this sobering news: those crazy Jericho fans brought the show back from the dead. CBS will produce seven episodes of the first-year cult hit, air them in the middle of next season...and hope like hell no one watches so they can say they "wanted it to live on," but think to themselves, "that bitch is dead, y'all."
This type of network gladhanding is nothing new, of course. Fox used the same tactic with Arrested Development for three years, and NBC, sadly, is doing the same with Friday Night Lights. The suits greenlight another season of a critically-adored, viewing public-ignored show and then do the following: frequently shift its time slot, cut back on the number of episodes, air shows maddeningly out of sequence.
So, why does this Jericho renewal piss us off so much? Because it's fucking Jericho! If you've seen this show, you know this isn't quality TV. Jericho is a badly written, miscast armageddon melodrama that's sole selling point is a leading man best known for taking Neve Campbell's virginity just before attempting to murder her. Bringing it back only further solidifies the notion that network programmers don't care about merit, just money. Jericho is a sci-fi show, and most sci-fi fans are men - white men - aged 18-49. Advertising gold.
That's why we'll be seeing more Jericho - greed. Fuck Gordon Gekko. Fuck CBS. At any rate, here's a brief list of past shows with just as large a fan base as Jericho's, but not the advertising potential.
1. Freaks and Geeks - After The 40 Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, do you think NBC would even consider dropping Judd Apatow & Co. now?
2. Homicide: Life on the Street - Without this, The Wire wouldn't exist, and that's reason enough.
3. Undeclared - See number one.
4. Wonderfalls - Too high-concept for TV then, probably too high-concept now.
5. Action - Think Entourage with more edge and less ego.
6. Everwood - They brought back 7th Heaven - for one year! - and gave this smart, grounded family show the axe.
7. Sports Night - The lack of a laugh track made it a little too ahead of its time.
8. The Job - This was Rescue Me with cops instead of firefighters, but ABC couldn't figure out how to sell it.
9. The Critic - Yes, Jon Lovitz's voice is annoying, but the writing here was as good as any Simpsons episode post-season eight.
10. Cupid - Jeremy Piven plays a good asshole. He used to be able to play a forgiveable asshole, too.
It's official: Jericho renewed! [TV Guide]
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