Jericho: The Mayor responds to cancellation

Michael Gaston who played Gray Anderson on Jericho, posted on the message board of the show’s official website. In the Mayor’s post, he reveals a little about the state of mind of the Jericho family.

Many of you have posted here that you’re curious about how we are taking the cancellation and why we haven’t posted anything in these boards. The fact is that most of us are devastated. I wouldn’t dare try to speak for all of the cast and crew, but I can tell you that I’ve spoken to or exchanged e-mails with about 50 people from the JERICHO family and we are shocked and depressed by the networks decision.

Interestingly enough, we thought the biggest disaster in Jericho was nuclear war…

RIP Jericho: Johnston wasn’t the only death

The biggest bummer of late has to be the cancellation of Jericho, perhaps the best show on television. An outrageous premise definitely lived up to it’s promise. Great acting, and a very intriguing plot that basically ran itself. I guess we’ll be left wondering about the storylines: Who will win the war with New Bern? Will Mimi and Stanley ever get married? Will Dale ever take his rightful place as the main villain? What really happened in Jake’s past? Or Hawkins’ past?

I guess we’ll never get the answers to these questions. It’s a shame. Maybe they’ll bring his show back somehow, either on another channel or in the summer or something. All I know is that I will miss it.

One of the more underrated elements of this show was the opening sequence. The morse code always spelled something out, and it always meant something. Wikipedia has a list of the morse code words. The most interesting one is from the episode Semper Fidelis, the code is THEY WILL NEED IT. This, of couse, is the episode in which Jericho acquired a tank. The same tank that, seven episodes later, was really needed, and helped in the war against New Bern.

Clear Eyes. Full Heart. Got Renewed.

It’s official, Friday Night Lights has been renewed by NBC and will air on Friday nights (how apt!) at 10 PM. I am not sure where they’ll go after having Dillon win the championship, but it will be interesting to see how it plays out. I remember the first few minutes of Major League II and I expect to see something similar here: perhaps Saracen gets a big head and leaves Landry in the dust or Riggins fell off the wagon in postseason celebration.

More importantly, there will be new characters, particularly players, who will play an interesting part. I always say the worst part about high school and college sports is that the names always change, but in this case, that means fresh blood and fresh plotlines.

Thanks to my good buddy TiVo, I don’t have to watch this show in the Friday Night Death Slot.

Jericho or How I Met Your Mother?

With Friday Night Lights finished for the year, the battle for Best Show On Television comes down to a sitcom, How I Met Your Mother, and an action-adventure show that shot past 24, by a mile, in Jericho. This week’s How I Met Your Mother was great, but Jericho was better.

Barney showed his awesomeness yet again, winning every possible prize on The Price Is Right, and encountered someone who might be his real father. Lillypad and Marshmallow finally got married, and all sorts of other hilarity ensued. But it can’t match tonight’s Jericho. The town is headed to war against New Bern, a neighbor led by Timothy Omundson (Lassiter from Psych). New Bern has amassed military supplies and weapons, and seems to be a formidable foe. Jericho is at the ready, led by Robert Hawkins and Jake Green. In addition, several other characters have stepped forward lately, including Mayor Gray Anderson, who refused to give in to New Bern’s demands, and Jimmy the Sheriff, who acts as peacemaker no matter who is fighting.

As Jericho heads to war, I really feel attached to these characters. When they give away farms during negotiations, I feel the loss myself. Someone is going to die next week (I predict it’s Johnston Green), and I will feel that as well.

Jericho is staying around awhile. I can live without Six Degrees or Drive, but I simply have to know what happens to Jericho. Next week is the season finale, and I can’t wait.

The movies of Entourage

For a hit show, Entourage produces an extremely small amount of content. 22 minutes per episode and very few episodes per season. 24, on the other hand, has 24 action-packed hours per season (with commercials). Obviously, the cast of Entourage isn’t exactly looking for extra work, but there’s definitely one thing I’d like to see.

