CBS hearts ‘Jericho’ fans (not really)

(previous ‘Jericho’ posts here and here)

Seems the campaign to save Jericho -- headquarted at Jericho Lives -- has made the mainstream press. The Los Angeles Times yesterday weighed in with a bit of snark, first aimed at the fans:

We were on to the "Lost" legion and "Heroes" worshippers, but who knew there were also "Jericho" junkies?

But then the piece moves on to put the snark where the snark belongs: CBS.

"She was touched by the letters and e-mails she's received because they each had independent voices," Ender said. "It was not an organized cookie-cutter type campaign. She was touched by the thoughtfulness of the response and wanted to directly respond to them."

That’s Chris Ender, spokesman for CBS President of Entertainment Nina Tassler, who apparently had no idea real people watched her programming. Explains a lot, actually.

She was so moved, in fact, that she posted a letter to fans at the Jericho message boards at the official site:

To the fans of Jericho:
We have read your emails over the past few days and have been touched by the depth and passion with which you have expressed your disappointment. Please know that canceling a television series is a very difficult decision. Hundreds of people at the Network, the production company and the incredibly-talented creative team worked very hard to build and serve the community for this show -- both on-air and online. It is a show we loved too.

Thank you for supporting Jericho with such passion. We truly appreciate the commitment you made to the series and we are humbled by your disappointment. In the coming weeks, we hope to develop a way to provide closure to the compelling drama that was the Jericho story.

Sincerely,
Nina Tassler, President of CBS Entertainment

Which the Times interpreted thusly:

CBS executives will meet this week to discuss how the network can let the fans know how the "Jericho" story would have ended.

Maybe someone will post a memo letting us know who lives and who dies. That would be dramatically satsifying, wouldn’t it?

(Technorati tags: Jericho, Jericho Lives, CBS)

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posted by Rick South (Wed May 23 07, 10:37AM)

WE WANT A 2ND SEASON, not closure!

Rick South
just a fan!

posted by Matthew (Wed May 23 07, 10:55AM)

What they fail to m ention, is that in protest, we the fans have sent almost 6,000 pounds of Nuts to CBS

posted by Chad Boyd (Wed May 23 07, 11:02AM)

As of 11 am Wednesday, the total ordered from nutsonline alone is over 8000lb.. over 4 tons!! (Of which I have in my share)

I don't think CBS can ignore this much longer.

Save Jericho!

posted by MaryAnn (Wed May 23 07, 11:10AM)

I appreciate the irony of the nuts gesture, but I honestly don't think it will impress CBS all that much. Letters and phone calls, maybe. 8000 pounds of nuts? Not so much.

posted by David C (Wed May 23 07, 2:54PM)

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that cutesy "send largish objects/props in protest" stuff pisses people off (and encourages the "fans are loonies, and loonies aren't who Proctor and Gamble wants to sell to) a lot more than it persuades anybody. Think of it on an "average Joe at the workplace" level. Would you want to deal with 4 tons of nuts at your place of employment? (And it's the Average Joes who have to deal with it, not Vice Presidents. That's why they're Vice Presidents.) Oh, sure, you might think "Hey, free snacks!" But since the people sending them kinda *hate* your company, you can't even feel 100% certain some fraction of them haven't been tampered with or something.

Well-written polite letters are probably the best bet, and at the very least, will do no harm to your cause.

posted by Grace (Wed May 23 07, 3:37PM)

We have also been emailing, snail mailing, faxing, calling and contacting media.

"Make a stand here." Johnston Green RIP

We want a second season!

NUTS to CBS!!!

Help us save JERICHO!!

www.cbs.com feedback (at bottom of page)

Thank you!

posted by Frank (Wed May 23 07, 3:40PM)

I think people are starting to realize that canceling Jericho was a mistake. We do not just "want to know how it ends"...we want a second season. None of the similar shows that tried taking a long mid-season break were successful. Take from the 24 mold & run back to back.

posted by Andy (Wed May 23 07, 6:37PM)

They are currently over 11,000 pounds of nuts and over 75,000 signatures on a petition.

posted by Clayj (Tue Jun 05 07, 8:06PM)

Just read this on TMZ.com!

For all you super-obsessed "Jericho" nuts out there, worry no more!
CBS is steps away from sealing a deal to bring "Jericho" back from the TV graveyard for at least eight episodes, this according to TVGuide.com. An insider was quoted as saying the deal hinges on signing the actors to new contracts and finding a soundstage to house the show's sets. The series, which focuses on a small Kansas town coping with a new reality after a series of nuclear attacks by terrorists, could return as soon as mid-season. Kaboom!

Jerichoholics have launched all sorts of desperate campaigns to resurrect the show, including bombarding TMZ's email accounts with pleas. People -- listen up -- we can't bring back TV shows!!

Diehard fans have also sent shipments of peanuts to CBS in a move to persuade them to pickup the series. The peanuts were an allusion to a bit of war-cry dialog in the final episode. "Nuts!"

For the first time, television executives will work for peanuts.

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Wed May 23 07, 8:37AM

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CBS hearts ‘Jericho’ fans (not really)

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