CBS Pulls a 'Lost'

CBS scheduling department has announced that following extensive research, which included studying serialized dramas from classics "Dallas" and "Knots Landing" all the way to current hits "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost", they have decided to take their rookie drama "Jericho" off the air and broadcast the final 11 episodes of the first season non-stop from February 14.
The Skeet Ulrich post-apocalypse series has been a surprise-hit for the Eye network on Wednesdays at 8, a timeslot CBS has not had success with for many years. Taking a cue from FOX's "Prison Break" and ABC's "Lost", the network has decided to end the first part of "Jericho's" inaugural season with a cliffhanger and then air the new episodes non-stop without repeats.

There has been a lot of talk in the past years that the networks should abandon the traditional 35-week TV season model and air non-stop seasons of their shows. Apart from several notable exceptions ('24' on FOX, the 4th season of "Alias" on ABC), the networks have either stuck with the original model (22 episodes mixed with reruns) or introduced split seasons.

CBS will continue to promote the series while it is off air. There will be a brand-new website with exclusive content, including interactive elements, previews and recaps. The site will also be supported by an on-air advertising campaign. The amount of web-based content is said to be unprecedented and designed to keep viewers engaged while the show is on hiatus.

Return to the TELEVISIONISTA Homepage