"Jericho" Fans Go Nuts on CBS--And It May Have Worked...

I was waiting until there was something more concrete before I wrote about this, but it’s too big of a story to ignore…

After Michael Ausiello from “TV Guide” broke the story yesterday, the “Hollywood Reporter” is now reporting that CBS is in talks to bring back “Jericho” with a seven-episode midseason order.

According to the “Reporter,” talks are under way with the cast (although possible budget reductions may lead to some of them not returning next season). Efforts are also under way to assemble a writing staff. Executive Producer Carol Barbee told the “Los Angeles Times” today that they are also trying to work out some logistical issues since the new drama “Swingtown” is scheduled to take over the show’s stages.

So how did this happen? The “Jericho” fans went nuts on CBS—literally.

In the season finale, Jake (Skeet Ulrich) hears the story of General MacAuliffe, who when asked to surrender to the Germans in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, replied, “Nuts.” So when New Bern’s commander asks Jake and the people of Jericho to surrender at the end of the episode, he replies, “Nuts.”

Inspired by that, “Jericho” fans deluged the CBS New York offices with nuts. CNN reports that 50,000 pounds of peanuts have been delivered (CBS is donating them to charities, by the way.).

There were also Internet message boards, letter writing/e-mail campaigns and an amazing website, http://www.jericholives.com/. If the town of Jericho has half as good a battle plan as these guys, New Bern doesn’t stand a chance…

CBS has made no official announcement about the show, so the fans are not giving up their fight yet. As Tuesday’s Campaign Command Address at JerichoLives.com says, “We must not lose our heads at the first real signs of victory. Our victory, while it may seem to be close, is not assured…While we must steady ourselves to be gracious toward CBS, we must not falter in our resolve.”

As I’ve said before, cancelling “Jericho” was a mistake, and it’s nice that CBS might be seeing the error of their ways—especially since it was their scheduling that killed the show to begin with.

But more than that, I would really like to believe that we live in a world where a group of die-hard television fans can truly make a difference.

I’ll have more on this story as it develops…