Jericho TV Series on CBS - I'm Hooked

About 3 months ago my friend Shane emailed me about this new show Jericho and said from what he'd read about it online, it seemed to be almost like a Lost knockoff. I was intrigued, but I hate getting in on a tv show if I'm not there from the beginning, especially this new brand of one-word-title shows that have an overarching plotline. But I found out the other day that I could download the first 11 episodes on X-box Live, so I've been watching them with my wife, and I've got to tell you: We're hooked!

CBS has a winner with Jericho. The star of the show is Skeet Ulrich, who many might remember as resumbling Johnny Depp in a vague sort of way. His performance as the mysterious prodigal son who returns home just before a nuclear explosion in nearby Denver is terrific. His father is played by Gerald McRaney, who a lot of folks will probably remember from such silliness as Simon and Simon and Major Dad. His performance on this show is anything but silly.

Emily Sulivan, a former girlfriend of Jake's, is played by Ashley Scott, who was also in Birds of Prey. She's a great looking gal and a better actress than many women who look that good. Gail Green, Jake's mother, is being portrayed by Pamela Reed, who, if I'm not mistaken, played one of the main characters in one of my favorite all time movies, The Best of Times. Another major character is the mysterious Robert Hawkins, who seems to be amazingly competent for someone who claims to just be a cop from Saint Louis (or whatever city he said). He's played by an actor I'm not familiar with, Lennie James.

My wife and I have finished the first half a dozen episodes and so far there hasn't been a clunker in the bunch. In fact, she was mad that I'd only downloaded one episode for her to watch yesterday. I do my best, but downloading these shows on X-box Live takes time even with my high-speed connection. I guess they're pretty big files.

The rest of the season comes on February 21, so I should be ready to watch some more of the show by then, even though I'll be in Vegas with the Mrs. celebrating my birthday.

But to sum it up, watch Jericho if you can, because it's one of the best dramas on tv right now. It's our 2nd favorite show after Lost. I'm including a few links to some Jericho websites below for your further edification:

• Official CBS Jericho tv show website (Includes a web show called Countdown about Hawkins' preparations for the attack.)
• Wikipedia Jericho article (Includes links to Wikipedia articles for all the main characters and the actors who play them.)
• Jericho Talk (A discussion forum for the show.)
• Strange Horizons Jericho Review

I'm sure I'll post more about Jericho soon, because like I say, I'm hooked.