TV with MeeVee

"Moonlight?" Fuggedaboutit! "Jericho?" Still Hoping

The wide-ranging efforts to find the vampire series "Moonlight" a new TV home after its cancellation by CBS have been, well, staked. THR says the sets have been dismantled and so has the possibility of any future for the show on CW or a cable outlet. The ratings just weren't good enough to justify the cost of producing the hourlong series. But I think it's safe to say that star Alex O'Loughlin (left, with Shannon Sossamyn) will turn up in another series sooner rather than later, given the fan support this show gained in its brief life on air.

Those wacky "Jericho" fans are once again saying "nuts" to cancellation, though. Having saved the show once, only to see it get so-so numbers in the middle of the writers strike, fans of the CBS show have now ponied up $6000 for a basic cable ad in and around Hollywood in hopes of convincing decision-makers to change their minds. TV By The Numbers says the shows producers have been supportive of the fan efforts and say there are still talks about making a place for the show on a cable outlet such as Sci Fi.

You have to wonder, though, if another network besides CBS might have been able to make a good of these two shows, one a vampire fantasy, the other an apocalyptic drama.

"Jericho": Don't Mess With Texas

Jericho
Title: Patriots and Tyrants
First Aired: 3/25/08

Thus ends the strange career of "Jericho," not with a bang, but a civil war. The show defied cancellation once, but lightning failed to strike a second time and the trial-run second season will be its last. It's gone off to that big TV set in the sky, to live on in our DVDs forever. Presumably on the DVD: the other season finale that was filmed, which left the story open for continuation. Which is different from this episode... which left the story open for continuation.

Morning reading

• "Lost" fan sez byebye Danielle. (Tifaux)
• "Dollhouse" a Whedonverse reunion? (TV Guide)
• Some byebye "Jericho" details. Don't get your hopes up for a cable resuscitation. (TV Guide)
• The deeply confusing "Scrubs" situation examined. (Buddy TV)
• RIP "The Return of Jezebel James." Sort of a mercy killing if you ask me. (Hollywood Reporter)

"Jericho" Falls

This hardly comes as a surprise, but CBS announced last night that Tuesday's episode of "Jericho" will be the one that wraps up the series, not the one that provides a cliffhanger as a bridge to the future. In other words, the drama about small-town Kansas and the aftermath of a nuclear strike has been canceled. Give the network credit for bowing to fan pressure last summer and picking up seven more episodes. And also blame the network for last season's scheduling weirdness, which many said kicked the show's legs out from under it. But the bottom line is that not enough people watched.

"Jericho": It Gets Real Up In This Piece

Jericho
Title: Sedition
First Aired: 3/18/08

With the penultimate episode of "Jericho," the scramble to wrap up storylines is beginning in a serious way. It seems unlikely, given the numbers, that the citizens of Jericho will be returning to the small screen in the fall, which gives the writers just one more episode to give us a satisfying ending. It's unlikely that the hardcore fans will be satisfied with any resolution that means the show ends, and it's unlikely casual watchers will be very impressed by a sudden, desperate wrap-up, so things don't look so promising for next week's episode. This week's episode isn't bad, though it has the feeling of the pieces being positioned on the chess board in readiness for the big finale.

Morning Reading: Miley No Longer Destiny's Child

• Everybody calls her Miley Ray Cyrus, so she's ditching that pesky birth name, with mom and dad's permission. Makes signing all those checks so much easier. (E! Online)
• More bad news for "Jericho" fans: The Numbers. (Hollywood Reporter)
• "American Idol" gadfly Votefortheworst.com has chosen Amanda Overmyer to support this year. Maybe just because she has Sanjaya hair. (E! Online)
• Wow, our second Joss Whedon item of the day. Apparently he's got Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion in a three-part web musical he wrote during the strike. (GMMR)
• George Clooney not to be dragged into "ER" finale. Once again, he's making all the right moves. (TV Squad)

Finally, everybody on the Internet this morning is posting the CBS pic of Britney Spears on the set of next week's "How I Met Your Mother" episode, with Josh Radnor and Sarah Chalke, so here it is. Now is it just me, or does she look like her meds just kicked in?

