She's right: While Jericho premiered to promising ratings last September, it lost 29 percent of its audience after a three-month hiatus and ended its first season with a so-so average of 9.5 million viewers. So Las Vegas radio host and concerned Jericho addict Shaun O'Mac took to the airwaves after the season-ending May 9 cliff-hanger, urging fellow fans to flood CBS with nuts, a nod to a line uttered by Ulrich in the finale. A week later, Jericho was officially canceled, but devoted viewers continued to go nuts, ultimately sending an estimated 20-plus tons of peanuts to the CBS offices. Awed by the response, CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler contacted exec producer Carol Barbee, and in June the network decided that Jericho would return midseason, albeit with a smaller, seven-episode order. Tassler admits to being ''thrilled there is such a level of investment,'' but she also warns that the show's overzealous army of fans needs to broaden its base. ''The ball is in their court now. They have to bring more people to watch to make sure this show will continue.''
NEXT PAGE: What to expect in the season 2 opener
