If there’s one thing that I’ve learned over the past couple of weeks, it’s that determination and creativity on the part of fans can have a HUGE impact. Loyal ‘Jericho’ followers banded together and, facing enormous odds, raised an uproar so loud that CBS had to listen. Tons of nuts, dumped at the front door of CBS, convinced the network that the show had enough of a following to merit a second chance at air.

But the fight isn’t over. In her letter that we covered yesterday, CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler said this:

In success, there is the potential for more. But, for there to be more “Jericho,” we will need more viewers.

A loyal and passionate community has clearly formed around the show. But that community needs to grow. It needs to grow on the CBS Television Network, as well as on the many digital platforms where we make the show available.

We will count on you to rally around the show, to recruit new viewers with the same grass-roots energy, intensity and volume you have displayed in recent weeks.

So a large part of the burden is on you, the viewer. With that in mind, here are a few things you can do to keep ‘Jericho’ saved.

1. Watch the show!
It falls under the “duh” category, I know. But watch the show, and watch it soon after it airs. Even though Nielsen is now taking into account DVR viewings, the importance of DVR viewers, ratings-wise, drops dramatically once you get three days past the show’s airing. So, if Jericho is on Wednesday night, and you don’t watch it until Saturday or Sunday night (which I’ll admit I’m guilty of), you’re not doing the show as much service as you would if you caught it later Wednesday night or Thursday afternoon.

2. Watch the show…legally!
Yeah, there are tons of “underground” ways to put your eyes on the show. But pulling it off of BitTorrent isn’t doing any good for the draw of the show to advertisers. So, if you can’t catch it live or DVR’d, get it from iTunes, or if nothing else, stream it from CBS’s site. (You can even have it pop up in its own player so you can go about your work while you watch.)

3. Patronize the advertisers…
…and I mean patronize in a good way: support the advertisers. If you’re watching on TV, take a moment to catch a few of the commercials, and then go out and buy the product. If it’s a restaraunt, go eat there. Then write the company and tell them that you have done so. It may sound a bit corney, but it is a great way to let them know that the advertising dollars that they are spending on Jericho are having an impact.

4. Participate in online forums…
There is a huge community of fans out there, and CBS is starting to really get a taste of it. Start at the official Jericho site, since, obviously, that is the board most closely monitored by CBS, but don’t stop there. Here are a couple of places to start.

5. Spread the word…
Word of mouth is the best advertiser. Benjamin Franklin said that. Look it up. Okay, so he didn’t really say that, but it’s the truth. I’ve gotten several of my friends hooked on the show, and they’ve become bigger fans than I am. So tell others that they’re missing out. Get them to watch the reruns that are coming on this summer. Buy them the DVD boxset when it comes out and give it as Christmas or birthday gifts. Do what it takes, but let people know that they are missing out on some very compelling television.

Jericho is a show that would have worked well on the macro level, where we see how the politicians and the generals and the nation as a whole reacts. (Cue the inspirational music) But it’s a much more personal show. It’s a show about how a nation’s people react when everything they know is ripped away from them. It’s about your neighbors and your friends and you. We’ve gone the first step…now we just have to finish the race.