Jericho

I have fond but hazy memories of this short lived (didn't last a full season) WWII theme program from the Fall of 1966. The premise was based very loosely on the Jedburghs, 3 man teams consisting of a Frenchman, an English or American officer, and a radio operator. Their mission was to train the often disorganized French resistance and coordinate their activities with the Allied forces, the Jedburghs actually went into action on the eve of D-Day and for some time afterwards. "Jericho" is set in some unspecified time before the D-Day landings. The show was played straight with just enough humor to relieve the tension, and reflected the changed attitudes of 20 years later, there was a distinction made between Nazis and Germans and I vaguely recall stories showing the tensions between the German military and the SS and Police organizations. Also it showed some of the nuances of French attitudes, how many French adopted a "wait and see" attitude and were not all 100% pro DeGaulle. I also recall an interview in TV Guide with Dom Francks (Franklin Shepperd) in which he wore an orange suit because "I like it.? Curious to know if any tapes exist, in that pre cable era failed prime time programs didn't have a second chance in syndication or on cable, hence the studios had no incentive to preserve them.

CBS had a choice between Mission Impossible and this .They could only renew 1 for a 2nd season . A shame this was a loser . It was a quality show Happened on it by accident on Tubi website. The set was amazing It was on the sprawling MGM MGM backlot . It was a travesty when that was torn down . It would have made a great tourist attraction. I recognized so many MGM movies that were shot on the exteriors of that set . The cast was great .Only Franks sadly had any sort of career after this . I did notice a number of snippets of music reminiscent of Mission Impossible in it. John Dehner also popped up as a heavy . A shame this never made it beyond 1 season.

This is a well written, well acted, spy action drama. The stories are interesting and historically accurate. The three main characters, operating as a high level ALLIED team, bring their individual specialties and expertise to each of their missions.

The show is a cross between a more intelligent, less comedic Hogan's Heroes and Mission Impossible. If you listen closely you'll hear some iconic Lalo Schifrin music riffs inserted into the score. Schifrin is the prolific genius composer who wrote the Mission Impossible theme as well as hundreds of other recognizable film and TV scores!

If you like spy, espionage stories set during the time period of WW2, this show is for you! Highly recommended!