Way back in September 2006, a short lived TV series first aired on CBS called Jericho. A mere ten minutes into the very first episode, Denver, Colorado is destroyed by a nuclear device and I knew this was going to be one of my favorite programmes, for as long as it was on the air.
The premise of the story was simple enough, the modern day United States suffers from a limited nuclear attack and the residents of the small town of Jericho, Kansas try to continue living their lives in this new age. However, what really made the show popular was the ordinary, everyday people and their interactions with each other, the great mystery of what really happened, with why and who was behind it all.
Skeet Ulrich would play Jake Green, one of the principal characters in the series. Jake was a interesting character, an anti-hero who returns home and his life soon changes in a direction he didn't expect. Lennie James, through the character of Robert Hawkins, would bring an essence of mystery to Jericho, after moving there with his family in the very first episode. The show also featured many other fantastic acting talent from Kenneth Mitchell, Pamela Reed and veteran actor Gerald McRaney.
The show itself would have a rough broadcast life, first airing on September 2006, then entered an unusual hiatus period two months later to February 2007. Episodes would run to May 2007, then CBS decided not to renew for a second season. Almost immediately, a "save the show" campaign began, which promoted CBS to reunite the cast and release a short, seven episode Season Two, running from February to March 2008.
In my opinion, it was a real shame, since Jericho had a very good cast and strong writing, but CBS didn't seem to know exactly what to do with the series.
So, after that bitter trip down memory lane, what does this have to do with a tank or some other armored fighting vehicle? Well, there was one in the series, for a few episodes in brief.
Season one, episode fifteen (or sixteen, depending on if one counts the first episode being viewed in two parts or one) was titled "Semper Fidelis" and introduced the people of Jericho to a group of outsiders, a detachment of United States Marines (who turned out not to be for real), who just happen to be traveling with a M1A1 Abrams tank.
In reality, the tank wasn't what it appeared to be.
Owned and leased by Armytrucks Inc, it's a visually modified (also known as vismod) Vickers-Armstrong FV 4201 Chieftain. One giveaway is that it only has six wheels per side, a real Abrams has seven, another is the "V" shaped feature on the upper glacis plate, around the driver's hatch, the real Abrams doesn't have that.
A little known fact that it is very difficult to secure a real Abrams tank for use in movies and television programs. First, the script of the movie/show has to be approved (specifically, by not casting the U.S. Armed Forces in a negative light or performing questionable/unbecoming, onscreen actions), then everyone involved, from the cast, visitors and production teams have to be thoroughly vetted by the process of intense security background checks. Not to mention, security for shooting locations (interior and exterior), storage areas, the list goes on.
It's actually cheaper and easier just to get a replica to perform the part.....
....especially if you are going to destroy it in it's last, onscreen appearance (A CGI model was used in the first episode of the short Season Two, titled "Reconstruction." It was an Abrams versus train showdown, the Abrams lost).
The complete Jericho series is available from Amazon.com
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