Jericho returns to TV screens tonight. I never caught the show back in the fall — the idea of witnessing a network-approved apocalypse felt too potentially glib to get me biting, while the sight of Skeet Ulrich generally only takes me back to lamentable experiences I had watching cinema in the mid to late ’90s — but I’m thinking of giving the show a chance. As you know, several thousands pounds of peanuts shipped from angry fans convinced CBS not to cancel the thing after all; as a fan of the underdog, I find that tidbit almost amusing enough by itself to see what I’ve been missing. (Tonight’s a repeat of the pilot; next week’s a recap show of eps 1-12 and a rerun of ep 13; the rest of season 1 begins re-airing in sequence the week after that.)
Also amusing: the fact that American Idol alum Clay Aiken is claiming credit for the viewer revolt that made CBS bring the show back in the first place. "The show Jericho… I loved it," he told the Houston Chronicle this week. "It got canceled, and I blogged about how upset I was. I said, ‘The Claymates can do anything. How do we get this show back on the air?’ Honestly, within a week they had organized a campaign amongst Jericho fans to send nuts to CBS. It kind of started in that place."
Mother of pearl! Jericho/Aiken fans, is this for real? Is Clay Aiken responsible for getting your show back on the air? Is he the most powerful man in show business? And "Claymates": did you watch the show too, or do you just generally do what the dude tells you to do? One more question: did any of you also watch The Black Donnellys, and do any of you think fans can get that show reborn by shipping 45,000 Zesta crackers to HBO?
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Clay Aiken is incorrect in that Claymates did not organize the campaign to save Jericho, but joined the existing movement started by show fans. Clay fans did watch Jericho, talked it up to anyone who would listen, and sent nuts to CBS to protest the cancellation. So yeah, Clay and Claymates deserve some credit for saving Jericho, but not all of it.
Poor Clay. Too bad we never saw his name anywhere during this campaign. Guess he wanted to wait to claim credit until it was a success. We do thank the Claymates who helped.
The Black Donnellys is a great show and thse fans just might pull it off. They’re an awesome group!
Jericho fans are extremely organized and number in the thousands. That’s how they did it. And yes, I believe The Black Donnellys will be back. I believe in miracles.
I dunno, man, HBO’s tough, they won’t succumb to snack food. Maybe cans of Guinness.
Next, watch this comments space for posts of thanks from the Cracker campaign, all worded similarly according to their talking points. I like both Jericho and TBD, but they’re run like grassroots political campaigns, and it’s really creepy when you get all these comments that all sound so positive and all exactly the same. I blame Karl Rove for this, and whoever is copying him on the left.
Besides, if they pick up TBD, it’ll just send as Tommy turns around in the diner and then an abrupt cut to 10 seconds of black screen.
I think Clay may have given his Claymates just a tad bit more credit than they deserved for bringing JERICHO back. But they did help. We appreciate the help from where ever it came from.
Jane,
Clay’s name was not associated with your campaign because he asked the fans for help on his own web site. People who aren’t members of Clay Aiken fan club wouldn’t know anything about his request.
The answer to your question is YES. No one knows if the crackers will convince HBO to pick up a second season of the Black Donnellys, but it will surely get their attention. It’s really about showing our support for this series.
The Black Donnellys’ fans are a loyal and passionate group of individuals. As a fan, I believe in the slogan “Family Above All” and and The Black Donnellys best exemplies that.
We only hope that The Black Donnellys can find a home at HBO. While, some may believe the crackers may not do it, I do believe that HBO is a good home as they ARE responsible for such great shows like The Sopranos. Even the actors from The Black Donnellys have prior or future history. Kirk Acevedo as Nicky Cottero, is well known for his role as Alvarez on “OZ”. Billy Lush as Kevin Donnelly is acting in HBO’s new miniseries “Generation Kill”. HBO will not only draw upon old and new audiences.
Given the opportunity, the right marketing the series can be successful.
Look, I love Jericho and am happy about what we did as a whole to get it back. If there were some Claymates who helped out and sent in nuts too, great – I’m happy for their support.
But it’s borderline delusional for Clay to say “it started in that place” and that his fans organized the campaign to send the nuts, as if the Jericho faithful were simply floundering helplessly, impotent with rage until Clay’s fans showed up to steer us in the right direction.
Again, I’m glad he’s a fan. But he shouldn’t even remotely act as if the credit starts with him, cause it just ain’t true.
