Ancient Cities

So earlier in the week we told you about CBS canceling Viva Laughlin, one of the worst new shows of the year without a doubt! However with that cancellation came an open timeslot one that many had thought Jericho might grab a hold of. Well it turns out that CBS is placing the 12th season of the Emmy award winning Amazing Race into the time slot at the begining of November. What does this mean for Jericho?

Well more then likely this means that Jericho won’t be returning in the calendar year of 2007. There are seven episodes and I would imagine they are going to show them in seven consecutive weeks. If the show wasn’t going to premiere during the November sweeps then we all know its not going to be airing in December. So for all you hopefuls out there, I think the news of the Amazing Race confirms that Jericho will not be making a return in the calendar year of 2007, but more likely at the begining of 2008.

I don’t particularly believe that Jericho will be launching on Halloween, however our friends over at SyFy Portal have posted an article claiming that there is a good chance of it. Why you might ask? Well CBS just pulled Viva Laughlin which was there musical drama that was just pounded by editors and viewers alike and they pulled it after two weeks. Here is what SyFy Portal had to say:

Following what could be described as a CW-quality audience, CBS looks to be readying to pull the plug from its new show “Viva Laughlin,” making it the network’s first casualty of the season.

So what will replace it? The Amazing Race Most likely. But there’s still a chance — even a slight one — that CBS could be gearing “Jericho” up for a debut that may happen in weeks rather than months.

“Viva Laughlin” scored a 5.8 rating/10 share according to Fast National Ratings from Nielsen Media Research, but its rating in the key audience demographic of adults 18 to 49 was dismal — a 1.2. So while “Viva Laughlin” may have finished just ahead of “Big Shots” on ABC, the show lost more than half of its audience from its “CSI” lead-in.

Unfortunately, with a writers strike less than a couple weeks away, it’s likely that CBS may save “Jericho” until mid-season when scripted programs will be at much more of a premium. Plus, according to TV Guide’s Stephen Battaglio, the network may want a few weeks to promote the show’s premiere, something it wouldn’t get if it had to fill “Viva Laughlin’s” spot just before November sweeps.

Although I agree much more with that the fact that Amazing Race could fill in the void I suppose there is always the outside chance now that Viva Laughlin has been officially canceled that Jericho could return to TV sooner then we think!

There were two amazingly huge shockers to Jericho at the end of last season that really through everyone for a loop. First off, Gerald McRaney’s character Johnston Green was killed off, something that I know I in particular was not a huge fan of, and secondly the cancellation and re-admitting of Jericho. However SyFy Portal is reporting not only is Gerald McRaney not coming back for the short second season (it would be hard since he is dead) but his on scree wife played by Pamela Reed didn’t get signed in for it as well. Here is what SyFy Portal has to say:

Just because she is without a contract doesn’t mean she’s necessarily off the show as she is scheduled to appear in at least one of the short-order episodes already produced for the show’s abbreviated second season. But it does mean that if “Jericho” is to survive for a third season, it could do so without Mrs. Green.

Reed was one of several actors from the show that was providing support to fans trying to revive “Jericho” after CBS had canceled it last May. She is best known for her roles in the film “Kindergarten Cop” and the HBO series “Tanner ‘88.”

It’s still unclear when the already-produced episodes of “Jericho” will air, but it could come as a mid-season replacement as early as next month, but more likely in early 2008.

So that is very interesting news, something I wasn’t expecting. Although I didn’t find her acting to be overly impressive it is still sad to hear that more of the show will be missing, although she might have just got in the way of Jake and gang for the upcoming season. Check out the full article by going over to SyFy Portal.

Ever since Jericho was canceled and re-opened by CBS, we have seen just a huge cry out from its fans on information on the upcoming season. TVSquad has there weekly rumor mill where they share list of new rumors/spoilers that they have compiled over the last week. In terms of Jericho they have had a few and they actually added a new one this week. Here it is:

The main characters will fight for their lives against an opponent much bigger than they are. Heather is not dead.

So not necessarily ground breaking, but with the lack of Jericho news, any news is good news in our eyes! Go check out TVSquad for more rumors!

We all heard the news late last week that CBS could be bringing Jericho back sooner then we originally expected, and with that announcement comes word that the production of Jericho has finished up and that we should be ready to get our taste of Jericho again very soon. Here is what MonsterandCritics.com had to say:

The seven-episode second season of “Jericho” has wrapped production reports TV Guide.

