r/Jericho • u/Relative_Quiet Jake Green • May 23 '25
Why do you think the TV Show failed? Seems like there was enough people who wanted the show to continue.
Simple question. I just wanted to know in your opinion as a Jericho fan, why did it fail? Not enough interest people? Or maybe the concept wasn't interesting during the time. The story lines?
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u/moparbrad May 24 '25
idk if anyone has said it yet, but it peaked right before the writers strike. Then it never started back up until fan's demanded it. Then it was eventually renewed mid-cycle aka Jan/Feb. Just horrific timing and neglect by CBS.
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u/Economy_Wall8524 May 25 '25
I was wondering if the writers strike was around the same time. Honestly a good amount of shows were canceled during that time and were never brought back.
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u/Bendr_ May 24 '25
Money aka ratings. They could've kept going. There was more story to write. But money rules all doesn't it.
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u/alienrefugee51 May 24 '25
The Friday death slot killed it before it had any chance.
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u/McIntyre2K7 May 24 '25
Friday?? The show was never on Friday nights. The 1st half of Season 1 aired on Tuesdays. The 2nd half of Season 1 and all of season 2 was on Wednesday nights.
Edit: It was on Wednesdays.
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u/alienrefugee51 May 24 '25
My bad. I was maybe getting it mixed up with Firefly. I thought Jericho suffered having a bad time slot.
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u/McIntyre2K7 May 24 '25
No worries. I don’t remember it being on a Friday because I always watched wrestling when it moved off of Thursday nights.
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u/REO_Broker May 24 '25
I think it had partly to do with the show’s intensity. It was off the charts for about every episode. It is very hard to maintain story lines without making every cliffhanger even more radical, and at some point, you jump the shark, at least in the eyes of more casual fans. Personally, I loved the show and could not wait for the next episode. The backdrop to the show was perfect for the times (and would be a good fit today, too). But, for whatever reason, ratings fell off, and with that, so went the money. At least it was brought to a hasty, if not perfect, stopping point.
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u/kdb918 May 24 '25
It was before its time. This show would have done far better on a streaming platform.
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u/CharlesUFarley81 May 24 '25
A third and final season was released as a graphic novel. I think you can get them on Amazon
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u/jayhat May 24 '25 edited May 24 '25
https://www.reddit.com/r/Jericho/comments/14g6s0d/why_was_jericho_cancelled/
Google AI says: “The CBS TV show Jericho faced cancellation, partly due to the serialized nature of the show, meaning the plot was not episodic, and the impact of breaks and missing episodes was significant. Some also attribute the cancellation to perceived low ratings, even though there were dedicated fan outcry, and possible pressure from KBR and Blackwater to remove the show from the air due to its themes. The writers strike itself is not directly cited as the reason for cancellation, but it may have indirectly contributed by impacting the network's ability to produce the show. “
The serialized nature of the show is an interesting point. In the pre streaming era, it seems like serialized was definitely not as common or popular. It was a pain in the ass to try and watch an episode you missed, so you wouldn’t be totally lost. Not that they didn’t exist but there was definitely a lot of sitcoms and “bad guy of the week” type shows. Now days serialized is the only thing people want.
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u/sammygirl1331 May 24 '25
The thing that pisses me off is Netflix was ready to buy the show and had the main actors on board for it but CBS for whatever reason refused to sell the rights to it.
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u/RyanTranquil May 24 '25
One of my favorite shows. I read the mini books after but still would have wanted a 3rd season
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u/Magnolia14 May 24 '25
Maybe we can feed the mini books into an ai promt next year and get our 3rd season
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u/Magnolia14 May 24 '25
The second season was brought back by fan demand. I'd have to analyze what shows were popular in 2007 to try and guess what people were interested in. I actually think it would do better if it aired today. Westerns seem to be doing ok. Shows like Yellowstone. I don't think the country/audience romanticized small town life in 2006/2008.
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u/halfninja May 24 '25
They saved it from cancellation but the looming writer’s strike led to a shortened rushed second season. Which disrupted the rhythm and tightness of the first seasons writing, which ultimately led to a lack of faith. The story was continued in comic books, years later, but it just wasn’t the same.
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May 24 '25
It was too real....
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u/nativefloridian May 25 '25
My mother suggested that the J&R/Ravenwood plotlines hit a little too close to home.
