Radio Times

• Episode 1/22 Pilot

  Jake Green returns to Jericho after five years away. His estranged father, mayor of the town, refuses to give him the money his late grandfather left him. But as Jake leaves town, a mushroom cloud rises over Denver - and it becomes clear it's not the only city to have been attacked. As the townsfolk panic, the mayor and the police struggle to maintain order. Meanwhile, Jake rescues a busload of children.

  RT Choice (Geoff Ellis, 12 January 2007)

  This looks promising and it's well made, but it's going to have to sustain some powerful Cold War-style paranoia to succeed.

• Episode 2/22 Fallout

  As a storm heads for Jericho, the town's residents take refuge from the nuclear fallout. But there isn't room in the shelter for everyone, leading Jake to come up with a novel solution to the problem. Emily finds herself trapped with two escaped convicts posing as sheriff's officers. Meanwhile, Robert learns shocking news from a coded radio broadcast - but keeps it to himself.

  RT Choice (Geoff Ellis, 19 January 2007)

  The appeal of this new US suspense drama about an isolated American town after a nuclear attack lies in its huge debt to 1950s sci-fi movies. It even shares their tendency to play with characters who can't or won't recognise jeopardy when it smacks them on the nose.

• Episode 3/22 Four Horsemen

  Bonnie's brother Stanley gets caught in the storm, leading to fears he may develop radiation poisoning. Back at the mine, a claustrophobic man is causing a disturbance. As the weather clears, the townsfolk set to work rigging up a satellite dish and intercept a broadcast that shocks them all. Jake suggests four teams leave Jericho to pick up - and spread - information in the wake of the nuclear blasts.

  RT Choice (Geoff Ellis, 26 January 2007)

  Gripping stuff - the best new drama from America's autumn offerings.

• Episode 4/22 Walls of Jericho

  A man with radiation sickness stumbles into Jericho. Before losing consciousness, he utters the ominous words, "They're coming". The discovery that he arrived in town in Shep's blood-stained vehicle leads Hawkins to administer a shot of adrenalin to revive the dying man for questioning - and it becomes clear the two know each other. Meanwhile, fuel for the generator is running low, and there are fears that the United States has been invaded.

• Episode 5/22 Federal Response

  Homeland Security issues an emergency message. Power overloads cause three separate fires around Jericho, testing the town's firefighters to the limit. Eric discovers that April had divorce papers drawn up before the bombs went off - but now she wants to give their marriage another try. Hawkins catches Jake spying on him as he works away on a computer with a satellite attached - and it transpires both men have secrets to conceal.

• Episode 6/22 9:02

  An electromagnetic pulse wipes out communications in Jericho. A face from Jake's past reappears and makes trouble for the prodigal son and his family. Hawkins's daughter stumbles on his basement office, prompting him to share his fears about the town's descent into lawlessness and teach her to defend herself. Help comes from an unexpected source when Stanley's crops become infested.

• Episode 7/22 Long Live the Mayor

  Gray returns to Jericho with the news that Washington DC has been destroyed, and that there's been a breakdown in law and order in outlying areas. Hawkins and his wife confront their troubled relationship. Jake wants to strike a deal with Jonah, but the townsfolk disagree. However, when the mayor becomes desperately ill, Jonah may be their only hope to source the medication that will save his life.

• Episode 8/22 Rogue River

  Eric and Jake find themselves under attack when they arrive at the hospital in Rogue River. After gaining his trust, the wounded gunman tells them about his Ravenwood colleagues, a mercenary outfit drafted in by the government to help maintain order. But the brothers, and the sole surviving doctor in the clinic, are forced to flee when the violent soldiers return. Meanwhile, Grey asks Hawkins and his family some awkward questions.

• Episode 9/22 Crossroads

  As Ravenwood approach Jericho, the townsfolk set up a barricade on the bridge to hold them at bay. But when the mercenaries promise to return in force, destroying the bridge seems like the only option to safeguard the town. Eric, however, has other ideas. Meanwhile, Emily comes to a realisation on what would have been her wedding day, and Eric tells April the truth about Mary.

• Episode 10/22 Red Flag

  As Thanksgiving approaches, Vietnam-era Russian bombers drop Chinese aid packages using US parachutes. Jake's suspicious of the food packages, fearing this may be an elaborate plot to poison survivors of the bombings. The mayor manoeuvres Gracie into terminating her deal with Jonah - but Jonah's not about to let the slight pass unpunished. Meanwhile, Stanley and Mimi grow closer, and Eric learns that April's pregnant.

• Episode 11/22 Vox Populi

  Gray is out for blood. He thinks Jonah is responsible for killing Gracie, and uses the crime as a platform for the mayoral election. Dale inherits the shop - and uncovers Gracie's killer. Bonnie is furious when she discovers Stanley and Mimi together. Emily and Jake reminisce about their relationship, but an unexpected arrival puts paid to any rekindled romance. Meanwhile, Hawkins receives a disturbing message on his computer.

• Episode 12/22 The Day Before

  A flashback episode establishes Jake and Hawkins's pasts. After Jake is denied a job because the government have designated him a "person of interest", his friend Freddy offers him work with Ravenwood. Hawkins, who's been talking to mysterious associate Sarah, is under orders to deliver a truck containing a wired barrel to a certain location, but goes rogue. In contemporary Jericho, Roger's suffering from shock - and Sarah is among the survivors.

  RT Choice (Geoff Ellis, 11 May 2007)

  A big welcome back to the US drama after its mid-season break. One of the best new American series, it's proved adept at spinning out the drama, showing how the small town of Jericho copes with the aftermath of a nuclear attack on the USA.