All Clay knew was that he posted several blogs asking his fans to help keep Jericho on the air and that a long of his fans posted that they were sending in nuts and letters to CBS. The Clay fans were joining in the campaign started by Jericho fans. Clay isn’t trying to claim credit and neither are his fans. The Clay fans just did what they could to help. Isn’t that what’s important? I think people oughta give the guy a break.
Thanks for reporting on JERICHO and giving it a chance. Once you start watching and get hooked like the rest of us nuts, let me know how you would feel after seeing the fantastic cliffhanger of a finale and then CBS gave it the boot!! I bet you would have sent nuts too!
Jericho is a great show! I waited all day in eager anticipation to watch the first episode last night, especially since I did not watch the 1st season when it aired! Thanks to the fans and CBS! I can now see the 1st season on TV!
And yes, I do believe The Black Donnellys will get a second chance. The first season is currently airing on HDnet which is already a step in the right direction!
Clay loves Jericho and he asked several times for fans to watch it and write and save it. Some did. Clay fans never have taken credit for saving Jericho. Clay just thinks his fans are amazing.
EW keeps trying to get me back as a subscriber, but it’s smart aleck, condescending, cooler-than-thou writing like yours that makes me say no. Even Clay couldn’t make me do that.
I know Clay is mistaken. I know that fans are fans, no matter what they’re a fan *of*. I think Clay has never witnessed fans before he had them (I guess because he’d been living under a rock?), so he assumed he had something to do with it. He assumed wrong. He probably realizes that by now. Unfortunately, thanks to the Internet, one little interview with the paper in Houston becomes common knowledge and upsets people.
I’ve read that this was just a test for Clay to ensure that his influence is absolute. Evidently this is just the beginning. It seems that his next goal is to somehow make Nicky Hilton more famous than Paris, and then ultimately have his minions rise up so he can replace the United Nations with a more effective and representative body.
I am a HUGE Jericho fan….AND a HUGE Clay fan. I think Clay’s remarks are being misinterpreted (nothing new there) – he undoubtedly knew about the Jericho fans’ nut campaign, and just meant that his fans joined in on that, as well as talking it up everywhere, and it was all a huge success. Clay loves the show, so give him a break…and start watching everybody!
“Honestly, within a week they [Claymates] had organized a campaign amongst Jericho fans to send nuts to CBS.” Nothing to misinterpret there. Claymates taught Jericho fans how to really be fans and save their show. They’re pretty amazing, those Claymates. I wonder how the Claymates managed to keep St Elsewhere on the air back in the 80s when Clay was only in grade school? I’m a fan of Clay’s too, but he needs to wake up and smell some reality.
I certainly think that sending the crackers will certainly gets HBOs attention. Hopefully, HBO will realize that the fans of The Black Donnellys show are serious about a second season on HBO. Maybe, other networks might consider picking up the show based on the efforts being made.
Dear Gregory, I think you meant “dudette”?! Bwahahahaha!! Hmmmm…must watch the show and find out who Clay fancies and adores… must be someone with a buff bod.
I really hope the Black Donnellys will be given a second chance, it’s a great show.
Um, it’s funny. I don’t recall in ANY post on the CBS forum or on imdb Jericho site, someone mentioning Clay Aiken or his fans. NOT ONE. Sorry, they may have contributed, but the organization and massive emailing campaign was from Jericho fans.
Whaaaaa? I’ve followed the ’save jericho’ campaigm from the beginning to end. NEVER did I hear Clay Aiken mentioned in anything. What a weird comment….
I wish that once, just once, an article could mention Clay Aiken without the “that dude’s gay” contingent showing up. Even when the article is about Jericho, the gaybashing continues. Ah, I do so love the world and everyone in it…
Who knows what hold Clay Aiken has over CBS, but I guess it’s better than being a smug jerk on a plane:
http://news.aol.com/entertainment/story/_a/clay-aiken-involved-in-airplane-spat/n20070708151309990013
Isn’t Aiken supposed to be ‘popular’? These stunts reek of an almost Guarini-like desperation. I am glad the woman on the plane didn’t put up with the antics of the poor man’s Manilow, though.
It’s a great joy to see that the Jericho Nuts! campaign apparently truns into a pop culture phenomenum with the Black Donnellys Cracker Drive (and good luck with your campaign, Donnellys fans). Now if only every other American would buy one (1) Mars bar and send it to the CW, all would be fine…
Put me down for 100 Mars bars!! Curse you, cw.
Sadly, though production on Veronica Mars have ceased. Actor, writers and others haved moved on. Hasn’t the creative team on The Black Donnelly’s done the same?
I saw the premiere episode of “Black Donnellys”; that was one episode too many.