The beauty of Jericho is in the characters and their different personalities. It tackles the question of how people will react when faced with the ultimate adversities. In the beginning, people, for the most part, try to help each other as if this was just a temporary situation and there would be help from the government or some other party eventually. As the months go on, though, and they realize how desperate a situation the nation most likely is in, they have to figure out how to balance the needs of their own survival versus helping their fellow man.
Jericho has a relatively large cast, which is becoming a popular option lately in TV shows like Heroes. The show centers on several different families. One of which is the Mayor Johnston Green (Gerald McRaney), his wife Gail (Pamela Reed), his quintessential prodigal son Jake (Skeet Ulrich), his other son Eric (Kenneth Mitchell), who is expected to follow in his father's footsteps, and his daughter-in-law April (Darby Stanchfield). Another is the mysterious Hawkins family, who just moved to town days before the bomb hit, paid cash for the house, have a cover story they are continually rehearsing, and the dad Robert (Lennie James) seems to know quite a lot about everything. What kind of secret is he really hiding? Adding a touch of humor every now and then is Jake's friend from high school, Stanley Richmond (Brad Beyer). He runs a farm, takes care of his teenage deaf sister Bonnie (Shoshannah Stern), who in some ways takes more care of him than he does her, and he happens to be under a government tax audit at the time of the disaster, which means the auditor, Mini Clark (Alicia Coppola), who is an ultra professional, uptight woman is stuck in this tiny farming town with no way to really contribute much other than complaining. Over time, though, I really like the person she becomes. Of course, there's also going to be Jake's high school sweetheart, Emily (Ashley Scott), who is now engaged to another man, who was out of town for business and is now missing. There are quite a few other characters that I just don't have space to go on and on about, but the development and changes they all go through are very well written and believable.
The box set also includes a number of extras. About every other episode contains a deleted scene, some of which I would really have liked to see left in, but time does restrain TV shows. Building Jericho depicts the process they went through to create the town and its inhabitants. It also includes cast interviews and audition tapes. What If? explores the nuclear arms race and where we are in it. There are also commentaries on several episodes.
I have loved Jericho since I saw the first episode. It is very different from the other shows on TV today. It is a very dramatic, suspenseful show, not much humor overall, but it shows the most realistic endeavor into the hearts of men that I've seen. I highly recommend it, especially for anyone looking for a great action/drama.
