The television business is a nasty one, and good ratings don’t always reflect good television. Such was the case with CBS’s critically acclaimed “Jericho,” which has been canceled not once, but twice. Staff Writer Alexandra Palombo explores why some of television’s best shows get yanked off the air.

 

So much for power to the people.

Cult favorite “Jericho” has been canceled for a second time. The post-apocalyptic fantasy show first aired in 2006 and was met with low ratings. Despite this, fans of the show turned out in droves to keep the show on the air. CBS obliged, airing a sophomore season — until now. It’s been canceled again for the same reason. This time fans couldn’t save the show, and the series finale aired last week.

Write-in campaigns for endangered television shows are nothing new. “Family Guy” was canceled from Fox’s line-up twice, first in 2000 and then in 2002. But because of its strong DVD sales — and its re-run popularity in Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim — the cartoon, known for its cutaway gags, was resurrected in 2005 on Fox and continues airing now after the long-running “The Simpsons” on Sunday nights.

Though no future plans for “Jericho” have been made, there is always the option of moving to another network. The binary code jokester “Futurama” had its contract expire on Fox but then moved to finish out its contract on Adult Swim. It then started filming new episodes after it moved and its popularity grew.

If those two don’t work out, there’s always the television show-turned-movie option. After sci-fi darling “Firefly” was canceled after its second season, the show was reincarnated as the big-screen movie “Serenity,” named for the ship. After “Sex and the City” was cancelled in 2004 during its sixth season — and after several rumored quibbles between the actors — it has been turned into a movie for this summer. And fans of extreme family dysfunction can rejoice: “Arrested Development” is now rumored to be making its run into a movie.