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Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Jericho fans speak out on show’s cancellation

Photo: Jericho, CBS

Jericho fans, I’ll give you this: You’re a committed, passionate bunch when it comes to trying to save your show.

I had no idea that the CBS show Jericho had so many fans, and I’m not sure CBS did either.

After the show was cancelled last week, my inbox has been flooded with e-mails from passionate fans begging the network to give it another chance. The fans even set a Tube Talk record for the number of comments left on a single blog post and the number of visitors to this site in a single day. I can only imagine the onslaught of mail CBS has been receiving.

In a shocking move that shows perhaps that networks do take fan reaction into consideration, the network executives are meeting this week to discuss how CBS can let fans know how the Jericho story would have ended, according to the L.A. Times.

That’s a decent thing to do, and CBS gets points from me for doing this. But, honestly, it’s a win for the network and for the fans to give closure, because how many more times will fans commit to a serialized drama, when networks drop them so quickly, mid-story? If networks want great ratings, then they should give viewers some assurances that the shows they fall in love with won’t stop mid-storyline. (I’m still ticked that we’ll never know what happened on Invasion.)

On the official CBS Jericho Web page, Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment, told fans that the network hopes to somehow provide closure for the series. Tassler wrote this message for fans:

"We have read your emails over the past few days and have been touched by the depth and passion with which you have expressed your disappointment. Please know that canceling a television series is a very difficult decision. Hundreds of people at the Network, the production company and the incredibly-talented creative team worked very hard to build and serve the community for this show — both on-air and online. It is a show we loved too. Thank you for supporting Jericho with such passion. We truly appreciate the commitment you made to the series and we are humbled by your disappointment. In the coming weeks, we hope to develop a way to provide closure to the compelling drama that was the Jericho story."

Actors from the show have also posted messages on the CBS board about the cancellation.

Although I never got on the Jericho bandwagon, I certainly believe in helping out fans when their favorite shows get kicked to the curb. I’ve been there myself with Veronica Mars, Invasion, etc. I don’t think the Jericho fans will be investing in a sky-writing campaign (R.I.P. Veronica) or a ferris wheel gimmick to save the show (R.I.P. Everwood,) but they’ve set up several Web sites and petitions and have embarked on a nuts campaign that is taking the nation by storm. Check out the links below.

http://www.nutsonline.com/jericho

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/jericho/

http://savejericho.wetpaint.com

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?09272006

http://www.savejericho.info/

http://www.jerichorallypoint.com/sm/index.php

http://savejericho.blogspot.com/

http://youchoose.net/pledge/save_jericho/from/xavierr

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

You forgot to mention the NUTS campaign. As of today, fans have sent 11380 pounds of nuts to CBS headquarters inNew York.

http://www.nutsonline.com/jericho

Anonymous said...

You may have missed it ( don't know how) how about 11,000 pounds of nut delivered from nutsonline.com and soon a Varirty full page ad. We won't give up & we stop till we get a second season.

SAVE JERICHO
NUTS TO CBS

Anonymous said...

*ahem* As a Jericho fan I wanted to commend you and thaank you for your well written words, just a few things for the record though;
1. We do not want a movie, we want another season
2. no we don't have a ferris wheel, what we do have , over 10,000lbs of nuts being delivered in 2 TON deliveries (160 boxes at 25/26 lbs per box) DAILY to The Black Rock (aka CBS Headquarters) in NYC
3. We have a full Page ad in Variety (next Wednesday's edition Look for it)
4. We have the unwavering support of the cast and crew (as proven by Ashley Scott's recent "It infuriates me." interview with EW
5. We have People painting their cars for the rush hour commute.
6. We have Save Jericho Bumper stickers, T shirts etc. (check eBay and search save Jericho)
7. We have YouTube - and Baginz Who Boldly Walked right down the receiving ramp into the Black Rock to film a shipment of nuts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoxePewKK8o
Best of all, we have done all of this since May 16 (one week ago yesterday)
and not all of the fans even know the show is canceled yet, hourly at the rally point and on the Jericho / CBS message boards new people are coming out of the woodwork expressing heir shock and disappointment at the cancellation of Jericho.
This is what we DO have, which is what I hope CBS or an alternative network will notice, so to you as one who came before and succeeded with Veronica Mars I say Thank You, and To CBS I say N.U.T.S. ! (Not Understand Term Surrender)

Anonymous said...

