Back in the 80s, there was an earth-shattering television event that everyone in America simultaneously watched. I’m not talking about Roots–that was the 70s. Nor am I referring to the final episode of M.A.S.H. No, the earth-shattering 80s television event was The Day After. This horrifying TV movie showed what would happen in the event of nuclear war.

The war scenario was contrived; basically a recreation of World War 2 in the age of nuclear warheads, but the devastation created was palpable. Those lucky enough to die upon impact were vaporized. Everyone else became walking wounded, bald, sick from radiation, looking like zombie cancer patients.

It was horrific in 1983, when it premiered, and frankly gave me nightmares for years to come. While the country breathed a sigh of relief at the falling of the Berlin wall, the end of Eastern Bloc Communism and the cold war, my relief was in part due to knowing The Day After couldn’t occur as it did in the movie. (Now, as for today’s political climate? There’s legitimate fear of the same outcome with a different war, but that’s not the subject of this post).

We’re talking about Jericho. This series, which aired in 2006 on CBS follows the citizens of Jericho, Kansas after a nuclear attack. There are no zombie cancer patients in Jericho. Nor are there central news reports explaining the war that led to the nuclear strike. This show is about human reaction and interaction in the time of trouble. Some rose to the occasion, becoming scrappy, resourceful heroes. Others sank to depraved levels, taking advantage of people, stealing, or worse.

The story centers on Jake Green, (Skeet Ulrich, that scary dude from Scream), the mayor’s prodigal son who returns to town just in time for the nuclear holocaust. How Jake responds drives much of the story. There is also a mystery involving a new Jericho resident, Robert Hawkins, (Lennie James). It remains to be seen whether he is a good guy or a bad guy, but he does know more about what’s going on in the world than he lets on.

Jericho was canceled after one season, but fans succeeded in extending the show another season. After it wheezed to an end in 2008, the CW network aired Jericho as a mid-season replacement.

Please click here for my rating system

1. Story: Jericho doesn’t need horrific special effects to tell its story. It focuses on human interaction. It makes it more reassuring, if not more realistic. I’d think a nuclear attack would affect people more than just emotionally. 6

2. Acting: This is Jericho’s strength. You believe the emotions the characters express. The characters pull you in, demanding you find out their hidden pasts, motivation and drive. 8

3. Setting: Maybe a small town in Kansas would be as unaffected by nuclear poisoning if Denver were attacked. Or maybe not. Trying to figure that out is a bit of a distraction. But the town and the people look very poor after the attack, so that works. 7

4. Longevity: I’ll give Jericho a few extra points for its activist fans. By the way, did I mention there’s a third season in comic book form? And possibly a movie in the works? 7

Total score for Jericho: 7

Watch Jericho in tubecore from the CBS folder, download several episodes from Amazon Video on Demand, rent both seasons from Netflix, or buy Jericho – The Complete Series from Amazon.