Not "Save Jericho" again!
Well, you can't fault one of the most chronicled fan campaigns in history for attempting an encore. I mean, you have to be a little nuts to want to spend your hard-earned money to bring back a TV show nobody is watching, right? And since NUTS worked the first time, why not a second helping?
First, though, you've got to see the TV ad.
I love it. The group, Save Jericho Again, says their campaign has the full support of "Jericho" producers Jon Turteltaub and Carol Barbee. And about that ad ...
Fresh on the heels of funding an ad in “Variety” and a gigantic billboard in downtown Los Angeles broadcasting the need for a new home, fans of Jericho -- also known as Jericho Rangers -- raised over $6,000 in less than a month to fund a ten-day media schedule with Time-Warner. The 30-second spot is airing over 200 times around Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and the South and East San Fernando Valley and is hitting popular, ratings-rich shows, such as “Ghost Hunters” on the SciFi Channel, “Deadliest Catch” on the Discovery Channel, and other programs on the History Channel. With voice-over graciously provided by actor Brad Beyer, Jericho’s stalwart, salt-of-the-earth farmer/ranch owner “Stanley Richmond,” the ad targets areas in and around the Hollywood industry area where a decision about Jericho’s future will most likely be made in the near future. Jericho Rangers worked with Time-Warner (with 97% of the market share in that region) to create a schedule that complements other fans’ media efforts and maintains awareness of support for the show, its cast, and crew.
Now that the "Save Moonlight" campaign appears to have hit a cul-de-sac, that leaves "Jericho" as the last show standing ... for the second year in a row. The campaign recently got a pat on the head from Clay Shirky in his brilliant new book, Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations
Will lightning strike twice again? Will tons of peanuts be shipped again to some unsuspecting network exec? Of course, it's easy to make comparisons between the plucky, battle-hardened fans in this drama, and the characters on the show. But mettle isn't going to be enough this time, and it will require more than a ragtag band of enthusiasts to bring back "Jericho" for a third go.
Previously on TV Barn:
