“Jericho” Ends on a High Note

If you failed to catch last night’s series finale of “Jericho” then you missed an opportunity to see what dramatic television should be all about.

The show that sparked a massive uprising by fans last year after CBS decided to cancel it after only one season, returned with a shortened second season, only seven episodes, but more than made up for its lack of quantity with a level of quality writing, directing, producing and acting that hasn’t been witnessed in primetime, except for those rare exceptions like “Journeyman,” “Firefly” or “C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation.” And, like “Jericho,” two out of the three of those AAA+ shows were canceled without so much as a thank you by their networks.

“Jericho” ended on the same kind of high note that Kevin Falls gave to the final episode of “Journeyman” last season. Executive producer Carol Barbee can be very proud of her effort and she deserves a gold star for keeping the show, its actors and crew on top of their game throughout, knowing that this would be it, at least on network television, for the series.

I won’t tell you anything about the final episode because I don’t want to spoil it for those who have yet to see it, but just let me say, it doesn’t get much better than what millions of fans witnessed last night.

And, the great thing is, even though it didn’t end on a cliffhanger, Barbee left it open enough for its continuation by some other network or new media format….. And that, is a story for another day.