In one week's time, fans have spent $15,752 for nuts from one single vendor. In addition, over $7,000 has been raised for the Variety ad. That's an incredible feat and demonstrates our commitment to this cause.

tube talk girl said...

The story has been updated with the Nuts campaign info. Thanks for all your e-mails letting me know about it! Good Luck, folks!

Anonymous said...

This is my first involvement with such a process, but like the millions of other folks enthralled by this show, I speak for my family when I ask for its return. It has been a show that is replete with intelligence and genuine humor...elements missing from most formulaic television these days.

There are plenty of reality shows on television...they are called sporting events. I don't need to see little kids build a society or some snotty judge berate some clown who shouldn't even sing in the shower. I need to see Jericho! I'm a small voice...but small voices that sing together become a large choir.

You see, CBS...I'm just NUTS about this show...unlike any I've watched in a long time.

Scott

Anonymous said...

Jericho wasn't just an average/ordinary show and neither are we just average/ordinary fans. Thanks for the write up and helping the cause. We won't stop until Jericho is back!

Anonymous said...

You are missing the point. It isn't about closure for the Jericho fans. The movie that has been talked about it unacceptable. If that is what CBS does, I expect its ratings to be somewhere below Mr. Rogers on PBS. We want a second season, and no other solution will be acceptable.

Anonymous said...

We arent fighting for closure, we are fighting for continuation. This is a good show with a dedicated fanbase that CBS could turn into a goldmine if it was handled correctly. How many cancelled shows have raised 20K+ in a week? Sponsors should eat that up.

north said...

First of all, thank you for your coverage.
It is obvious to everyone by now that this is a well-educated, motivated international group of fans. What has been accomplished in such a short period of time (e-mails, letters, faxes, thousands of pounds of nuts, even a Variety ad...)is truly remarkable and unprecedented.
Like others, I have never participated in anything like this before. I am a college graduate, a marketing executive, and the mother of 4. I think you would agree that doesn't fit the typical profile of a 'rabid' fan - and I am not unique in this group.
If CBS does not agree to our request (demand might be a better word), I intend to express my feelings with my remote control and my discretionary income.
Thanks again for your article. Now, how do we get coverage in the USAToday newspaper?

Anonymous said...

The fight to Save Jericho is more a war against Reality TV, a false and misleading Ratings system, and the dumbing down of America.

CBS is planning to replace Jericho with yet another Reality show. Some of us care about quality scripted programming.

CBS pulled Jericho for a crushing 11 weeks when its ratings were very high. When it returned it faced off against American Idol. Jericho still finished a solid second after Idol week after week. It is a show that has a loyal fan base. And those are just the ones being counted by Nielson!

Reality TV is killing our industry.
As a writer, I would hope that you would be supportive of the written word.

Actors, directors, set builders, props masters, crews of all kinds and writers are being harmed by Reality TV.

The 3 tons of nuts en route to CBS and over 70, 000 on the petition to Save Jericho is just the beginning.

http://www.nutsonline.com/jericho

CBS switchboards have gone down several times due to phone calls. Most major CBS execs have had to change their email due to the heavy volume of Jericho fans speaking out. The CBS.Com message boards are going insane with posts. Dancing Peanuts to protest in from of CBS and full page ads in Variety are being planned.


Save Television! Save Jericho!

Anonymous said...

We want more than just "closure" - we want a FULL NEW SEASON of Jericho!

Nuts to CBS!

www.jericholives.com

Melissa said...

Thank you for your post. I'm so upset at the cancellation of a show that was the only show that my husband and I have ever watched together.
I can only hope that CBS will reconsider

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the post. SAVE JERICHO! WE WANT SEASON 2!!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for posting such a great article! We need all the help we can get..even if the news is a little outdated!!

DEDICATED JERICHO FANS DO NOT WANT, I REPEAT..DO NOT WANT..a wrap up show of any kind. We want SEASON 2!!!

We have $$ and we are the new generaltion of online, interative fans..let's show them what we're made of!

www.nutsonline.com/jericho

Dont let CBS win this battle...change the way these tv networks view their shows and the viewers FOREVER...

