Jericho - The First Season (6 Discs)

When I first saw the previews for Jericho, I thought "Another show trying to capitalize on Lost." Granted, I enjoy watching Lost and other serial dramas, but I wasn't sure if I would enjoy a post-nuclear drama. But I recorded it, and decided to give the show a try.

After watching the pilot, I wouldn't say I was hooked, but I was definitely engaged and was willing to see where the show went. It didn't take much longer before I was looking forward to watching Jericho each week. I became hooked on the characters, learning more about their backstories, and their present motivations. Who was Robert Hawkins, and how was he involved in the attacks? Why did Jake leave Jericho and where has he been all these years? Not to mention, who dropped the bomb and what was left of the nation?

Unfortunately, the Nielson ratings went their to support the show. And so CBS canceled the show. And then CBS was shocked to discover the massive protest that erupted. Fans sent over 20 tons of nuts to CBS in protest. Fans had also raised over $20,000 in charity to be sent to Greensburg, KS, a town wiped out by tornadoes.

Many viewers, like myself, watched through alternative means. We watched it later on our DVRs or online. And we weren't counted. When CBS actually looked that those numbers, CBS discovered that they had a solid show and renewed it. So, during the next season, CBS will air 7 new episodes to wrap up the show and if it does well, then more episodes will come.

For new viewers, I highly recommend this show. Watch it, see why so many fans fought so hard to bring it back. Don't be afraid to get hooked. Answers are given :)

One of the few shows in many years that I have actually raced home each and every week to make sure I never missed a single episode!!

The acting abilities of the entire cast is amazing and will draw you in! Not to mention the plot (there actually is one!) and the storyline that will hold you enthralled once you do watch. Start from the beginning and fall in love with Jericho!

In a very subtle way it can also teach us all a thing or two about our friends, neighbors and how to work and live together as actual communities now.

I simply love this show and was heartbroken when it was canceled. Imagine my delight, then, when I read about all the fans sending nuts and e-mails to CBS in such volume that the show was revived. Thank goodness there are motivated people out there who work to save us all from mindless and mind-numbing reality shows.

Jericho's strength, to me, is in the idea that what it depicts is entirely possible. I've heard people say it's too depressing a concept for them to want to watch to show but I find it a really fascinating look at the human psyche. What would happen to society as we know it if the bombs were dropped? What would happen to our leaders? How would we fare if isolated from the rest of the world, suffering from a shortage of food and a lack of electricity? Watching the show's characters struggle with these and similar problems never failed to suck me right into the story. Every time I watch it, I find myself wondering what I would do in their shoes.

And yet the show isn't entirely flawless. The subplot with Eric and April was written off in a fashion that suggests the writers had no idea what to do with that particular plot twist. Skylar and Dale need a good slapping--which is disappointing as their storyline initially appeared to be promising.

But what the show does right, it does right. Hawkins is an absolutely fascinating character and I was on the edge of my seat watching as his story played out over the course of the season. The writers did a fantastic job of keeping the viewer guessing about him, of making him both sinister and yet sympathetic. I loved every minute that he was on the screen and I don't think I found any other moment of the series more chilling than the one in which his past catches up with him and closes in on his family.

I also adore Jake as a character. He's a clear leader and does so many wonderful things for the town and yet it is clear that people are not always as good as they make themselves look. The writers gave the viewers some crumbs to help us understand just what it is that makes Jake not such a nice guy but there's still plenty of his past left to be revealed and I, for one, am eagerly anticipating it.

It makes me happy beyond expression that there are television shows like this, shows with strong characters and complicated and intricate storylines. Some people don't want the commitment such a show requires but the payoff is immensely satisfying. Each week the attentive viewer is rewarded by yet another enthralling plot twist, by the unexpected actions of the a character they think they know so well. This is truly wonderful viewing.