It came from the ashes of network cancellation (an almost impossible feat in TV land nowadays), thanks to a small band of loyal fans, but the post-apocalyptic/conspiracy show Jericho has finally met its match: small but loyal viewers, but too small, as it turns out. As a result, CBS has officially announced the show’s second cancellation, which means this upcoming Tuesday’s episode will be the show’s last on CBS. Where does it go from here?
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Networks rarely reverse a show’s cancellation, but CBS has proven its flexibility at least once before. In 1983, after “Cagney & Lacey” was canceled and the network was bombarded with protests, the police drama was brought back in 1984 — and ran successfully until 1988.
The network also likely took into consideration the dent a long hiatus put in the show’s viewership.
Last fall, “Jericho” was averaging 10.5 million viewers. When it returned in the spring, it drew about 8.1 million, about a 23 percent decline from the first half of the season. It’s been averaging about 6 million viewers in its current run.
So what now for Jericho? There was already talk of Jericho finding a new home on basic cable, which would be less demanding on high ratings. One potential channel could be the Sci Fi Channel, which has been known to hang onto shows after the networks discard them.
