Jericho by Cliff Lipson/CBS
As most of you know, what should have been Jericho’s Season 2 finale tonight is now officially the final episode ever of the much buzzed about series. It appears as though no amount of peanuts in this world will be bringing it back from the grave this time around. *Tear* So alas, we bring you not only a sneak peak of tonight’s closing episode, but an exclusive interview with Jake (Skeet Ulrich)—right before news broke of the show’s cancellation and includes what he had to say about his shows ‘undetermined’ future. Watch the preview.Watch the interview with Skeet.
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Skeet Ulrich and Ashley Scott by Michael Desmond/CBS
Might the folks of Jericho have some fight left in them after all? Not long after CBS announced its decision not to renew the drama for a third season (and thus air a series finale Tuesday night), I spoke with executive producer Carol Barbee about the sad news, the show's "amazing" fans, and this week's "emotionally satisfying" conclusion.TVGuide.com: I'm sorry to hear about the show. We were big fans of it here.Carol Barbee: You guys were great. I really appreciate it.TVGuide.com: When did you get word about CBS' decision?Barbee: Friday. I knew that they had an internal meeting on Thursday, to decide which of the endings we were going to show. At that time they gave us permission to speak to the cast, because we had requested to have 24 hours to speak to them, which I did on the phone, before it went out to the general public.TVGuide.com: The response on our news blog was astounding, and I've seen two common refrains from the readers. Some are saying that the fans didn’t fulfi...
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Question: Ironically, your March 14 column responds to a viewer by saying "Keep in mind that many more people are watching their favorite shows on a different schedule, thanks to DVRs, or even on a different screen, in the case of streaming video online or downloads," yet you fail to extrapolate that to the impact Jericho has had since day one. Your answer, in large part, was brought to network attention by the Jericho fans' nuts campaign which underscored the Nielsen ratings' inability to accurately measure the true viewership facilitated by today's technology. Yet it is this same faulty ruler that seems to hold significant power with the networks, their sponsors and those who write about TV. I give CBS enormous credit for understanding that the passionate Jericho fan base is much larger than is reflected by an antiquated ratings system. Hopefully, CBS and their advertisers will read their fan mail and not your columns when they print their schedule for Fall 2008. No television ...
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Skeet Ulrich in Jericho by Cliff Lipson/CBS
National upheaval caused by a nuclear assault? Easy. Nielsen ratings? Hard. Despite efforts from zealous fans to keep Jericho alive — including the now-famous peanut incident — Tuesday's episode will be its last."The March 25 episode... will be the series finale," CBS entertainment boss Nina Tassler says in a statement. "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."Two "finales" were filmed for Tuesday: one that left viewers with a cliff-hanger (in the event of a Season 3), and one that resolves things a bit more. The latter edit, now headed to your screens, will leave fans "not too happy," Skeet Ulrich confirmed in this Mitovich Mega Minute Q&A (at the 3:00 ma...
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Time's running out for Jericho! Whether fans choose to acknowledge this possibility, CBS will most likely decline bringing this critically acclaimed show back for a third season. The creators of Jericho did shoot two different endings for next week's episode, and the decision by CBS will determine whether it will function as a season or series finale. I hope that if CBS does pass on another season that the Sci-Fi Channel, which airs Jericho reruns, will pick it up.Tonight's episode was rather quiet, acknowledging the ramifications of the battle with Goetz and Jennings & Rall. To avoid more bloodshed, Jake decided that it would be the best course of action to give himself over to Major Beck. With Jake's surrender, he offered Beck terms so no one else would be implicated. Beck accepted Jake's surrender, but would not acknowledge Jake's provisions. In "Sedition," I ultimately lost the little remaining respect I had left for Major Beck. For a seemingly intelligent soldier, Beck's kn...
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The murder of Ravenwood weasel Goetz simply cannot be good for Jericho's Jake. Will our town hero take one for the team? In this new Mitovich Mega Minute video Q&A, Skeet Ulrich previews the fallout kicking off Tuesday at 10 pm/ET, and also ponders the CBS cult hit's uncertain future. Enjoy!
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Question: How awesome was last week's Jericho!? I hadn't seen the show last season, catching up thanks to an all-day marathon prior to season two starting up. And I am so glad I checked it out! Even in the crunched, lean and mean seven-episode season, there has been so much good and so much bad — and by bad I mean heartache and pain. Bonnie's death was so perfect to the storyline, and while it's sad to see the character go, it was great the way it played out. I really think CBS could have a strong Season 3 on its hands if an actual civil war breaks out by this season's end — the microview of a regular town magnified by a surrounding war, brothers taking up arms for their country. What is the hope for a future for Jericho?
Answer: I'll never say never, because it's Jericho we're talking about, after all. But I'd be lying if I said it looked good. I agree the show has hit a new stride with Bonnie's death and the violent retribution against D.B. Sweeney's Goetz in last week's episode, but
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D.B. Sweeney on Jericho by Robert Voets/CBS
Posted by gfrisch...Cheers to D.B. Sweeney's creepy performance as the scowling Ravenwood town administrator Goetz on Jericho. Sweeney made a name playing young, misguided but mostly charming characters, but he's reinvented himself as a bureaucrat who will stop at nothing to tighten his totalitarian grip on the town of Jericho. And I want one of those cool Ravenwood polo shirts!• For more Cheers & Jeers, check out the new vodcast.• Share your own raves and rants about other shows on the Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board.• We may feature your Cheer or Jeer on TVGuide.com or in TV Guide magazine!
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Question: I am under the impression that Jericho's comeback was only to conclude the series and give closure to the fans. Is this correct? I heard the network had no intention to continue Jericho, which would explain the fast pace of working through the story. I am one of those fans who felt that the premise of the original storyline was good. It needed work, but it had potential. I waited each week for each show, largely because it was a story that created great discussion based on intelligent thoughts. There isn't much to talk about with most commercial television programming other than, "Did you see the cat fight between Barb and Cindy last night?" Jericho is much better than one more crime or reality/sex/conflict show. Sex, swearing, murder, blood and gore used to be reserved for after 9 pm. Jericho has a little darker storyline, but all ages enjoy it, talk about it and don't have to be afraid of its content, at least so far. I watch very little television, and I have access to ...
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Verisimilitude.Not only is this one of the neatest sounding words in the English language, "Verisimilitude" essentially means something that is true or something that has the appearance of truth. I first learned of this word through documentaries about Superman: The Movie. Director Richard Donner prepared his staff for filming by hanging sign on their office walls containing the word "verisimilitude" with Superman's figure hovering above it. Donner succeeded in lacing the movie with human candor, so that a man flying in blue and red tights would be taken seriously."End of the World Films" have inundated the film medium in recent years, Independence Day being the most high profile vehicle. That movie went the more comedic route, portraying outrageous characters and their unbelievable feats. But what this film lacked was the "verisimilitude" needed to truly bring these characters to life.Jericho's "Termination for Cause" packed an emotional wallop that I have rarely experienced in ...
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