'Jericho,' when the walls came a-tumblin' down
CBS' most-talked-about new show is probably "Jericho," the drama about what happens to a small Kansas town when nuclear bombs apparently take out at least two major American cities and the town is left to fend for itself. The cast, including Skeet Ulrich as Jake, a young ne'er do well who lies about where he's been, and Gerald "Major Dad" McRaney as Jake's dad and Jericho's mayor.

The "Jericho" discussion started with a question about why Jake's vintage car boasted only an AM radio (uh, because it was vintage?) and turned serious quickly. TV Guide's Michael Ausiello has dubbed the show "Everwood: The Day After," and comparisons to 1983's "The Day After," which also featured the effects of a nuclear holocaust on Kansas, are inevitable. (Guess the old pulp novel had it right: "The Gods Hate Kansas.")

Comparisons to "Lost" were also inevitable. Both shows, it was pointed out, rely on a small group of people suffering through a disaster and relying on themselves in order to survive. But some comparisons were shot down: "Jericho" won't rely heavily on flashbacks, nor is it likely to incorporate mythical elements, at least "until we run out of ideas," joked an executive producer.

Some viewers and critics will draw parallels, certainly, to the current world situation, but the show's panel was quick to point out that visions of doom have existed in literature going back to "War of the Worlds" and earlier.

I've watched the "Jericho" pilot more than once now, and it never fails to give me a somewhat creepy feeling of dread. I'm still not convinced that audiences want to watch the aftermath of a nuclear attack unfold week after week. One panel member says that she also isn't in the mood to watch a horrible disaster unfold on her TV screen, but notes that she would watch "Jericho" (then again, who wouldn't say that about your own show?). "Jericho," she said, is less about the national disaster and more about "something happening and people rising to the challenge."

• Fun for this newbie to notice: Reporters inevitably called Skeet Ulrich "Skeet," but referred to Gerald McRaney as "Mr. McRaney," sometimes in the same breath. Maybe it's because McRaney's gravitas just commands respect (that wonderful voice!), but maybe it's just that "Skeet" is such a fun word to say.