"Jericho" Falls

Hey, that sounds like a teen soap on CW, I know, but it's actually the truth about the ratings for the cult-fave CBS drama. One look at this chart from Tv By The Numbers and you know what's gonna happen.

Morning Reading: What Shows Are Coming Back?

• Handicapping the future of some of TV's on-the-bubble series. (Hollywood Reporter)
• At least we know "Prison Break" is coming back. (GMMR)
• But "Jericho" almost certainly isn't. (TV Decoder)
• I think I'm still more excited about the female spinoff of "Prison Break," but, uh, word is that Fox is cooking up a contemporary "90210" spinoff. (Hollywood Reporter)
• Ratings bode well for "Canterbury's Law," not so much "New Amsterdam." But the real joy is that Dennis Miller's "Amne$ia" totally sucked it. (Televisionista)

Honestly, I don't have a link for this, but the funniest thing I've seen on TV all week was Dennis Miller and Bill O'Reilly - Bill O'Reilly! - waxing wroth over Gov. Spitzer's scandals. I mean, Bill, loofah this.

"Jericho": The Uppance Finally Comes

Jericho
Title: Temination For Cause
First Aired: 3/11/08

Ah, to live in Jericho, where the good are easily recognized by their broad-shouldered blondness and deaf little sisters, and the evil equally readily defined by their black uniforms, smirking wickedness and sinister-sounding names. Alright, it's not as simple as all that, but really, could Ravenswood be more cartoonishly evil if they tied various pretty girls to railroad tracks? Could Goetz be any more one-dimensionally villainous and avaricious? At least it makes it easy and uncomplicated to root for the good guys. You have to appreciate the simplicity of it.

"Jericho": Contronyms And Contraband

Jericho
Title: Oversight
First Aired: 3/04/08

I've said before that "Jericho" has a problem when it can't decide what kind of show it is. This week it sets its sights directly on being a military thriller, which is the show it does best, and manages to leave you wanting more. The story is heating up, and the focus pays off for viewers. The future of "Jericho" may not be the brightest, but at least it will give the fans something worthwhile to go out on.

Mimi, who is what my grandfather would call "too smart for her own damn good," has been doing her work for J&R and in the process discovered that 10,000 dollars worth of the newly minted ASA's currency has gone missing. Trish at J&R is more than ready to help get to the bottom of this, but in a turn that surprises no one, Goetz is acting like he's got something to hide. Shocker.

"Jericho": Beware Of Captain Trips

Jericho
Title: Jennings & Rall
First Aired: 2/26/08

It's business as usual for the folks in Jericho, everything is going to hell but at least they've got this nice handbasket. Since it's not such a big deal having to contend with J&R, Ravenwood, hiding a nuclear bomb and the creepy propaganda coming out of Cheyenne, it's time to up the ante with a nice biblical plague. And that's not the half of it. I bet Canada is looking pretty nice right about now.

Morning Reads: Saturn Awards Find "Lost"

• "Lost" leads the TV nominations for the Saturn Awards from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy And Horror Films. Best Network Series nominees are: "Heroes," "Journeyman," "Lost," "Pushing Daisies," "Supernatural" and "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." "Journeyman"? Really? (TV Addict)
• Lorne Michaels knows that "Saturday Night Live" is in a tough place as it returns to the air this week. (NY Times)
• Fox now has the highest average network rating for the season. Yikes. (AP)
• I guess "K-Ville" really isn't coming back. Anthony Anderson is going to replacing Jesse L. Martin on "Law & Order." (Hollywood Reporter)
• "Jericho" and "Big Brother" both had really bad weeks for CBS. (tvbythenumbers.com)

"Jericho": Condor Is Coming To Town

Jericho
Title: Condor
First Aired: 2/19/08

One of the problems with "Jericho" is that it can't decide which of four different shows it might be; it might be scifi, it might be military thriller, it might be political commentary, it might be a human drama. This could result in something that appealed across genre lines, but the problem is that it doesn't do any of them very well. The military thriller seems to be the most interesting, but it's hard to tell with all that stuff in the way.

Morning Reading: "Jericho," "Dancing With The Stars" And More

• Martha Stewart chows down on Emeril's company. (Reuters)
• Mocking the new cast of celebs on "Dancing With The Stars." A prediction from here: Don't count out Penn Jillette. (GMMR)
• Appreciating what makes "Jericho" different: "Think for a moment about how often you have heard the name Manolo Blahnik on television, and then consider the last time you heard a reference to Wrangler. A large part of the show’s appeal comes simply from its refusal to play games of coastal narcissism." (NY Times)
• "American Idol" and Apple make a love connection, which will make it easier for all fans to download performances to their iPods. (TV Squad)
• Deep thinking about CBS' Sunday ratings problems. In context, "Dexter" did OK. (TVByTheNumbers.com)
• Expect "Knight Rider" to return, even though it sucks without Will Arnett as the car. (Hollywood Reporter)
• Autism group complains about insensitive comment on "Big Brother." Apparently they've neevr seen the show. (AP)

Morning Reading: "Jericho" Weak, And More

• The premiere numbers for the return of CBS' "Jericho" (right) are not encouraging for fans who worked so hard to get it back on the air. In fact, "all signs point to cancel." (TV By The Numbers)
• Kristin Chenoweth of "Pushing Daisies" and mucho Broadway experience will sing at the Oscars. (The Piemaker)
• MTV and NBC are coooking up some slick joint plans for the debut of "Quarterlife." (Reuters)
• CW's "Girlfriends" is a goner. (AP)
• New NBC honcho Ben Silverman has been sort of a lightning rod throughout the season, in part because he's young and in part because he has a habit of shooting from the lip. Wonder what people will say now that he's sold his production company for $125 million. (TV Decoder)
• Be glad you don't work for NBC's "Last Call." Remember when the network browbeat Carson Daly into being the first late-night host back to work? Well now they fired a bunch of his staff anyway. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)
• NBC is also going to be the only network that doesn't do a traditional upfront sales presentation. (Reuters)
• Fox confirmed what we've all known for weeks: no "24" till January 2009. (AP)

CBS Announces Post-Strike Schedule

CBS today unveiled a no-frills list of premiere dates and episode counts for its shows returning after the strike. The plans are ambitious, especially for the comedies. "How I Met Your Mother," "Big Bang Theory" and "Two And A Half Men" (left) are all set to return on March 17, producing nine more episodes for the season. That's going to call for a lot of extra Skittles in the writers' room, I'd say. Another Monday show, "CSI Miami," is due back March 24 and expected to produce eight more hourlong episodes, which is, come to think of it, almost twice as much television as nine episodes of a sitcom.

Other shows' return dates and episode counts: "Cold Case," March 30, five. "Criminal Minds" and "CSI: NY," April 2 and seven each. "CSI" and "Without A Trace," April 3 and six. "Ghost Whisperer" and "Numb3rs," April 4 and six. "NCIS," April 8 and seven. "Moonlight," April 11 and four. "Rules of Engagement," April 14 and six. "Shark," TBA and four.

CBS notes that "'The Unit,' 'Cane' and 'Shark' are on previously announced hiatus to accommodate the mid-season launches of 'Big Brother,' 'Jericho' and 'Dexter.'" What CBS doesn't explain is why "Shark" is listed as producing more episodes while "The Unit" and "Cane" aren't. Hmmm. Contrary to some reports, CBS also notes that the offbeat drama "Swingtown," which we've heard little about in recent months, will also resume production. Still no premiere date, however.

"Jericho" Back In The Saddle Again

Jericho
Title: Reconstruction
First Aired: 2/12/08

I'll admit it, I'm part of the reason that "Jericho" got canceled. Well, not me personally, but I'm one of the many sci fi fans who has yet to be grabbed by the plucky little city that could. I've seen a few episodes, but after a couple of tries it ended up gathering dust in my tivo while other people raved about it being one of the best shows on television. After the historic fan uprising in the face of the show's cancellation, I resolved to give the show a more serious shot. This week marked the big comeback for "Jericho," which is tragically overshadowed by the long-awaited writer's strike resolution. What do you think, sports fans, did the season premiere live up to your expectations?

There was some scant effort to bring new viewers up to date on what's going on, but mostly we were just thrown into the deep end. Jericho's war with New Bern may be over in theory, but in practice it's not so simple. The Army is firmly in control, headed by Major Beck who is absolutely determined to make peace. He does eventually acknowledge to Jake that he thinks New Bern was primarily at fault, but responsibility seems to count less to Beck than getting everyone to settle down. Beck has a lot of big promises about establishing peace, but his main way of doing that seems to be glaring and telling Jake that he needs to be the sheriff round these here parts.