This is about more than Jericho..its old media vs new media and old way of metering viewers vs the new media revolution.

CBS built an immense online presense for JERICHO, encouraged people to get involved and watch the show online and now they are taking Jericho away...

CBS bemoans the demo and how the young people are not watching on TV..hello?? They are watching on TV and online on the platform YOU built and encouraged people to use..

The Nielsens have been a flawed way of looking at viewing habits of TV shows for years...Are you going to let the select few with those precious Nielsen meters decide what the REST of us are going to watch???

Again this fight is important to Jericho but more important that we the viewers be heard about how popularity of tv shows are figured out now in this new age..

If you are sick and tired of these holier than thou network executives disrespecting audiences by putting shows on and then yanking them off the air or bouncing them around the schedule with ruthless disregard for its audience...this is your fight..

If your sick and tired of being force fed this reality tv show garbage like a crack addict then this is your fight !!

If you want the networks to give us more quality original programming that is not a spin off or rip off of another series...then this is your fight.

If your a cable tv fan who wants a show to be able to come back to the networks for..then this is your fight

If television itself is ever going to evolve back into what it was meant to be...then this is your fight..

In the end even if we do not prevail in this battle, CBS will surely know we were here and we will have left a mark on CBS for years to come....

CBS and its egomaniacal executives have to be reminded that yes we the audience DO matter.

These days ahead are long and treacherous and we are dealing with a billion dollar heartless corporation..remember we are their viewing public, if we do not win this we can ultimately win by NOT watching CBS.

CBS would think they won in the short run but in the long run they will be the true losers...

Now push ahead and speak out to the media and all who will hear you...

Get up off your chairs and couches and do something...MAKE A DIFFERENCE !!!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your coverage of our efforts. Is there any way this will make it into News paper if so I like to purchase a copy when it does.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the coverage. We want season 2 though. But Sign the petition and send more nuts folks! NUTS to CBS! Go Jericho Rangers!

Anonymous said...

Jennifer--thanks for lending your voice to the cause.

I want to underscore that the memo from Nina Tassler came out almost a week ago. Since then, nothing but vague word that CBS is "meeting" about the outcry.

I think that CBS has a major PR crisis on their hands and they aren't sure just what to do next other than to pray that the whole issue will blow over with the Memorial Day weekend.

If CBS thinks this is going to happen they are going to have a major "wake-up call" to face next week.

Getting "Jericho'd" by the viewers has probably just entered the broadcast industry lexicon. Rise or fall with this effort, I don't think this is something the industry will forget anytime soon.

Thanks again!

Heather said...

Jericho fans have purchased a full page ad in Variety magazine and have sent over 14,000 pounds of nuts to CBS. Please show your support by sending nuts, writing letters, sending emails, and calling CBS.

Anonymous said...

The nut total now stands at over 17,000 pounds. There is also an online petition with over 80,000 signatures. In addition to the Variety Ad, Jericho fans are also donating for an ad in the Hollywood reporter.

We do not want closure, we want continuation. CBS needs to be aware of this, as that will be the obly acceptable solution to this outcry.

NUTS TO CBS

xabistuff said...

I wanted to let you know that YouChoose also has an active petition to Save Jericho. We also allow signers to create their own personal page in support of the show. As we are the first social network to combine networking with activism, we would appreciate your support and a change in your link to our petition on YouChoose.
http://www.youchoose.net/pledge/save_jericho/from/xavierr

xabistuff said...

I wanted to let you know that YouChoose also has an active petition to Save Jericho. We also allow signers to create their own personal page in support of the show. As we are the first social network to combine networking with activism, we would appreciate your support and a change in your link to our petition on YouChoose.
http://youchoose.net/pledge/save_jericho/from/xavierr

We also offer ‘widget’s for the campaign to promote on your site here: http://www.youchoose.net/views/linkto.php

tube talk girl said...

OK, XABISTUFF, I put up your link!

xabistuff said...

i personally love the show Jericho on CBS, i am very happy this show on air back again! help me keep Jericho stay on air by signing the petition on Youchoose. this is to let CBS know were always tuned in the show.. check it out and tell everybody YouChoose.
http://www.youchoose.net/pledge/jerichos_back_lets_keep_it_back/from/xavierr

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