Jericho's widely heralded resurrection came with a price:  a reduced budget, and roughly a quarter of a season to prove it was up to CBS's standards.  With a limited scope, major characters gone, and tighter confines to tell a story, what are Jericho's chances for survival?  Very, very good.

You might think the odds are against the little apocalyptic drama that could, but in fact they couldn't be better.  A funny thing happens to shows when they know they are ‘on the bubble,' a sort of make or break atmosphere builds up around the creative team and the true grit is brought to the table.

The question isn't “can” Jericho make the impact it needs with only six prime time episodes, it is “will it?”  Jericho, in its best form, was some of the best television out there during the '06 season.  CBS even admitted that the hiatus they imposed on the show broke its ratings stride.  While never swelling to the crescendo of prime time serials like Lost, Jericho certainly at times reached Prison Break numbers at worst.

Best of all, its message of unity in the face of an awful disaster coupled with a sinister conspiracy driven plot was a long shot that succeeded.  In a post-9/11 America, making a television series that uses the worst case scenario as its backdrop and dares to combine new world order “we did this to ourselves” subtext is a risky, risky concept.

Jericho's chances for success hinge entirely on the creative team taking their limited opportunity at face value and operating at the highest levels of quality that were achieved during season one.   All indications are that the cast and crew are united in a tenacity that echoes the citizens of their fictional burg – it's a display of artistic dedication that is just far too uncommon in Hollywood these days.  It just has to win.

- Jon Lachonis, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of CBS)