"Jericho" Fans Face A New Burn

You have to feel bad for fans of "Jericho," despite the fact that the show, canceled last spring by CBS, returns to the air tonight.

Last spring, fans of the drama about a small town in post-nuclear-apocalypse Kansas deluged the network with nuts - a reference to Jericho's cry of defiance in their standoff with their malevolent neighbors in New Bern. And 40,000 pounds of peanuts later, CBS agreed to come back with seven new episodes shot last fall to air this winter. That was good news. And in its own twisted way, so was the writers strike, which meant that "Jericho" would be one of the few scripted dramas on the air with new episodes this month.

But now the strike has been settled - writers are voting to end their walkout on the very day of "Jericho's" second season premiere. So instead of getting an extra splash of publicity and viewership, helping to boost  ratings and inspire CBS to OK a full third season, the show is almost getting lost in the shuffle this week, as everyone wonders when their favorite show will return. To which any rational "Jericho" fan can only say, "Awww, nuts."

Morning reading

• "New Adventures of Old Christine" returns to CBS Monday night, but the show is already getting some attention for a nice gesture to its strike-sidelined staff. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)
• Our friends at GMMR dig deep into last night's "Lost" revelations. (GMMR)
• Two more studio side deals for the WGA; seems like there's hardly anyone but the big seven who isn't working with the striking writers again. (Scribe Vibe)
• "4400" fans are dreaming "Jericho" dreams. It ain't gonna happen, you crazy kids. (AP)
• Signs of the apocalypse: Fox has picked up 13 more episodes of the lie-detector show "Moment of Truth." (Hollywood Reporter)

And finally, here's that horrible "NYPD Blue" scene that the FCC in its infinite wisdom thought was worth a $1 million-plus indecency fine. I guess it's NSFW if you work in some kind of politically correct hellhole...

Morning Reading: Writers Strike, "Eli Stone," "Jericho" And More

• TiFaux has joined the strike-centric Adopt A Writer project, but also has the best criticism of it in the headline for this item: "TV Writers and TV Bloggers: Holding Hands, Riding on Unicorns."
• ABC has added a disclaimer to its controversial premiere of "Eli Stone." (TV Guide)
• Photo spoilers for the season premiere of "Jericho." (Televisionista)
• Bob Newhart will stand in for his late TV spouse, Suzanne Pleshette, where her star on the Walk of Fame is dedicated. (TV Squad)
• Another sign of the apocalypse: "Celebrity Apprentice" gets a second season. but where oh where will they find someone as creepy as Gene Simmons (right)? (TV Squad)
• Screen Actors Guilding begins to prepare for its negotiations with the producers. (LA Times)
• "Idol" and "House" kick ass in Tuesday ratings. Duh. (TV Decoder)
• Another studio strikes a side deal with the writers. (Scribe Vibe)
• Self-aggrandizing douchebag Dr. Phil says he "regrets" the Britney mess, but, uh, he didn't violate anyone's trust, and he only did what he did to "stop speculation." (AP)
• On the bright side, "Montel" is history. (H'wood reporter via Reuters)
• Breaking "24" news: Chloe is pregnant! Well, not Chloe, but the actress who plays her. (E!)

Sci Fi Offers You Another Chance To Visit "Jericho"

Cable's Sci Fi Network has bought the rerun rights to the first two seasons of CBS drama "Jericho" and will kick things off with a marathon of four first-season episodes on Feb. 11, the night before the second season debuts on CBS (Hollywood Reporter).

In making the buy, Sci Fi execs cited the fan loyalty that revived the show last summer after CBS had reluctantly canceled it. The question now is whether enough new fans will join the party so that the second season is not the show's last. The show has filmed two endings to this seven-episode second season, one that would lead to a third season and one that would give fans emotional closure if this is the end.

