By MICHAEL HINMAN
Source: SyFy Portal
Dec-18-20072. "Jericho"Jericho" was a show that started as a hit, and was expected to be on for some time to come. It had some great acting talent in the form of Gerald McRaney and Skeet Ulrich, and a powerful story that was completely different from anything else on television.
However, CBS thought it would follow the lead of other networks and try something different -- why not give it a long winter hiatus, and make viewers clamor for it even more in the spring.
It was a gamble that nearly cost "Jericho" its life. By the time the show returned, viewers who were interested had moved on to other things, and the audiences were only a fraction of what they were. CBS pulled the plug, and the rest was history.
Fans ended up sending in more than 40 tons of nuts to CBS headquarters in New York and Los Angeles, and network officials decided to take a second look at the series. The fan campaign was extremely well organized, and instead of trying to irritate executives with whining, they presented strong arguments (in "executive speak") on why the show deserved to stay on the schedule.
And they won.
Beginning in February, "Jericho" is back on the airwaves, and it would've never happened if it weren't for a fanbase that loved their show so much, they would go to whatever lengths to bring it back. And in the process they did a lot of good. Troops overseas got tons of nuts, charities benefited, and so did the fans.
CBS was right in reversing its decision, and it shows a lot of class for the network to be able to admit it made a mistake, and to really listen to what the fans have to say. For that, CBS gets an honorable mention for a positive newsmaker this year.
Some interesting links from that overall story arc include our
initial story announcing the campaign to save the show, the column where I
personally supported the campaign (a rarity in of itself), and the
official announcement that "Jericho" had been renewed.Read More of SyFy Portal's Top Newsmakers of 2007
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