As a movie star, Vincent Chase the character has starred in several hit movies. These include Head On, Queens Boulevard, and Aquaman. We actually got to see a two-minute snippet of Aquaman, but why not flesh that out a bit and devote one 22-minute episode to showing us the “actual” movie, with Vince starring as Aquaman (and Mandy Moore around as well)? This can be a complete standalone episode, with no actual references to Adrian Grenier – only to Vincent Chase. It doesn’t have to be Aquaman – how about Head On? Head On didn’t even have a plot to follow and could be written along any lines that would be entertaining.

Heck, it doesn’t even have to be Vince. Why not show an episode or two of Johnny Drama’s Viking Quest? I’d love to see that. While none of this will probably ever come to fruition, it’s interesting to look at Wikipedia pages for Viking Quest, Vincent Chase, and Johnny Drama.

Entourage: Did you notice…

… that Debi Mazar gets big billing in the opening credits, but rarely appears on the show, while Rex Lee (Lloyd), does not appear in those credits, but plays a very significant role? I don’t think the credits have changed since the first episode, but it’s a little unfair to Lee, don’t you think?

The best show on television

Image from Give Me My Remote

Friday Night Lights is the best show on television. In last night’s season finale, the Dillon Panthers won the state championship, with Smash, Riggins, and Saracen all involved in the game-winning hook-and-ladder. To be honest, this episode featured more football than any of the previous episodes. But don’t be fooled: plenty happened besides the game.

Mrs. Taylor is pregnant. I am pretty sure Coach Taylor is going to stay in Dillon and she’ll probably go into labor during a game next year. The state championship game was probably in December (even though everyone was in short sleeves), so she’s due in September. During a game. I am sure of it.

Landry and Tyra never kissed. I hope they remain a focal point next season. He’s the guy we can all relate to, and it’s great that he’s likely to get the girl, sooner or later. It was fun to see them sitting in the upper deck, but I really wonder how the quarterback’s best friend couldn’t get seats in the lower bowl. Doesn’t Saracen have any pull?

It’s great to see Jason Street back with the team. And I guess it’s realistic that injured guys do come help with the team. But is he back in school? Is he going to get his GED? Are they going to pay him to coach next year? Will we see more of Herc? He was my favorite minor character.

Believe it or not, this show hasn’t been picked up for next year yet. It’s not to late go to FightForLights.com and be heard.

Six Degrees is gonzo

It only took two weeks, but Six Degrees has been pulled off the air for a second time. This a real shame. This was a very good show. There’s not much more to say: we knew this was coming from the moment the show came back with a Friday Night time slot. And at least we got to see what happened to Steve Dunn from Singles (played by Campbell Scott).

Jericho: The story is a puzzle

Tonight, I was able to catch up on the last two weeks of Jericho (Thank you very much CBS Innertube!), I’ve always enjoyed Jericho but now the puzzle is really forming. We know that Robert Hawkins was involved in the bombings, and we now know that many of the bombers were posing as FBI agents. Was Hawkins involved? Was he trying to break up the plot? Is he still on the same side? What is the device? Obviously, Hawkins is the consummate good guy, but what are his intentions?

Another guy who has interested me lately is Gray Anderson. He’s finally on the right team. He wasn’t so great as a bad guy, but now he’s growing on me. He can definitely portray a leader, and I look forward to his leadership in the coming episodes.

This show can’t last forever. It’s already bleak times, and while the storylines are interesting, I just can’t imagine what a “five years after the bombs” scene would look like. Don’t get me wrong I really like Jericho and wish the show well, but how long will it last? I definitely don’t want this show to be canceled before it can have a proper finale. Something that will tie up all of the loose ends. Even if the show only lasts two or three seasons, I’d be fine with that.

The two episodes tonight were great. Was I the only one who noticed Tim Omundson (Lassiter from Psych) guest starring? Am I the only one who watches both shows religiously?

Six Degrees is really good

It’s good to have Six Degrees back. This show does a really good job of intertwining the lives of the characters. This week, a lot happened. We finally learn that Carlos and Anya are roommates (now THAT makes sense), and she has a little extra baggage. And apparently, Carlos and Whitney have the same real estate company, albeit in different tax brackets. And Mae fits in several places – wanted by Damien’s buddies, sort-of dating Carlos, babysitting for Laura. Though intricate, the show has simplicity and the storylines are blatant and easy to follow. This is very watchable, and even though it airs on Friday nights, I hope it stays on the air.