CBS knows what it has with Jericho; a hit serialized drama that has been building momentum week after week. But it also knows the risks having such a hit show brings with it; it's not a very rerunable show, and airing too many repeats in a row might kill the show's momentum. So CBS has decided to go the route that ABC did with Lost (and NBC wanted to do with ER until the show's ratings went up) and will put the show on a ten-week hiatus after it's "fall season" finale on November 29.

In order to bridge the gap, CBS will provide exclusive Jericho content online, and continue to stream the previously-aired episodes on their broadband video site inntertube. New episodes will come back in February.

During Jericho's break, the show's Wednesday at 8 slot will be filled by new episodes of The King of Queens through the end of the year and another yet-to-be-announced program in January. The full press release is after the jump.

November 8, 2006

"JERICHO" TO BE PRESENTED IN TWO DISTINCT SEASONS WITH NO REPEATS

CBS's Hit Freshman Drama Will End Its "Fall Season" With a Cliffhanger Finale on Nov. 29....
...Then Return in February With All New Episodes For the Remainder of the Season

CBS to Create Online Destination for "Jericho" During Its 10-Week Intermission with Original Content, Interactive Elements, Recaps and Preview Clips of Upcoming Episodes

"The King of Queens" Returns With New Episodes In December

JERICHO, CBS's hit freshman drama about the aftermath of a nuclear explosion in a small, peaceful Kansas town, will be broadcast without repeats for the remainder of the 2006-2007 season.

The network announced today that it has devised a scheduling pattern to broadcast JERICHO in two distinct seasons. JERICHO will conclude its "fall season" with a cliffhanger finale on Wednesday, Nov. 29 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) and come back in February with all original episodes for the remainder of the season.

JERICHO will return on February 14th with a recap special looking back at the first 11 episodes, followed by an original episode on February 21st. The all-new episode on February 21st will provide a look into life in Jericho the day before the nuclear bombs exploded.

To sustain audience momentum and update potential new viewers, CBS will create an online destination for JERICHO during the show's 10-week intermission. The site will include original content, interactive elements, recaps and sneak previews.

CBS will also continue to stream all episodes of JERICHO broadcast to date on its broadband channel innertube. Currently, JERICHO is the Network's most-streamed program on innertube.

JERICHO is averaging 11.08 million viewers, 3.4/10 in adults 18-49 and 4.5/12 in adults 25-54 and has boosted CBS's performance in the Wednesday, 8:00-9:00 PM time period by +50% in viewers, +42% in adults 18-49 and +50% in adults 25-54 compared to last year.

JERICHO stars Skeet Ulrich, Gerald McRaney, Ashley Scott, Pamela Reed, Kenneth Mitchell, Lennie James, Sprague Grayden, Michael Gaston, Erik Knudsen, Brad Beyer and Shoshannah Stern.

Jon Turteltaub, Stephen Chbosky and Carol Barbee are executive producers for CBS Paramount Network Television.

In a related announcement, Kevin James, Leah Remini and Jerry Stiller return with original episodes of THE KING OF QUEENS in December.

CBS will broadcast back-to-back new episodes of THE KING OF QUEENS on Wednesday, Dec. 6 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) and Wednesday, Dec. 13 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET). New episodes of THE KING OF QUEENS will also be broadcast on Wednesday, Dec. 20 (8:00-8:30 PM, ET/PT) and Wednesday Dec. 27 (8:00-8:30 PM, ET/PT). Seven more episodes of THE KING OF QUEENS to be broadcast in 2007 will be announced at a later date.

CBS will also announce additional programming for the Wednesday (8:00-9:00 PM) time period at a later time.