In the beginning, Jericho was haunted by the insinuation that it was a LOST knock-off looking to take up a parasitic position on ABC's sci-fi/drama hybrid's opening time-slot. Therefore, it must suck, right? After a few weeks of well written, if not intriguing, episodes the show began to claim ground. It quickly received a full season order amid ratings that showed a strong "growing" phase. This could have been a bad thing meaning the show was booked on a projection and needed to fulfill that promise for any hope of a second season. Unfortunately, Jericho has not maintained that trend. The show has settled into a comfy number two spot for the Wednesday Night 8pm slot, but its failure to continue to grab new viewers is no doubt weighing heavily on CBS exec's minds.
The true test for Jericho will come in November, when ABC's currently dominating reality show Dancing with the stars gives way to its returning sitcoms George Lopez and According to Jim. The eponymous duo are considered more "alternative" programming for the slot. Meanwhile, LOST's halo will be extinguished for another twelve week hiatus while freshmen short-run series Day Break attempts to keep fans busy. With LOST fans feeling, well, lost, they may decide to sample the more established flavor of Jericho for their Wednesday night pseudo-sci-fi fix. Then again, the hard-core audience that keeps LOST going may decide on another 'must-see' night and line-up all together, leaving the soil of Wednesday's fields a little less fertile for emerging favorites. Only November will tell.