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u/Mommietron May 26 '25
I think it scared people knowing that this could actually happen at any given time and people just didn't want to face it. Just a human response.
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u/dirtdiver518 5d ago
I think they should make season 3:
Jericho – Season 3
Episode 1 – Ashes of Cheyenne
Morgan and Jake leave Cheyenne after delivering the nuclear device. They’re torn between relief and guilt, realizing they’ve just shifted the balance of power in a fragile, fractured America. Meanwhile, Jericho braces for the political fallout as Texas and Cheyenne teeter on the edge of war. Emily suspects there’s more to Jake’s mission than he admits.
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Episode 2 – Ghosts of the Past
Hawkins discovers encrypted transmissions from Cheyenne indicating a second, hidden nuclear arsenal. Tensions grow between Jericho’s townsfolk—some see aligning with Texas as salvation, while others fear becoming pawns in another conflict. Jake begins to unravel emotionally under the weight of what he’s done.
⸻
Episode 3 – Divided We Stand
A Texas envoy arrives in Jericho, offering protection—but demanding loyalty. Tensions flare when some citizens want independence instead. A militia faction forms inside the town, echoing old divisions. Hawkins and Beck clash over whether to trust Texas at all.
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Episode 4 – The Long Winter
Food and fuel shortages hit Jericho hard. Refugees pour in from neighboring towns destroyed by fallout. Stanley and Mimi struggle to manage resources while facing resentment from desperate newcomers. Jake tries to keep order, but Morgan’s reckless decisions put lives at risk.
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Episode 5 – Cheyenne Rising
Reports emerge that Cheyenne has not collapsed as expected—its leadership is regrouping with foreign backing. Hawkins intercepts proof of Chinese operatives supplying them. Jake proposes a dangerous mission to cut off their supply lines, even as Jericho faces civil unrest.
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Episode 6 – Broken Alliances
The Texas government pressures Jericho to join their cause fully, but Mayor Green resists losing autonomy. Emily uncovers that the Texas envoy has been secretly arming factions within the town to destabilize it. Jake is forced to decide between loyalty to his town or his oath to Texas.
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Episode 7 – Fallout
A coordinated strike from Cheyenne loyalists rocks Jericho, resulting in casualties and chaos. Hawkins and Jake track the attackers to a secret weapons cache. Morgan is captured during the skirmish, forcing Jake into a high-stakes rescue mission that could cost him everything.
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Episode 8 – The Wolf at the Gate
Cheyenne’s army advances, intent on retaking control of Kansas. Jericho sits directly in their path. The town prepares defenses, reviving old alliances with New Bern under fragile terms. Stanley and Beck coordinate a desperate military stand while Hawkins uncovers a mole inside Jericho’s council.
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Episode 9 – Ash and Fire
The battle for Jericho erupts. Explosions and street fighting tear through the town. Families are split, old enemies forced to fight side by side. Jake faces his darkest moment as Cheyenne forces nearly break through, and Hawkins races to stop Cheyenne’s leaders from unleashing another nuclear device.
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Episode 10 – Rebirth
In a climactic confrontation, Hawkins exposes the Cheyenne regime’s foreign ties, rallying Texas and independent towns to push them back. Jake, gravely injured, delivers a rousing speech about unity before collapsing. The season ends with Jericho battered but alive—facing a fragile new dawn where survival depends on cooperation, not division.
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⚡ Tone & Themes: Season 3 blends survival drama with political thriller, continuing Jericho’s core themes: small-town resilience, distrust of centralized power, and the personal cost of war. It would give closure to unresolved arcs while leaving the door open for future conflict.
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u/swampfox28 May 28 '25
I loved it. Could the writing been a little better? The show better funded? Yes to both.
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u/SheamusO-Shaunesy Jul 03 '25
The writers strike killed alot of shows that should have kept going around that time. I was happy to get the second season and although it was rushed brought some closure to the series. Damn shame it never caught on again on Netflix or elsewhere. I do think the J&R storyline was something that made the network uneasy probably.
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u/Professional_Mud_57 May 24 '25
It was also poorly advertised. I thought it looked dumb and ended up loving it years later.
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u/RiverOaksJays May 24 '25
The show deserved a third season. The concept was brilliant, given the post-9/11 environment and the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.