Get Thee To Jerichon

The second annual "Jericho" fan convention known as Jerichon is set for Memorial Day weekend, May 23-26,  in Oakley, Kansas. Organized by the Guardians of Jericho group, the event will feature cast members TBA, and the cheapest adult ticket is $20 for one day's admission. (via Buddy TV)

Of course, fans have to be hoping that the event won't be a memorial weekend for the show as well. After last year's cancellation was reversed by a fan uprising, the show returns to CBS Feb. 12 for a seven-episode miniseason that will be over weeks before the convention. Ratings for those episodes will likely determine whether the show makes a comeback next season - that is, assuming there is a next season. The writers strike might help bump up the show's numbers, because of the dearth of other scripted programming on the air, but it is already eating into next year's development season.

Return Of "Jericho" A Bright Spot On The TV Horizon

"Jericho" didn't do so well in the ratings the first time around, but when it comes back on February 12, the odds are it'll do much, much better. For one thing, it's got better buzz and better promotion. Just as important, the show about survival in a post-apocalyptic USA is entering a post-apocalyptic TV landscape.

CBS just released a new preview video featuring The Hives' song "Tick, Tick, Boom," and hinting at the breakdown of alliances and the creation of an "Allied States Of America" running from the Mississippi to the Pacific. When "Jericho" comes back, it's going to have big themes, big explosions, and in all likelihood, a big share of the ratings pie. Whether that's enough to save TV or America is anyone's guess, but you can always tune in and find out. 

"Jericho" In A Nutshell

Every time I think something has to be the most annoying thing ever, something comes along to top it. I hated all the contestants on "Crowned," but I just found something even worse. It's the voice of the animated peanut doing a recap of the first season of "Jericho" is even worse.

Fortunately, the talking legume isn't featured in the actual show. New episodes return February 12th on CBS.

CBS Announces Winter (Strike) Schedule

"Jericho" returns to the air Feb. 12 for its fan-inspired, seven-episode, make-or-break mini-season. The execrable "Big Brother" will have - oh joy - its first-ever winter edition. And "Power of 10," "Survivor" and "New Adventures of Old Christine" are among the returning shows with airdates announced by CBS. There's even a new scripted series about the residents of a fabled Hollywood apartment building, called "The Captain," and starring Fran Kranz ("The TV Set"), Chris Klein ("American Pie"), Jeffrey Tambor ("Arrested Development") and Raquel Welch. It airs Mondays after "How I Met Your Mother," beginning Jan. 28, although I'm not sure how many scripts are in the can. The complete press release is after the jump...

Writers Strike: Talks Continue, "Jericho" Fan Vid For Writers

This is ironic enough. Because it was canceled, and then saved by the fans, and then scheduled for a seven-episode midseason return, "Jericho" will be one of the bright spots of non-reality-TV on the winter schedule should the writers strike continue.

(Pause for non-ironic update: Little word has seeped out about Tuesday's talks, even their location. All we know is that the two sides are going back to the table today (although Nikki Finke has some insidery stuff as always). And that's good. But now back to irony...)

Still, the devoted fans of the CBS series are throwing their lot in with the writers via this very cool video:

Morning Non-Strike Reading: "Showgirls" tie-in!

• Elizabeth Berkley, star of the beloved bomb "Showgirls" (right), is joining the "CSI: Miami" cast for multiple episodes as the ex-wife of David Caruso's Horatio Cane. (Hollywood Reporter)
• Just when you thought "Dancing With The Stars" couldn't get any more deliciously cheesy, they bring Celine Dion in for tonight's final performance show. Go Marie!!! (AP)
• Missed this last week, but it look like "Life" could be dead. (TV Decoder)
• "The Sopranos" fade to black hasn't cut into HBO subscriber numbers, contrary to expectations. But I think that just means people are lazy. (Hollywood Reporter)
• It took joining the post-apocalyptic series "Jericho" to get this actress watching the news. (Buddy TV)

Halloween's-Scariest-Trick-Is-The-Writers-Strike Links Fest

• Nikki Finke says no strike for a couple of days, anyway. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)
• "Heroes" continues to slip in the ratings. (Televisionista)
• Deep thinking about "Reaper." Yup. (TV Squad)
• "Dancing With The Stars" results recap. (BuddyTV)
• People are getting really sick of Jerry Seinfeld shilling for "Bee Movie." He's lost the funny. (The Hater)
• Beatboxer Blake Lewis, the 2nd place finisher on "American Idol" last year, has an album coming out. (Buzzsugar)
• Ugly Betty is incredibly hott! (Seriously OMG)
• "Samantha Who?" gets a full season from ABC. (Hollywood Reporter)
• "Jericho": not good, but you know you can't stop watching (Slate)
• You did WHAT in my house? You hid WHAT in my couch? You met my mother HOW? (Seriously OMG)

