The power of fandom can be hard to gauge. Its most famous example is that of Star Trek, cancelled after three low-rated seasons on NBC in the 1960s only to develop into a cultural juggernaut over the next two decades, spawning a successful film franchise and several more long-running TV series, not to mention all manner of ancillary products. That all started with a dedicated group of fans deciding to hold some get-togethers to discuss their favorite show.
With TV shows now available in more forms than ever (DVDs, reruns on hundreds of cable channels, online streaming video and downloads), it’s a lot easier for fans of cancelled shows to make their presence known. Fox brought back Family Guy years after its initial cancellation thanks to strong cable ratings and DVD sales; the show is now a bona fide hit. On the other hand, dedicated fans of Joss Whedon’s short-lived sci-fi show Firefly succeeded in drumming up enough interest to warrant a feature-film version (called Serenity)—which promptly flopped at the box office.
Failures like that make entertainment executives less likely to take fans seriously, but perhaps the biggest test yet of fan power will come from CBS’ Jericho, the postapocalyptic drama with mediocre ratings that was cancelled after one season, only to be resurrected mere weeks later after a literal onslaught of support from dedicated viewers (in the form of boxes of nuts sent to CBS headquarters). With its highly rated (and very mainstream) crime procedurals and reality shows, this is not a network used to the geek contingent, and the way the powers-that-be have embraced the show’s zealous followers is sort of endearing.
Jericho will return for at least seven episodes sometime in the spring, but in the meantime CBS is doing its best to build on the devoted core audience by running repeats over the summer (airing Fridays at 9 p.m.) and streaming all 22 first-season episodes on their website. A DVD set is due in stores in September. Having seen only the pilot episode (almost a year ago, just before the show premiered) and dismissed it as mildly interesting but sort of stiff and cheesy, I thought it would be worth going back to see what exactly got people so worked up.
I started with the 12th episode, the first that aired after a lengthy hiatus (which was partially blamed for the declining ratings) and the beginning of what many fans online see as an increase in quality. The show’s got a great hook (which intrigued me back before it premiered): A nuclear disaster has decimated much of the United States, and the residents of the titular small town in Kansas try to survive the aftermath, while slowly discovering the shady conspiracy that led to the catastrophe.
The serialized conspiracy plot, which takes center stage in the first of the four episodes I watched, isn’t particularly distinct from what you might find on 24 or Prison Break, but the day-to-day struggles of the town residents are intriguing. The cheesy dialogue and stiff acting (especially from star Skeet Ulrich) I remembered from the pilot are still present, but the show obviously developed a richer dramatic tapestry over time, and Gerald McRaney’s performance as the town’s irascible ex-mayor is a hoot.
So it’s not a bad show, and on par with decent if unspectacular sci-fi dramas like USA’s The 4400 and Sci Fi’s Eureka. But is it worth mailing a network 25 tons of nuts? The second season will more fully answer that question, but for now I’m intrigued enough to want to head back to CBS’ website and finish catching up, so I’m ready for the show’s return.