Redshirts Always Die
Fansided

3 underappreciated sci-fi shows canceled too soon

By Chad Porto

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 07: Actors Grant Bowler (L) and Julie Benz speak onstage at the "Defiance" panel discussion during the Syfy portion of the 2013 Winter TCA Tour- Day 4 at the Langham Hotel on January 7, 2013 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 07: Actors Grant Bowler (L) and Julie Benz speak onstage at the "Defiance" panel discussion during the Syfy portion of the 2013 Winter TCA Tour- Day 4 at the Langham Hotel on January 7, 2013 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) /
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HOLLYWOOD, CA – OCTOBER 02: (L-R) Castmember actor Skeet Ulrich, actor Richard Speight, actor Bob Stephenson, Castmembers actors Kenneth Mitchell and Brad Beyer pose at the party for the CBS DVD release of “Jericho The First Season” at the new Hollywood hot spot Crimson on October 2, 2007, in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Ryan Miller/Getty Images)
HOLLYWOOD, CA – OCTOBER 02: (L-R) Castmember actor Skeet Ulrich, actor Richard Speight, actor Bob Stephenson, Castmembers actors Kenneth Mitchell and Brad Beyer pose at the party for the CBS DVD release of “Jericho The First Season” at the new Hollywood hot spot Crimson on October 2, 2007, in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Ryan Miller/Getty Images) /

Jericho (CBS)

What would a world look like if you were stuck in small-town America, in the middle of nowhere and you’re some of the only survivors of a nuclear attack? Welcome to Jericho, Kansas. Home of the Green family, father Johnston (Gerald McRaney), mother Gail (Pamela Reed), son Eric (Kenneth Mitchell), his wife April (Darby Stanchfield) and screw-up brother Jake.

The family is thrust into a post-nuclear attack world, where Johnston Green, as Mayor, has to lead the town through the worst possible scenarios one can imagine, including an election against the greedy business owner Gray Anderson (Michael Gaston).

Lennie James, Ashely Scott, Brad Beyer, Alicia Coppola, and Erik Knudsen also star in this series that lasted just 29 episodes.

Set in the fictional town of Jericho (not named after the wrestler, but the biblical city), the Greens and the rest of the townfolk have to figure out how many cities were destroyed, who did it, and why all from an isolated little town that now needs all the help it can get.

Mysteries, espionage and hidden secrets come to light along the way. Along with a border war, lead by the amazing character actor Timothy Omundson.

The world and show isn’t just action, chaos, and carnage, but one that brings a slice of life concept to the series, featuring how people would get by if there was no electricity or deliveries of food to sustain the town. Romances, infighting, politics, and the like feature heavily; alongside some great action.

Ulrich has never been better in the starring role as Jake Green. Not Scream, not Riverdale; this is his masterclass of acting, and his ability to get the audience on his side is undeniable. All within a series that pushes the viewer to the edge of a person’s morality and asks them to make a decision.

Do you send away refugees when you know you don’t have enough food? Do you risk bringing people dying of radiation poisoning into your hospital and risk contaminating more people? What about raiding another town’s hospital in order to ensure your father lives? Morality wasn’t easy in this show, but the Greens and the rest of the town sure made you cheer when they got it right.

To those who’ve watched and loved the show, there’s only one more thing that needs to be said.

“Nuts.”

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