• Network: CBS
  • Series Premiere Date: Sep 20, 2006
  • Season #: 1 , 2
Metascore
48 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 30 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 30
  2. Negative: 9 out of 30
  1. Jericho works when it sticks to the eerie surreality of a nuclear attack... The show, unfortunately, flops about in its first two episodes, leaning too heavily on the action-adventure stuff.
  2. 70
    What’s intriguing about the series is the absence of a visible enemy -- with a citywide communication breakdown, hardly anything is known about the status of the rest of America -- and the focus on keeping citizens from becoming their own worst enemies
  3. 70
    "Jericho" has a surprising ability to create tension from the unthinkable.
  4. A gripping, one-of-a-kind drama.
  5. Reviewed by: Diane Werts
    70
    There's enough human drama here to keep us occupied without having the walls fall down, too.
  6. 63
    It's not a bad scenario for a serialized drama, but be forewarned: The apocalyptic story unfolding on "Jericho" is, by nature, exceedingly gloomy, reviving memories of the Cold War and also serving as a reminder of the tense times in which we live now.
  7. Discerning viewers -- and anyone who's hooked on "Lost" -- will realize that "Jericho" is doling out hints to a very large mystery at a very slow pace, which is never a good combination.
  8. If the Awful Truth of the Global Meltdown is the big carrot "Jericho" dangles before you, it is no more compelling than the question of which of the available good-looking girls Ulrich is going to get close to.
  9. Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    60
    Despite sharp casting, the real trick will be to develop Cold War-style fear while dribbling enough clues to elevate this above being just a post-apocalyptic "The Young and the Restless."
  10. "Jericho" doesn't pretend to be artistically risky, but it's got a scary and gripping theme in an age of terrorism and nuclear thuggery.
  11. 60
    The second episode is much cheesier and less suspenseful than the pilot -- nothing quite beats those mushroom clouds in the distance, let's face it.
  12. There's something faintly retro about a show that tackles fears many thought died with the Cold War.
  13. What you do after surviving the end of the world as you know it is an intriguing premise, and when "Jericho" sticks close to that, it's one of this season's more promising new dramas.
  14. For at least the first two episodes, "Jericho'' works better than it should, and there are some striking moments and images.
  15. Reviewed by: James Poniewozik
    50
    There's something missing from this postapocalyptic drama, namely, a realistic feeling of apocalypse.
  16. 50
    In Jericho, claustrophobia, paranoia and the threat of nuclear rain are merely an overlay meant to distract us from the mundane nature of everything else the town has to offer.
  17. 50
    That morbid premise -- in addition to the so-so storytelling, devolving badly by the second episode -- sure feels morosely overwrought for 8 o'clock.
  18. 40
    The fall's biggest disappointment.
  19. 40
    It's an interesting approach, but despite well-drawn characters and the strong cast, there's a sense that the show is trapped in amber, a perfectly preserved relic from another age.
  20. The creators of “Jericho” deserve some credit for beginning where most thrillers end. But they rely too much on melancholy pop music to paper over weaknesses in the writing and characters.
  21. There's tons of trouble in Jericho, and that starts with T and that rhymes with D and that stands for dumb. Not flat-footedly, spectacularly dumb, just a little bit too dumb to live up to its premise.
  22. It's not only about a bomb. It is one.
  23. Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    30
    Downbeat and earnestly preachy about community and survival, this weird show is further hampered by glum Skeet Ulrich’s miscasting as the all-purpose prodigal hero.
  24. 30
    It might sound callous to say that "Jericho" has managed to make nuclear war look boring, but there you have it.
  25. 30
    "Jericho" turns nuclear catastrophe into an excuse for a series of suspenseful "24"-like set pieces, and the result is a ham-fisted concoction overcrowded with incident and rigged thrills.
  26. That's a lot of story potential, but most of it is squandered in trite and predictable ways.
  27. 25
    Mostly it feels like an instructional film about disaster preparedness. [2 Oct 2006, p.45]
  28. A catastrophic nuclear crisis never looked as boring and convoluted as it does here.
  29. Reviewed by: Tad Friend
    20
    “Jericho” lumbers; its townspeople spend all their time in the bar squabbling--they know one another so well that they haven’t got room to grow.
  30. It had a weak pilot to begin with, but the second episode is even more of a tedious bore.
User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 251 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 15 out of 162
  1. It's my favorite TV-show! It's has everything you ever wanted. A post apocalyptic word, drama, action and the story behind the people's coping mechanism. Just awesome! Full Review »
  2. The critics couldn't be more wrong even if they gave E.T. the video game a 10/10. Everything is here that makes a great tv show. Character development, funny moments, amazing writing, thrills, and some tear jerking moments. Full Review »
  3. Following a nuclear attack on the US the citizens of Jericho are forced to quickly adapt to a new, and far more unpredictable, way of life. A very good pilot episode certainly helped to set everything up concisely featuring a good mix of drama and character introductions, as well as a truly memorable finale. From then on however the show was certainly inconsistent from week to week. The gradual uncovering of who was behind the attacks certainly made for interesting viewing but a number of storylines seemed to have been written just to fill in episodes.

    While it could have possibly benefited from a shorter, tighter season Jericho is definitely worth giving a try.
    Full Review »