According to producers, if “Kid Nation,” “Cane,” “Moonlight” or the upcoming “Viva Laughlin” falters in the ratings, CBS is considering open firing with “Jericho,” and if not a January start date will be targeted.

Multiple endings have been shot for the finale to ensure fans are not left in a lurch, while the “Jericho” producers are shopping the show around again as it is likely CBS will not renew it.

This may be the news that any Jericho fan has been waiting for, the news that Jericho is ready to go, and could be coming back on CBS at any time. We had reported earlier that we would be expecting the show to go for a February-March 2008 release. However according to TV.com, Jericho could be coming back sooner then we think:

CBS had originally planned to have the sophomore season of the cult favorite air during the midseason, which would mean an early 2008 premiere.

However, fans may see the fruits of their nut-tastic “Save Jericho” campaign pay off even earlier. Jericho is being eyed by the network as a possible replacement should one of CBS’s new shows fail and be canceled, according to TVWeek.com.

Jericho’s shortened season–one of the caveats CBS had in bringing the show back for a second run–has already wrapped and is “ready to go,” CBS scheduling head Kelly Kahl told TVWeek.

Should one of CBS’s new hour-long shows–such as Moonlight, Kid Nation, Cane, or Viva Laughlin–get canceled, CBS may opt to get Jericho up and running rather than fill the vacant slot with repeats. And if the history of shows getting axed within weeks of their premieres is anything to consider, that could mean Jericho may return to television soon.

Of the aforementioned new CBS shows, all have debuted except for Viva Laughlin, which premieres in its regular time slot on Sunday, October 21.

As for the people behind the show, they’d love to see it get back on television immediately. “There’s definite concern [about viewer interest waning], which is why we hope to get on the air as soon as possible,” show creator Carol Barbee told TVWeek.

Although yesterday was a big day for Jericho with the release of the Season 1 DVD, it has been rather slim pickings for new information or any sort of content related to Jericho to be readily available. However an interview has just been conducted with Sprague Grayden who does play Heather on Jericho. She has some interesting insight into the shortened season and states that her role in some ways grows but her character’s back story has been axed. Here is some of the interview from BuddyTV:

Series actress Sprague Grayden, who plays Heather Lisinki, said fans should not expect the show’s second season to provide more back stories for the characters, including hers.

“As far as I know in the second season, the plan was always to give more back story to Heather. But because our second season is so short, nobody is getting more back story,” Grayden told UnderGroundOnline. “The only people who are getting more are necessary to the plot, like Jake [Skeet Ulrich].”

The 27-year-old actress, however, said that her character will be seeing more action in the upcoming season of Jericho, as she gets more involved in the major storyline.

“Heather is so much more involved in the overall storyline than she ever was before,” she said. “In that way, I think the fans will be thrilled, but there’s only so much you can do with seven [episodes].”
Sprague Grayden also said that while she doesn’t think a romantic relationship between Jake and Heather is “ever out of the cards,” the new season is more about “Heather standing on her own two feet and becoming a woman.”

When asked how her character came out of New Bern alive, Grayden refused to give any details, saying she and everyone involved with the show have been ordered to keep mum about the new season.

“We’re not even allowed to throw away our pages,” she said with a laugh. “We have to go to work and get them shredded.”

She was, however, very generous when it came to praising Jericho’s fans, who rallied together in a unique campaign that ultimately convinced CBS to give the show another chance.

“We’re completely indebted to them,” she told UGO. “We’re part of something that people have chosen to believe in. There’s such a responsibility that comes with that… For me, I’ve never ever seen a reaction to a character I’ve played like the reaction to Heather. It feels amazing, but I’m so indebted and have such respect, and humbled and… it’s rad. It’s really an awesome trip to be on.”

So many of you already know this by our constant posting on what is to come from the DVD, but the day of its release has finally come. That is right Jericho Season 1 has released to DVD and it is your chance to once again Save Jericho. Has anyone seen these ads from CBS? Save Jericho All Over Again? I am actually a bit surprised they would play the “save” card, the fans of Jericho have done enough, now CBS needs to provide the fans with what they want, and not make us work to keep our show going year in and year out.