More on Jericho

I received a comment from a reader asking me for more information about just what the show Jericho is about. Maybe I should make it a little clearer, for those of you who may not have seen it before. But rather than try to put it in my own words, I'll quote directly from the shows ABOUT page.

About Jericho

JERICHO is a drama about what happens when a nuclear mushroom cloud suddenly appears on the horizon, plunging the residents of a small, peaceful Kansas town into chaos, leaving them completely isolated and wondering if they're the only Americans left alive. Fear of the unknown propels Jericho into social, psychological and physical mayhem when all communication and power is shut down. The town starts to come apart at the seams as terror, anger and confusion bring out the very worst in some residents. Jake Green, prodigal son of the town's mayor, becomes a reluctant hero when a school bus crashes as a result of the explosion. Mayor Johnston Green is conflicted with the return of his estranged son, but is called to action when the town begins to riot. Johnston's wife, Gail, is the strong, savvy first lady of the town who runs interference between her husband and her favorite son. Attempting to usurp the mayor's power is Johnston's political adversary, Gray Anderson, who is not above putting his personal agenda before the welfare of the very community he wants to lead.

Though the cloud appears in the distance, it affects all the residents in Jericho, including Dale Turner, the 16-year-old trailer park kid everybody picks on, who finds himself in a position that could change his status; Robert Hawkins, a mysterious stranger who seems to be a jack-of-all-trades as he steps in to help restore order; Heather Lisinski, a pretty young schoolteacher on the bus with her students returning from a class trip when the glare from the explosion causes a terrible accident; Emily Sullivan, Jake's high school sweetheart who lives outside of town and innocently goes about her business unaware of the catastrophe, Bonnie Richmond, a pretty 17-year-old who is hearing impaired; and Bonnie's older brother Stanley, Jake's best friend from childhood and an avid car lover who works on the family farm. In this time of crisis, as sensible people become paranoid, personal agendas take over and well-kept secrets threaten to be revealed, some people will find an inner strength they never knew they had, and the most unlikely heroes will emerge.

Personally, I find Jericho to be a very thought-provoking story about what could happen if we don't put a stop once and for all to the type of radical terrorism that struck us on 9/11. I regrettably missed the entire first season during it's original airing on CBS, but got caught up online after my wife raved about how much she was enjoying watching the show online.

I strongly encourage you to, at the very least, watch the last season 1 episode before tuning in next Tuesday on CBS at 10pm Eastern Time. I promise you two things:

1. You may choose not to watch further, but you won't be bored or disappointed if you watch next Tuesday night;
2. This show will make you think.
   

Joe