Even if you’re not a fan of science fiction, chances are you’ve heard of the hit series “Babylon 5,” a cult space opera from J. Michael Straczynski and one of several ’90s sci-fi shows that still hold up today. What you may not have heard of is “Jeremiah,” a ’00s show from Straczynski based on Hermann Huppen’s comic book series of the same name starring Luke Perry and Malcolm-Jamal Warner. That’s a real shame, because this underrated Showtime series paved the way for shows like “The Walking Dead” with its post-apocalyptic setting.
“Jeremiah” is set in a world where the adult population has been decimated by a virus. Perry stars as the titular character, a loner who has spent 15 years searching for a place called the Valhalla Sector, a refuge that his late father told him about. He teams up with Warner’s Kurdy, a fellow loner, and they go to the remains of the Cheyenne Mountain Complex to discover a community looking to rebuild the world. This, however, is easier said than done, as conflict brews between various factions with the probability of a new plague looming over humanity.
Straczynski quit Jeremiah after clashing with MGM
“Jeremiah” was initially planned as a five-season show. Unfortunately, the plug was pulled after just two seasons due to creative differences between J. Michael Straczynski and the people in charge. “The experience shooting Jeremiah was probably the worst, most awful experience of my career, for a variety of reasons not worth getting into here,” Straczynski said when asked about the show by a fan in 2014 (via Slashdot). “We managed — barely — to tell some good stories, but the day-to-day working on the show part was horrific beyond description.”
This wasn’t something that Straczynski revealed years after the fact — he was pretty clear at the time who he felt was to blame for the show going off the rails: production company MGM Television. The creator actually stated that he would never work with MGM again before the second (and ultimately final) season had even started airing, so the writing was on the wall. Speaking a few months before the Season 2 premiere (per JMS News), he said: “I will never, ever, work for the present administration at MGM.I didn’t know why so many other writers had a problem there and never wanted to go back. Now I do.”