Tuesday night brought us the Series Finale for the criminally underrated Jericho. You can check out the archives, as I’ve been a fan of the show from the beginning and I openly admit to contributing to the NUTS! campaign that gave us Season 2.

For what It’s worth, the show had its faults … but it was a compelling drama that in the end truly didn’t belong on broadcast television. Now producer and show-runner Carol Barbee has been quoted by SyFy portal as saying:

“I’ve always said that the alternate ending doesn’t wrap up the series,” executive producer Carol Barbee told Matt Webb Mitovich of TV Guide. “It just lets you know that everyone is OK and it closes out this seven-episode arc. But we could definitely keep it going.”

The folks at SyFy go on to say that SciFi Channel (which has been running Season 1 reruns) has expressed interest in picking up the show, and for fans that could be good news or bad news. They can treat it like the next Battlestar Galactica … or like that piece of shit Painkiller Jane that had the hawt lesbian Terminator.

Overall, I totally dug the Series Finale and Season 2 in general. The only complaint is that this felt so rushed and you can tell the writers crammed in 22 episodes into 7 on a much smaller budget. The finale really tugged on the heart strings, from Mimi & Stanley’s ‘wedding’ on the Hill, Eric weighing the options of allying himself with Sheriff Constantino from New Bern, even when Maj. Beck refusing to take orders from Cheyenne … and his men staying with him to prepare for the pending battle. And how great was it at the end of the episode when Gray Anderson hoisted up Johnston Greene’s “Don’t Tread on Me” flag. How much do you want to be that will end up being the new campaign to rescue the show from the clutches of CBS? It was high octane to the end, and ended with Hawkins & Jake making history. FUCKING A that’s good television.

Sorry if I ramble or sound to much like a fanboy … because I am absolutely in love with this show. For me Jericho almost reaches BSG levels of awesome. The themes and stories it told were a lot different from what we usually see in terms of drama. It wasn’t a CSI/Law & Order/24/Fat Guy & Hot Wife clone … it was an entirely different animal the deserves to have more stories told.

Tonight brings the last episode of the post-apocalyptic drama Jericho on broadcast television. Despite the valiant effort to which the fans went through to bring back the show, the ratings for Season 2 have been less than spectacular and actually lower than the first season.

Sorry for the mini-preview as that was all I could find on the YouTube. Just a sidebar, the voiceover guy in that promo sounds like Gary Chalk, who voiced Optimus Primal in Beast Wars. From what I’ve seen on the Interweb, there were two endings filmed for Jericho … one in case there would be a continuation and the other to wrap things up. Sounds to me that there will be another bomb dropped and a fade to black. I do hope that Jericho can be shopped out to another network, like SciFi or USA. It’s been such a compelling series that has really gotten the shaft in every possible way.

Fuck CBS. Relying on Nielsen ratings would have been awesome in the 1950s. Neilsen boxes don’t measure time-shifted viewing, online streaming/rentals, and torrents. Pull your heads out of your asses and give this show another shot. But why would they? It doesn’t fit into their CSI: lineup … as Jericho is getting yanked in favor of another bullshit incarnation of said franchise.

Sorry about that. I’m a little angry about this whole thing.

Say what you will about Jericho, but I absolutely love that damn show … you could say that I am gay for it. The second season, which came to fruition due to the efforts of the fans has been met with lukewarm ratings, further casting doubt on the future of the show. Last night’s episode, appropriately titled, “Oversight” dealt with the general douchery of Jennings & Rall and their military arm Ravenwood.

The episode ended with the hot deaf girl, Bonnie … taking out some Ravenwood thugs with a shotgun, but not before she was cut down and her would be sister-in-law was bleeding out in the pantry. Fucking A. It was an unbelievable ending that really caught me off guard, and it did the same to many other fans of the show.

… And the fan tribute videos have already started showing up.

I can only hope that the citizens of Jericho go all Lexington & Concord on Ravenwood’s collective ass. The community will (hopefully) galvanize and begin fighting, the way that the Johnston Green would have wanted them to do. I’m such a fanboy for Jericho. It was a dagger of an episode … but that’s what keeps me coming back for more.

As I’ve mentioned before, Jericho hooked me from the start. It was an oddly refreshing genre piece, that seemed oddly pertinent to today’s political and social climate. This past Tuesday we returned back to Jericho, in the immediate aftermath of their war with their aggressor neighbors in New Bern led by the generally douchey Sheriff Constantino. I’ll spare the detailed synopsis and hit you with the likes and dislikes.

Here’s what I dug:

• Seeing the Allied soldiers lowering Old Glory in front of the city hall, and raising the new colors … very creepy
• Esai Morales as Maj. Beck of the ASoA Army … I forgot how much ass he kicked on NYPD Blue
• The Hawkins conspiracy is getting even better … with the fate of this new country hinging on the Republic of Texas
• Jake emerging as the new defacto voice (& Sheriff) of Jericho after the loss of his father
• Hawkins derailing a tank with a fucking tank. Gives Jack Bauer a run for his money

Here’s what I didn’t like:

• The hamfisted narration in the beginning … can we say awkward?
• What happened to Gail Green? I know she’s mourning and that technically isn’t a regular … but still
• No hot deaf chick … very upsetting

Reviews are relatively positive, and the ratings were very good for CBS. Things are looking up for Jericho, let us just hope we can enjoy future seasons of this wickedly awesome show.