R.I.P. ''Jericho''

Jericho, the CBS program about a Kansas town’s isolation in the aftermath of a nuclear attack, died last week in Los Angeles at the age of 18 months, after a long battle with Nielsen ratings.

The March 25 episode — which saw Hawkins (Lennie James) and Jake (Skeet Ulrich) successfully retrieve a nuclear bomb from Cheyenne, Wyoming’s corrupt government — served as Jericho‘s funeral. A wake, at which season 2 will be released on DVD, is scheduled for June 17. At press time, there were no official plans to resurrect the show on another network.

Jericho cheated death once before. Almost 12 million viewers watched its birth on Sept. 20, 2006, but a winter hiatus drove away a good chunk of its audience, and CBS killed the series the following May. The show was revived when fans sent more than 20 tons of peanuts to CBS’ corporate offices in protest — a nod to one of the final lines of season 1. But after it returned last month to just 7.1 million viewers, CBS decided not to proceed with a third season.

Jericho is survived by a cast and crew of dozens, including creators Jonathan A. Steinberg, Josh Schaer, and Stephen Chbosky, along with millions of devotees. It will also be remembered fondly by the American Peanut Council.