Totally Frakked: Save Our Souls

You can't spit (on a bad show) these days without hitting a "save our favorite show by sending some nonsense to the studios" campaign.  These campaigns have a long and storied history, and in two cases I can think of, they've met with some limited success.  "Farscape" fans were able to get a bit of resolution, and of course the recent "Jericho" campaign has succeeded in at least garnering a handful of new episodes out of CBS.

Flush from the success of saving "Jericho," scifi fans are wandering the internet, drunk with power, looking for more things to save.  Even when they really don't deserve saving.  For example, "The Dresden Files", a lackluster scifi original with very little to recommend it.  A new campaign has fans sending drumsticks to poor Bonnie Hammer at The Sci Fi Channel; too bad she can't serve her campaign rewards with beer like Nina Tassler at CBS. 

Thank God some sense of proportion is being retained; a search for "save Painkiller Jane" only turns up four results, none of them an actual campaign.  I guess no one could think of what to send the studio.  Leather jackets are too expensive and silicone implants might be a little too on-the-nose.

Jericho Fans Plan Jerichonvention

The Newsday TV blog points out that "Jericho" fans, reveling in the success of their campaign to return the show to the airwaves, have now begun to plan a convention celebrating and discussing the show.

The party runs from September 14-16 in Oakley, Kansas, near the location of the fictional town of Jericho. The mayor of Oakley plans to announce that the town will be called "Jericho" for the weekend of the convention. Other events include disaster-response and nuclear weapons lectures, debates about the most appropriate love interest for Jake, and tours of farms and ranches in the area.

What You Missed This Weekend: "Entourage," "Jericho," and Katharine McPhee's Crotch

Last night's "Entourage" was all about sex and money being great and love being weakness. You know, to change things up from the usual themes.  This time, the focus was how E isn't enough of a man because he keeps being nice to women after he has sex with them. Then there was a bet about casual sex. As far as I can tell, the show is nothing but bad people doing bad things.

Nice people doing nice things? Yeah, that happened this weekend too. "Jericho" fans, after resurrecting their favorite show, are continuing to watch the tale of a small town struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.  Seriously, OMG! says the show's even getting more traction. So, thats a nice story for you.

Also, we have a video of "American Idol" star Katharine McPhee performing on Jay Leno. And yes, you can kind of see up her dress at one point.

"Jericho": Welcome To The Peanut Gallery

OK, "Jericho" fans, the moment has arrived. Skeet Ulrich, Lennie James, Ashley Scott and executive producer Carol Barbee will be here in the big room momentarily to talk about how you saved their show. I'll liveblog it. Almost needless to say, when we walked in a few minutes ago, every chair held a goodie bag with a pound of peanuts in the shell and a "We Did It" t-shirt featuring a muscular peanut.

A CBS publicist just said that the CBS Interactive press conference is scheduled this morning as a sort of tribute to the online community that fought to bring "Jericho" back.

Now the stars are onboard and we're talking about the cancellation.
Scott on the return: "I was shocked!"
Ulrich: "It sounded pretty final."

Barbee: "When the fans started this nuts campaign, it was only a couple of days before we started talking about what we could do to keep the story going."

She says a three-pronged story planned for the second season - set in Jericho, the new Cheyenne government and on the road from New York - has been compressed to focus only in Jericho for the seven episode mini-season. The show will be "lean and mean and focused on a couple of people," thus will be easy to follow. "We start shooting Monday, and we finish shooting the seven by the end of September," Barbee said.

CBS Entertainment Head Goes to "Jericho"

Liveblogging: Nina Tassler, President, CBS Entertainment, is sitting on the stage, talking about the fan campaign that saved "Jericho" and much more. She says she went to her neighborhood camera store and when the guy at the register saw her name on her credit card he said, "Jericho! I sent you an email!" And then she was at her doctor about to receive some test results and he put his hands in the pocket of his white coat and she thought Uh-oh, I'm going to get some bad news, but he pulled out a bag of nuts, the symbol of the fan campaign. "And I thought, Oh, Jeez!"

