RUMOR: Will Netflix Resurrect Jericho?

TV Guide scored an exclusive: Netflix is rumored to be in talks with CBS to bring back Jericho:

Apocalypse now? TV Guide Magazine confirms that Netflix has approached CBS about reviving cult fave Jericho — and the network, through its CBS TV Studios production arm, is considering it. The drama, which followed the residents of a small Kansas town in the wake of a nuclear attack, has been off the air since 2008. Repeats of Jericho remain popular on Netflix's on-demand service, even four years after the show's cancellation.

The story notes that there are a lot of things to get in order before this deal can be done, like getting the cast together and working out the financial details. But it could happen...

Thanks to Bradley for sending this in.

Comments

[RJM35126]

Interestingly, i just started watching this show a few days ago.

Like it so far.

Like with a lot of TV shows I never watched, its not a rerun to me.

[Btoy]

I hope this happens. And since syfy passed on the Battlestar Blood and Chrome pilot I would love to see them pick that up as well, or revive Caprica.

[Jeremy]

They should revive Terra Nova.

[Chill]

The first show brought back should be No Ordinary Family.

[Moom]

Netflix seems to have a problem developing truly original programming. Resurrecting old programs may be a safe, conservative approach, but it seems an approach with significant limitations.

[Robert Emmerich]

This is the show that was canceled but then renewed b/c people sent truckloads of nuts. It's practically the godfather of viewer activism that makes a difference. I'ld say it has a loyal fanbase for nf to grab onto.

[Alex]

I hope they revive Jericho. It was awesome. Watched it for the first time on Netflix. Another show I would love for them to develop would be The Gates. Found that on Netflix as well and couldn't stop watching it.

[paul]

Jericho was a good show; if more episodes were made, I'd watch them. But I think netflix's money would be better spent acquiring DVDs and/or streaming rights to existing content. Making a show is really expensive.

[ole timer]

This not going to happen.the $$$`s amount is just TOO high....that cast was A list for its Time....Wishful thinking from the "they don`t make them like they used to" group.(:>

[Schmye Bubbula]

I dunno', ole timer, Netflix recently revealed that the cost of producing Lillyhammer was comparable with that of acquiring Breaking Bad.

[Pat]

I thought this was a fun show that just crashed in season 2. It would be nice to see and could have a decent following but money rules all. If Arrested Development does well that may boost the chances of more revived shows.

[ole timer]

Hi,Bubbula "LIllyhammer" did not have a A/B list cast..that`s the $$$`s....that for the input.....

[Nathan Hoover]

Great for Netflix if they can pull it off. It's been a while, and they need to get a significant portion of the old cast.

[Btoy]

Those who are saying it is too expensive are missing out on one point. Netflix doesn't have to cover the cost to fully fund the show. They need to put up enough through licensing to make it worth while but the rest of the investment can be made up through other avenues like licensing to foreign TV or DVD sales etc.

[S]

(a) Jericho was actually not an expensive show to produce in comparison to most other hour long dramas.

(b) It did not have an "A" list cast. This is one of the reasons why it was cheap to produce. It did have a very talented cast which is one of the reasons why the show was so good.

[Art Artistry]

HAHAHAHA that is a joke, they have like 30 movies total, and none starting with the letters, D, E, L, O, Q, V, Y or Z. And have fun Enjoying Forest Gum, I'm sure that's an excellent movie. It costs 40 dollars for a year or 30 dollars for 1 month, because even if they DO have those movies and they aren't shitty quality camera recordings you can just download them all in one month and never start have to worry about it again. Not to mention they don't have any newer movies then netflix, they just have some different ones.

[Christer Ask]

loved that show.. bring it back...

[Roger G]

Pretty good movie selection IMO. Thanks for the link!

[Moonover]

I discovered Jericho on Netflix too. Really good show - I think it would do well as a revival. Now if only they could revive Firefly! ;)

[BigSaltyDookie]

Bring back MST3K.
That would be cheap to produce.

[apc]

I thought Jericho was ok. I watched a couple of episodes but never really got into it. The problem with Netflix' strategy (from a business standpoint) is that they're looking at content that pleases current subscribers rather than content that will attract new ones.

Lillyhammer is good, but would be more entertaining, or at least easier to watch and more approachable, if it were all in english rather than half-english/half-captioned.

What netflix should do to attract more subscribers is leak the first episode on peer-to-peer channels and basically give it away. Then tell people to subscribe to get the rest of the season.

[Jared K]

Didn't Jericho fans campaign to resurrect the show once already? Why would Netflix think the economics make more sense now when the show has been off the air for several years and proved TWICE that it can't attract a large enough audience to make a profit?

It baffles me though why they don't put together a second season of Terriers, which unlike Jericho, has only been off the air for about a year. It not only has critical consensus behind it, but if anything, has generated enough buzz as a prime example of "brilliant but cancelled" that it would probably draw a larger audience if it returned. Netflix already is the only place to watch it since it has no DVD release. Why not build on that?

MST3K is a timeless idea that could be cheaply resurrected. Netflix already has rights to a lot of Z-grade films, surely they can get the rights to create derivative content for pennies. Just spend money on good writers.

Otherwise though, I think Netflix should concentrate on developing original properties. Mixing in a few ratings challenged fan favorites isn't a bad strategy, but in the end, they need signature titles.

BTW, "Full Movies" gave me a good laugh.

[Judy__]

Jericho is the one good move on NF's quest for homemade content so far.

[bigqueue]

> It's practically the godfather of viewer activism

Woah.. You have to go back several decades. Star Trek was brought back for a third season because of viewer activism!

[GeeEmm]

Full Movies: $40 for 'unlimited' streaming access to the entire catalog of 96 titles. If that is "The Future of Entertainment" we are all going to be terminally bored and $40 poorer.

A viable alternative should present a comparable product or service, which is clearly not the case in FM vs NF.

I have issues with NF on occasion*, and am not always pleased with their service or their decisions - but it is still the best deal going for commercial-free video entertainment, still well worth the price.

*For instance: this morning 20 titles vanished - without warning - from my IW queue. POOF! I keep all my expiring-soon titles at the top of my list, but there was only one item up for imminent expiration, on the 7th, which is still there. Since NF took away our streaming Saved queue, I have no way of knowing which titles (out of the more than 400) are missing. This is highly annoying. From now on I'll have to keep a copy of my queue on my laptop as insurance against NF unreliability.

[Max Parsons]

we brought it back once why not twice! great show it was one of the first tv shows i watched in instant netflix ive gone thru it twice and will prob watch it a third time ... all around good show.....but really they should be trying to bring back stargate atlantis and universe both bankable franchises with a huge fan base ...stargate fans are getting restless

[Lynne7042003]

I liked Jericho -- I definitely watch it if it was continued with Netflix's help. Has a strong fan following! :D

[ole timer]

New Name: the Yammer`s.There is free TV & Encore "for the good times".

[FearNo1]

This would be a smart move. Jericho has a loyal following and its a good show. Just make the story lines more mature and less formulaic.

Netflix needs quality streaming ASAP. Hopefully they have some announcements soon.

[RJM]

I dont know enough about the economics of a TV to know if makes sense for netflix or not.

But, just because a show didnt make it on commercial TV with 16 minutes of commercial per episode doesnt mean it cant be profitable for netflix and I assume netflix could still put it on cable TV too.

Lots of variables.

[BOB]

I watched and loved all of Jericho. It was one of the greatest shows I have ever seen. I would recommend the show to anyone. With that said the show is over and there is no point in the show going on. Lillyhamer was a waste of my life and I hope netflix knows without a doubt that lillyhammer was garbage.