I have for up to a
week been struggling to decide what my first blog post would be on. With so
many subjects to choose from I was at a loss, should I write on Science
fiction? Short stories? How to craft the perfect novel? I was not sure. But
then a subject near and dear to my heart suddenly came into the lime light. So
I present my first blog post.
Something truly
historic occurred yesterday, something no one expected. The film website
"Hitfix" created a bracketed contest called "Cancelled"
that pitted cult favorite TV shows against one another in a battle to decide
the most popular. The list included
Terra Nova
Almost Human
Freaks and Geeks
Deadwood
Jericho
Firefly
And many others,
It’s the last
two on the list I want to talk about today. Firefly is the reigning king of
cult TV shows that were ended before their time, the fans of the show called
"Brown coats" number in the millions and routinely pack exhibit halls
at Comic con and other conventions, its stars are rock stars and gods of the
geek (used in a very positive way) world. So when everyone says that Firefly
was on the list everyone (myself included) figured the contest would be over
before it began. But something happened. Firefly Lost. And it was not defeated
in an epic battle in the contests final showdown, no it was defeated in the
semifinals and by a show that until the last few years was considered dead and
gone with a fan base that drifted away into the night.
The Show was
Jericho.
In a brief history of
the show, Jericho is a show that centers on a small town in Kansas which
survives a nuclear holocaust that destroys much of the Continental United
States. The show mixed the themes of freedom, espionage, terrorism and civil
war into a perfect mix of drama that made for excellent viewing. The show was
sadly cancelled after its first season, but through a massive fan campaign was
brought back for a second season. Due to many factors the 2nd season was its
last and the final episode served as a defacto series finale (The ending left
you wanting more, but ended the series on a good note)
It seemed at that
point the series was dead, many small websites kept up the fight, but after a
while they all began to fade, then came a fan who goes by the username
"Gwen" having always been a fan of the show and a renewal activists,
Gwen gathered many thousands of fans on face book and beyond to fight for the
show. Armed with determination and an army of fans behind her, Gwen has lead the
show into what can be described as a 2nd renascence that has seen the campaign
not only get massive attention but also legions of new fans. The resurgence of
the show has been so great that Jericho has seen the show continue as a Graphic
novel series, and whispers of a possible revival at either CBS studios or with
the mega website Netflix.
Now how did Jericho
beat Firefly? There are several reasons that while not apparent on the surface
become clear upon investigation. Firstly Firefly is 12 years old, and the age
while bringing lots of new fans has also lead many to believe a new set of
episodes is unlikely, with this is the fact many of Firefly's stars now have
shows of their own. Secondly, Firefly's fan base is very wide and decentralized
with many leaders; it is difficult to organize a fan wide campaign. Thirdly and
perhaps the biggest reason, is that post-apocalyptic shows are back in style,
with successful shows like "The Walking Dead" "Falling
Skies" "Dominion" and many others, fans of those shows are
discovering Jericho and becoming fans in record numbers. Lastly shows that are
cancelled take time to gather enough fans to get cult status, some never make
it and die, but thanks to leaders like Gwen who have shepherded Jericho, it has
emerged into its second Renascence.
Mark yesterday as
a historic day, Jericho is no longer a minor player in the cult show arena. It
beat the King. It’s becoming a major player.
Jericho is rising
again
Find out how you can
help support Jericho and get the latest updates by liking the following the
pages
