After being bombarded with thousands of pounds of nuts, CBS is close to giving “Jericho” fans a second season of the apocalyptic drama.
Sources close to the production said the network is near a deal with “Jericho’s” producers to bring the show back for midseason.
Passionate fans have mailed boxes of peanuts to CBS ever since it was announced that “Jericho” wouldn’t be picked up for a second season. The nuts are a reference to the show’s cliffhanger season finale, which included a reference to the Battle of Bastogne during World War II. During the battle, surrounded and outnumbered Allied troops gave the one-word reply “Nuts” to German forces demanding their surrender. According to “Nuts for Jericho” campaign partner nutsonline.com, about 39,000 pounds of peanuts have been sent to CBS executives.
“Jericho” averaged a 2.8 rating among adults 18 to 49, according to Nielsen, though the ratings fell off sharply after its midseason hiatus. Nonetheless, CBS appreciated the program for its younger-skewing demographics and heavy online interest.
Bringing back the series in midseason would allow CBS to run a second season straight through without repeats-just like Fox’s “24” and ABC’s “Lost” next year.
CBS had no comment.
(Editor: Horowitz)