Farewell to "Jericho"

Jericho finished its second and final season on CBS Tuesday night. It was a darn good show while it lasted, and it was getting better all the time. I stayed faithful through its run and was delighted that the network gave the program another shot with a seven-episode mini-season after first canceling it last year. And kudos to the creators and producers, who, anticipating a second cancellation, filmed a dandy concluding episode that pretty satisfactorily tied up most of the story threads. Now those of us who give a damn can treasure all 29 shows as a complete Jericho saga; I’m assuming the short second season will arrive on DVD eventually.

By the way, for those unfamiliar with the program, Jericho’s first season detailed a massive nuclear attack on the U.S. and the painful rebuilding of Jericho, Kansas; this last run of the series focused on the town’s occupation by the “new” federal government’s military forces. And Tuesday’s episode closed with the nation on the brink of a New American Revolution, with one of its final images being the good old Gadsden flag (“Don’t Tread On Me”) flying over city hall. Stirring stuff. If you haven’t seen Jericho yet, rent or even buy the DVDs. It’s a damn fine yarn.