She says it was both the volume and intensity of the fan campaign that saved the show - and that she spent a lot of time reading emails and messages boards before the decision. (Tassler seems to be the one network boss who really gets the internets.) She even agreed with fans' complaint that the long hiatus the network put the show on in the middle of last season may have contributed to the ratings dropoff. Now that the show has been picked up for seven episodes at midseason, she says, CBS will tell viewers "you have got to be our Jericho Rangers" and help bring more viewers to the show.

The abrupt departure of Mandy Patinkin from "Criminal Minds" also brings some questions that test Tassler's genial good humor. "Mandy came to us and came to me and asked to be released from the show and we were able to accomodate that," she says carefully. "It's a personal issue. ... In the legacy of 'ER' and 'Law & Order,' the show will go on." The role has yet to be recast but the staff is treating it "as an opportunity to perhaps try something different."

She gets the biggest laugh of the morning when a reporter notes that "creative differences" had been announced as the reason for Patinkin's departure, and now she is saying "personal reasons." Combining the two bland bits of obfuscation, she says this: "I think creative differences are a euphemism for personal issues," a line that brings down the house. (OK, maybe we've been here too long.)

Speaking of personal issues, she says she just heard about "CSI" star Gary Dourdan's violent confrontation with a TMZ.com photographer last night and so she can't comment. Maybe we'll show her the video.

Some announcements: Big-screen ace Tony Scott ("Top Gun") will direct the season premiere of"Numb3rs." ... The season premiere of "Cold Case" will be another music-themed episode, this time set to the songs of (gulp) Nirvana. ... "CSI: NY" will follow the clues on a case right into the virtual world of Second Life. ... The original "CSI" and "Without A Trace" will do their first crossover episode this season. ... And finally, we'll finally be getting some real clues to "How I Met Your Mother."

Totally Frakked: Celebrity Found Living In Self-Obsessed Bubble, Film At 11

The hard-working fans of "Jericho" may not know it, but they owe a debt of gratitude to Clay Aiken.  According to the pop star, the massive undertaking to save the freshman show would never have happened if he hadn't suggested it on his blog.

"I started blogging about it on my fan site. It got canceled, and I blogged about how upset I was. I said, 'The Claymates can do anything. How do we get this show back on the air?"

I don't follow Aiken's career, so was my first exposure to the term "Claymates", which may be one of the creepier nicknames for a fan base in recent history.  So creepy, in fact, that a cursory internet search suggests that most of them don't use Clay's carefully selected terminology.  Luckily for Aiken, they don't seem to be holding it against him.  They still used their massive powers to save "Jericho" for us all.

"Honestly, within a week, they had organized a campaign amongst 'Jericho' fans to send nuts to CBS. It kind of started in that place. And it's back on the air. It just blows my mind."

Thank God he only uses his massive internet sway for good.  Be aware, if you helped save "Jericho", it's because Clay Aiken told you to do it.  Thanks, Clay!

Read the full story at SyFy Portal >>

Slice of Scifi: "Jericho" Producer Singlehandedly Fixes Television

Carol Barbee, producer of everyone's favorite on-again, off-again sci fi show, has plenty to say on the subject of "Jericho" and how CBS just didn't do the right thing by the struggling little show.  It's the same sad story we've heard all year; the break was too long, the advertising was bad, the networks aren't listening to the internet.  I guess I'd be pretty preachy too, if I was in charge of the Little Show That Could.

Barbee also says that if you're hoping for a satisfying resolution, well, nuts to you kid.  Despite the fact that CBS is only giving them space to film seven more episodes, Barbee and co have decided to film them as if the show will be renewed.  Another cliffhanger then?  Whether or not the show actually does get renewal is, according to CBS, in the hands of the fans. You know the drill, "Jericho" nuts, get crackin'. The series returns to CBS Friday with reruns of the first season.

Is Barbee right?  Does the story of "Jericho" indicate a sea change in television programming?  Check out the whole story at Slice Of Scifi and decide for yourself.

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