• Episode 13/22 Black Jack

  Johnston, Jake and Heather head for a distant marketplace to acquire the part they need to get Jericho's windmills working again. Dale goes along to pick up supplies for the store, but it's not long before the four newcomers run into trouble. Robert invites Sarah home and the pair discuss how to proceed - but can she be trusted? Meanwhile, Gail and Mary thrash out their differences, and Roger confides in Emily.

  RT Choice (Geoff Ellis, 18 May 2007)

  The post-apocalyptic drama is doing a fine job of imagining small-town life when everything around it collapses. What makes it so effective is that it's not just the mechanics of everyday life that have broken down; relationships are cracking all over town and even the ex-mayor is struggling to find a new role. The result is a compelling series that continually teeters on the edge of a precipice.

• Episode 14/22 Heart of Winter

  While out hunting, Mimi, Jake and Stanley are run off the road, robbed, and left for dead. With the men badly injured, Mimi sets off to find help. Sarah and Hawkins arrive at the house belonging to "the old man", finding a body among the wreckage there. Hawkins fears his family are in danger and resolves to move them to safety. Meanwhile, Jake makes a shocking confession to his father.

• Episode 15/22 Semper Fidelis

  The arrival of the US Marines in Jericho brings renewed hope to the town. But Jake and Johnston begin to suspect that the soldiers are not who they claim to be… Hawkins discovers Sarah's treachery, but she realises she's been found out and overtly threatens his family. She wants the "package" for herself and gives Hawkins an ultimatum. Meanwhile, Stanley's upset that Mimi is considering leaving town.

• Episode 16/22 Winter's End

  Doctor Dhuwalia battles to save April and her baby when she goes into labour prematurely. The leader of New Bern drives a hard bargain when Gray requests more wind turbines to help combat Jericho's fuel shortage, but the mayor is forced to agree to his terms. Jimmy asks awkward questions about Sarah, while Dale and Skylar frighten a farmer into honouring a deal he made with Gracie.

• Episode 17/22 One Man's Terrorist

  With food supplies running low, Gray decides it's time the refugees left Jericho. Roger leads the desperate people in protesting the mayor's decision, and before long the situation turns violent. Hawkins learns something interesting as he tries to find out who Sarah was working for. Skylar and Dale get more goods for the supermarket, and a radio broadcast jogs policeman Jimmy's memory.

• Episode 18/22 A.K.A.

  Jake resorts to desperate measures to get answers from Hawkins. In recalling the shocking events that prompted him to bring his family to Jericho, Hawkins realises he could know the identity of the man now trying to acquire the "package". Meanwhile, Gail and Johnston struggle to deal with April's death, and Mimi confides in a chicken her fears about Bonnie's relationship with bad boy Sean.

  RT Choice (Geoff Ellis, 22 June 2007)

  With Jake Green confronting Robert Hawkins, revelations come in waves in this week's instalment of the post-Apocalypse drama. Don't miss this, for it's the first real opportunity to understand the terrorist conspiracy that's kicked the US back into the Dark Ages.

• Episode 19/22 Casus Belli

  When Eric fails to return from New Bern, Jake and Hawkins set off to find him. The citizens of the neighbouring town try to fob them off, but the duo persevere and make an unsettling discovery. Back at Jericho, Gray and Skylar's disagreement over a business matter threatens to spark conflict. And Stanley is taken aback when he discovers Sean has moved in to be with Bonnie.

  RT Choice (Ruth Margolis, 29 June 2007)

  Finally we learn what happened to Heather, but it's a deflating, lazy outcome. Overall, it's a plodding episode, saved only by a couple of racy peaks, including a scene where someone may or may not be tortured with a knife.

• Episode 20/22 One If by Land

  Constantino has Jake and Eric interrogated as they languish in New Bern's jail. Fellow prisoner Maggie, who was masquerading as a marine when Jake first met her, offers to help the brothers escape, but can they trust her? Back in Jericho, shots are fired when some men from New Bern arrive to claim their share of the town's salt mine - and Skylar faces some unpleasant truths about her father.

  RT Choice (Geoff Ellis, 6 July 2007)

  It's been clear for weeks that Jericho and New Bern are going to fight it out in the post-Apocalyptic drama. There's more skirmishing here but just when you feel like shouting "Get on with it!", Hawkins (Lennie James) does. It's enough to make you glow with anticipation for next week.

• Episode 21/22 Coalition of the Willing

  Constantino demands a share of Jericho's resources, and threatens to launch a mortar attack if his request is denied. When he carries out the threat, Gray's indecisive "leadership" does little to help the situation. Jonah strikes a deal with Emily to help her friends mount a raid on the enemy's mortar base - but can he be trusted? As the tension mounts, Hawkins and Darcy set aside their differences to fight for the town.

• Episode 22/22 Why We Fight

  Jericho prepares to do battle with New Bern. They're vastly outnumbered but have some advantages over the enemy - namely the tank stored at Stanley's farm, and Hawkins's ability to track New Bern's progress using satellite technology. As the two sides clash, Johnston is badly wounded. Meanwhile, Hawkins realises that by using the tracker he's given his own position away. And a military force rescues Heather from a car wreck.

  RT Choice (Geoff Ellis, 20 July 2007)

  It's the end of the line for the post-Apocalypse drama set in small-town America, but at least it's coming back for seven final episodes after the US producers caved in to pressure from fans. What motivated them to campaign for the series? Well, it's a compelling picture of the US after a nuclear attack. But it's the little details of the dystopian future that really hook you.

Go to Series two