Jericho Nuked by CBS

Fri., Mar. 21, 2008 12:02 PM PDT by Gina Serpe

Aw, (pea)nuts.

Despite getting a fan- (and legume-) powered reprieve, CBS has given the heave-ho to Jericho.

The latest—and presumably final—cancellation of the apocalyptic series came Friday, after CBS execs determined the resurrected series had not generated big enough ratings. The season/series finale will air Tuesday night.

"Without question, there are passionate viewers watching this program; we simply wish there were more," said CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler. "We thank an engaged and spirited fan base for keeping the show alive this long, and an outstanding team of producers, cast and crew that went through creative hoops to deliver a compelling, high-quality second season.

"We have no regrets bringing the show back for a second try. We listened to our viewers, gave the series an opportunity to grow, and the producers put a great story on the screen. We're proud of everyone's efforts."

However, in what's no doubt an attempt to ward off another 25-ton delivery of peanuts to the network's New York and Los Angeles offices, the Hollywood Reporter claims that two potential endings for the series were filmed, and the one chosen for air isn't as definitive as it could have been.

Per the Reporter, the selected ending won't necessarily preclude the series from coming back to the airwaves, albeit on cable, if at all.

Last June, Tassler, in the wake of the enthusiastic peanut-sending campaign that has already gone down in the annals of TV fandom, ordered a seven-episode second season of the show, hailing the overwhelmingly persuasive nature of sending the nuts—an idea borne from a line in the inaugural season's finale—but warned that "for there to be more Jericho, we will need more viewers."

Unfortunately, follow-through doesn't appear to be Jericho fans' strong suit. The show has continually been on the losing end of the Nielsen fight since its relaunch last month.

Jericho averaged 6.8 million viewers through its first six episodes this season (the finale will be the seventh), in the neighborhood of other CBS un-favorites like Viva Laughlin (6.5 million—for one episode) and Welcome to the Captain (6.3 million). Last season, when it got canceled the first time, Jericho averaged 9.2 million for a 23-episode season.

That's a loss of nearly 2.5 million viewers, or 26 percent of its audience. Most every show is down this year, but that's even worse than usual.

Jericho does, however, continue to be a bankable hit online, both as one of CBS' Innertube's most-watched shows and as an iTunes performer. The second-season premiere sold more than 700,000 copies, making it one of iTunes' most downloaded shows.

—Additional reporting by Joal Ryan