http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-scifijericho,0,3583806.story
'Jericho' Finds Shelter at Sci Fi
Fan-favorite show will air on cable on Mondays
Zap2It.com
January 23 2008
With a midseason premiere on the horizon and now a home on cable, the walls of "Jericho" won't be tumbling down anytime soon.
The rights to the first two seasons of the beloved CBS show has been acquired by the Sci Fi Channel, and it will debut on the cable network with a four-episode marathon on Monday, Feb. 11 beginning at 7 p.m. ET, before airing in its reagular time slot on Mondays at 10 p.m. a week later.
"'Jericho' is a gripping science fiction series that Sci Fi Channel is excited to add to our schedule," said Thomas Vitale, Senior Vice President of Programming and Original Movies, in a statement. "Thanks to the passion and persistence of its loyal viewers who saved this program from being canceled, new viewers can now experience this show for the first time on the Sci Fi Channel while CBS continues the story in its second season run starting this February."
The show follows the residents of a small Kansas town after the fallout of a nuclear attack seen as a mushroom cloud on the horizon. With communication suddenly cut off from the outside world and fear rampant, previously untapped strenghths and hidden secrets begin to emerge.
Lackluster ratings for its freshman year initially accounted for "Jericho" not appearing on CBS' schedule for the 2007-2008 season. The show's rabid fan base, however, launched a save "Jericho" crusade that included buying ads in trade magazines and bombarding the network with calls, emails and more than 20 tons of peanuts, the latter a reference the season finale's last line. The efforts were rewarded.
CBS responded with a seven-episode midseason order of brand-new material, which will debut on Tuesday, Feb. 12 at 10 p.m. ET. Fans are warned that ratings will determine if more episodes will be forthcoming, and it's too soon to know if the current writers' strike will affect the show.