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In defense of a possible Jericho Movie
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In defense of a possible Jericho Movie.
The first season of Jericho on CBS was groundbreaking. The makers of the show so successfully mixed genres that many who were unwilling to accept aspects were lost along the way. Opinions about the show had a Goldilocks ring: “This episode is too hard” or “This episode is too soft” and finally “This episode is just right”.
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For me the episodes were always just right. I loved the way Jericho seemed like a different show at different moments. It allowed me to be the sum of all of my parts as well and the enormity of the subject matter made it easy to drop preconceptions and accept that life can be astonishingly different from one moment to the next. The town was vibrant and alive and by the end of the season threatened by a hostile neighbor.
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This escalation and then door slamming shut on season one prompted fans to act and we got our second season. But it was to be different than the first; the conflict we had become invested in over the last five hours of the first season was snuffed out in no time at all. Larger, more powerful forces had descended on Jericho and the characters we had come to know so well were asked to shift gears. They did this magnificently within the confines of the seven episode we were allotted. It was not the same show it had been in season one but because of the time spent in character exposition over the course of that first year we still felt like we knew these people. Through the tenacity of the shows creators Jericho exhibited one of the most important aspects of longevity –The ability to change. Most of us allowed our vision of the show to change as well and the community continued to evolve, grow and remain mostly positive through a second cancellation and beyond.
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Now there is talk of a possible Jericho Movie and I believe this might be just what we need. Granted, it does not bring the friends we love into our homes on a weekly basis but it does allow the story to once again jump to the next level of a national civil war. It allows for new characters to be introduced that are written by the very storytellers we have come to trust. It allows the makers to work more freely from a monetary stand point and to dream bigger for a chapter of the story which frankly needs to be huge. I know the show is called Jericho and that focus on the town and its inhabitants is what many of us desire but it is a fitting metaphor for war that much is lost along the way. On the other hand, war also has a way of getting to the very heart of that which is important and I am confident the creators of Jericho will be keeping this in mind through any of the changes which lie ahead.
.
For me the episodes were always just right. I loved the way Jericho seemed like a different show at different moments. It allowed me to be the sum of all of my parts as well and the enormity of the subject matter made it easy to drop preconceptions and accept that life can be astonishingly different from one moment to the next. The town was vibrant and alive and by the end of the season threatened by a hostile neighbor.
.
This escalation and then door slamming shut on season one prompted fans to act and we got our second season. But it was to be different than the first; the conflict we had become invested in over the last five hours of the first season was snuffed out in no time at all. Larger, more powerful forces had descended on Jericho and the characters we had come to know so well were asked to shift gears. They did this magnificently within the confines of the seven episode we were allotted. It was not the same show it had been in season one but because of the time spent in character exposition over the course of that first year we still felt like we knew these people. Through the tenacity of the shows creators Jericho exhibited one of the most important aspects of longevity –The ability to change. Most of us allowed our vision of the show to change as well and the community continued to evolve, grow and remain mostly positive through a second cancellation and beyond.
.
Now there is talk of a possible Jericho Movie and I believe this might be just what we need. Granted, it does not bring the friends we love into our homes on a weekly basis but it does allow the story to once again jump to the next level of a national civil war. It allows for new characters to be introduced that are written by the very storytellers we have come to trust. It allows the makers to work more freely from a monetary stand point and to dream bigger for a chapter of the story which frankly needs to be huge. I know the show is called Jericho and that focus on the town and its inhabitants is what many of us desire but it is a fitting metaphor for war that much is lost along the way. On the other hand, war also has a way of getting to the very heart of that which is important and I am confident the creators of Jericho will be keeping this in mind through any of the changes which lie ahead.
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8 comments:
I agree that while a movie may not be my first choice of how I would continue Jericho I think the creators will do a great job. I will support the movie. If enough of us support the movie and enough new fans find the show through the movie we may get more movies or the show back on a network. I am happy that it looks like the last 7 episodes of Jericho weren't the last ones.
Debby
While a Jericho movie would not be my first choice, it can be a stepping stone to a revived series. Jericho in whatever form it takes will need more than our support. I hope we are up for the challenge.
While I admit that my first choice for a continuance of Jericho would be a season 3, this idea of a feature movie is very appealing. I agree with much what has already been stated that not only will a movie allow the story to continues, it may also be responsible for a series return if in fact it does very well at the box office, and I'm reasonably sure that it will do just that.
Judist63 here..I will go watch a Jericho movie...but this isn't what I want for Jericho...I wan't to see it on tv week to week because we desperately need quality televsion and this is it! I am hoping that if they do make a Jericho movie that it is just a bridge to start another season of Jericho on tv and a way to get new fans of the show "hooked" on watching.
I love the idea of a moview because I think it will attract new viewers. When I told people that Jericho was done by Junction Entertainment, the company that did National Treasure I got of comments about how they didn't know Junction was doing a TV show. A Jericho movie could bring in more viewers!
Gwen
I would love to see Jericho picked up as a weekly series again. Who wouldn't want to see Skeet Ulrich on a weekly basis? But, I'll take Jericho in what ever form they want to give it to us. I'm sure that if they decide to do a feature film it will be phenomenal. It will definitley get the support of the Jericho Rangers.
Jericho as a feature film? Imagine if every Jericho Ranger brought a friend or two with them to the theater. We could definitely fill those theater seats a time or two. I would love to see Jericho picked up by another network, but if they want to give us a film, I'll take it.
Jericho, Jericho, Jericho!! I will watch it any way I can! And buy the DVD as well :-) Of course as everyone else has mentioned, would much prefer a season three as a TV series. Who knows though - if the movie does fantastically maybe scifi or one of the other channels will resurrect the series. keeping my fingers and toes crossed!!
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