A Slight Delay

Citing low ratings–again–CBS is pulling the plug on its apocalypse opera, “Jericho.” This is, of course, the second time the network is cancelling the ratings-challenged show; the last time, CBS was beseiged by fans sending in thousands of pounds of peanuts. There’s no word yet whether those same fans are now back to hoarding Planters.

The first season of Jericho looked promising, building on the premise of a middle-American town coping with the aftermath of a limited nuclear war. But the series’ first-season flaws were only magnified in the second season; we’ve seen Jericho–the show and the town–devolve from a plot and character driven ensemble show, to soap opera, to B-movie-grade action. By now, it seems as though the writers can’t decide whether to emulate “The Day After,” “The X-Files,” “Days of Our Lives,” or some awkward combination of the three.

The show hasn’t been helped by its time slot, the writers’ strike, a truncated seven-episode season, or the fact the second season picked up after such a long layoff. If another network picks up the show, which is always possible, there’s much work to be done if “Jericho” is to live up to the promise it showed early on.