Jericho: Season One

During the fifties one of the dominant fears in the United States was an attack with nuclear weapons. Two great super powers, the USA and the USSR each had enough nuclear weapons to destroy the earth many time over. As with any such fear it soon found its way working into television and the movies. The cold war gave rise to such great dramas as Fail-Safe, The Bedford Incident and on the small screen, The Day After. While the former Soviet Union is no long a threat and the cold war has been over for over a decade the possibility of a nuclear attack is still real. Now, the focus of this nation wide fear is terrorism. With nuclear weapons smaller and more portable than ever people are scared that a small group of fanatics can get a hold of them and destroy American cities. In the stark reality of the post 9-11 American this fear was bound to be addressed by television. Sure there is ‘24’, the popular action series, but that did not completely address the question of how we would survive as a people after such an attack. Jonathan Steinberg and Josh Schaer brought an idea to the executives at CBS. They wanted to examine what life would be like in a typical small town in the American heartland after a devastating nuclear explosion. The focus would not be on the explosion it would be on the townsfolk. Just how would a small town react to being cut off from the rest of the country; left to fend for themselves. This is a special kind of television series. It takes a topical concern and brings out the human drama. Instead of going after the global politics it concentrates on the people and their increasingly complex relationships.

Although this is a true ensemble cast the spot light is usually on Jake Green (Skeet Ulrich). Jake is the prodigal son of the well like major of Jericho, Johnston (Gerald McRaney). Jake left some time ago but now returns home defeated by what he had to do in the world. Back home is his mother Gail (Pamela Reed) a nurse in the local hospital. Also part of the Green family is Jake’s older brother Eric (Kenneth Mitchell), the town’s deputy sheriff. Just as Jake is about to enter the town limits the sky becomes bright and a loud boom is heard. Looking out at the horizon Jake spots the dreadful sight of a mushroom cloud. Back in town the people are scared and cut off from any form of communication with the rest of the world. The series follows along from the point of view of the people of Jericho. The audience does not know what went on and has to piece together the flimsy amount of information provided. One means of exposition is a recent arrival to Jericho, Robert Hawkins (Lennie James). It is obvious that he has some expertise in law enforcement and soon becomes a voice of reason in town. The social dynamics of the town begin to change. People are worried about radiation sickness and the decreasing supplies of food. The electromagnetic pulse of the bomb has taken out most of the town’s electricity. A lesser series would depend on one hardship after another to create dramatic tension. With this one it is the way the people react. One person that has to cope with the many drastic changes is a local farmer, Stanley Richmond (Brad Beyer). He runs the family corn farm with his sister Bonnie (Shoshannah Stern). Just before the bomb an IRS agent, Mimi Clark (Alicia Coppola) comes to reposes the farm for back taxes. She is a city girl not used to normal rural life and now has to find a way to survivor under the direst circumstances. Eric has more than survival to worry about. He has having marital difficulties with his wife, April (Darby Stanchfield). He is cheating on her with the town’s bartender, Mary Bailey (Clare Carey). Jake also has his share of romantic entanglements. His former fiancée Emily Sullivan (Ashley Scott) is teacher and daughter of the local crime lord. There is also a new potential love interest for Jake in the form of elementary school teacher Heather Lisinski (Sprague Grayden). Jake saved her and the school kids when the bomb fell.

The plot unfolds slowly. It is discovered that about a dozen U.S. cities were bombed at the same time by and unknown terrorist group. The federal government is in shambles with a half dozen men claiming to be the President. The operator of the salt mine that provided most of the income to Jericho, Gray Anderson (Michael Gaston), unseats Johnston as mayor but he is no the leader or administrator that the town needs. As the men of Jericho venture out to the surround area they find a world in complete disarray. Towns have become fortified feudal states. Open markets spring up, heavily armed, and become the center of a barter economy and what sparse information there was available. As food becomes scarce and winter draws closer the town becomes resentful of a group of refuges that arrived. There is an ‘us’ versus ‘them’ mentality that takes over to the point of wanting the strangers to be sent away with no means to provide fro themselves.

I have come across some criticism of this series stating that some episodes did not seem to go anywhere. I have to disagree with this. While it is true that some episodes where more self contained they showed just how disjointed a post-attack town would be. Answers to the burning questions do not arrive on a regular basis. Some times it’s just a matter of coping and that is what drives this series. There is a great heart and humanity to this series, the likes of which are rarely seen on broadcast television. It takes the premise of surviving in a dark new world but it never forgets that there are people involved. It shows the best and worse potential for humanity as people close ranks to survive. Not only do the people of Jericho have to survive the hardships induced by the bomb they have to learn to live with each other and the people in surrounding communities. The drama here is purely human in nature. At one point CBS had announced that the series would be cancelled, never resolving the cliff hanger in the last episode. Fans started a campaign to send in peanuts (a reference to a dramatic piece of dialogue in that last episode) and CBS reversed their decision. Part of the fault for the lack of ratings was on the executives. They split the season in two; part one ending in November, restarting in February. A series like this needs the continuity. Thankfully the DVD allows us to watch this series back to back.

This is not only a great dramatic series it has an exceptional cast. Skeet Ulrich is very well cast as the son returning home to his family and finding he has to save them and the whole town. He has a quiet determination that gives Jake realism under the darkest of circumstances. He is a flawed hero with a dubious past that has to finally live up to the potential his father always knew was there. Gerald McRaney is one of the most versatile actors around today. He is fresh off a stint in the cancelled too soon Deadwood where he played a vicious, evil character. Here he is the heart of Jericho; the compass of morality and pillar of strength.

Paramount makes up for the treatment this series received at the network with this DVD release. The anamorphic 1.78:1 video is exceptional. The color palette is far above the average. The 5.1 Dolby audio is clear and well balanced. This is a worth while series that was saved from an untimely death by the fans. If you were not a fan first time around this set will certainly make you one.

Posted 09/18/07