After being plucked from the void, Jericho will return under the scrutiny of the CBS mother ship with a tightened purse.  Rumored budget cutbacks, and changes to production schedules are just some of the burdens that the show faces, the other lay squarely in the hands of the fans who are charged with turning the grass roots efforts that won Jericho a second lease on life into a recruitment effort for new viewers.  Last week, star Jericho star Skeet Ulrich spoke on the possibility of more episodes being added to the initial order of seven, as well as the trials and tribulations that lay ahead for the production.



Ulrich talked briefly with TvGuide and besides expressing copious gratitude to the steadfast fan efforts that kept the show alive he expressed a slight amount of dismay over some of the changes to Jericho’s production schedule.

The most encouraging info to come from the interview is that CBS will have its eye on Jericho’s early returns, and if they are sufficient enough, the eyeball network could add an additional seven episodes to Jericho’s midseason run.  Such an announcement would definitely be a forerunner to Jericho’s chances at a full third season.

The reduced budget looks to be aimed partially at the shooting schedule.  Ulrich said that the series will now have seven days to shoot each episode, down a day from last season.  The actors are also not being paid based on a standard thirteen episode contract, and had to accept unusually short terms.

The challenge now is how much of an impact did the grassroots efforts have on Nielson homes; since those are the numbers the industry will be looking at, Jericho’s grass roots movement needs to have stirred interest in those test homes for a ratings improvement to move the needle. Time - hopefully not too much – will tell.

- Jon Lachonis, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image © 2007 CBS)
(Source TVGuide.com)