The townsfolk on CBS' post-nuke drama Jericho probably have less lofty goals for their rural Kansas community that goes by the same name. After surviving a web of big-bomb attacks that's obliterated numerous U.S. cities, they're just hoping they'll live to see another day. The same may be said about this doomsday show that's back on the air again (on Feb. 21) after a risky three-month hiatus.

It's the End of the World as We Know It
During the first half of the TV season, Jericho morphed from a peaceful country-road rest stop to a hotly contested oasis for survivors of the multi-targeted nuclear blitz. At first, worries ranged from radioactive fallout to electrical blackouts to a shortage of gasoline. Then, slowly, threats arose from roaming mercenaries, waning medical supplies and brewing conflicts within county lines.

Trying to hold the town together is the ever-heroic Green family. Former mayor Johnston (Gerald McRaney) is a genuine man of the people. He's assisted by son Eric (Kenneth Mitchell), who's remained loyal to his Jericho roots. His other son, Jake (Skeet Ulrich), has traveled a rockier path. After disappearing for five years, the prodigal is back and seems to have done an about-face. "A stupid little punk may have walked [away from] home, but a pretty decent fellow came back," his father admits despite the two sharing a tumultuous past.

Just what has made their history so troubled has yet to be revealed, though producers promise a few revelations in coming weeks. The same is true for questions surrounding other characters, including mysterious Robert Hawkins (Lennie James). After initially telling others he was a St. Louis cop, he changed his story, switching to a statement about being an undercover FBI agent assigned to sniff out suspicious contacts made between overseas terrorists and ... Jericho residents. Exactly who? We don't know. Nor do we even know if the shifty-looking, almost too-knowledgeable Hawkins is telling the truth.

We're Living in Dark Times
That unveiled-by-the-inch approach to storytelling often leaves viewers with more questions than answers, à la ABC's Lost. And like that series, which also shares a large cast to spread out plotlines, we're left wondering if even producers know where their show is going. Only a handful of episodes in, Jericho was already flirting with the unthinkable: a humdrum apocalypse. Conflicts centered on schoolhouse fires and town bullies stealing horses—in other words, more Little House on the Pulverized Prairie than Lost or 24.

Not that that was entirely a bad thing. In addition to the series showing some relative restraint in its portrayal of civilization run amok, it also highlighted the strengths of the human spirit. Jake repeatedly risked his life to save the town and stuck up for down-and-outers. Johnston and his wife, Gail, displayed a remarkable ability to forgive as they welcomed Jake back with open arms. And various characters preached the importance of community, cooperation and perseverance. "We know that every life matters," Johnston said at a vigil for victims of radiation poisoning. "We have to fight for every life, even when it seems hopeless, even when we're afraid. Because the battle ahead isn't just for our survival, it's for our humanity."

Apparently, producers didn't think such heroic speeches were enough to hold an audience. And the show began to shed its supposed hokeyness, replacing it with something darker and more ominous. Shootouts and deaths became more common in this every-man-for-himself environment, as were grisly depictions of the aftermath. Questionable language became a staple. Alcohol abuse and drinking binges took center stage at times. And Eric decided to continue an extramarital affair—despite his estranged (pregnant) wife committing to work on saving their marriage.

Holding Out for Sunny Days?
Executive producer Carol Barbee recently forecast a juxtaposition of flashbacks from brighter pre-attack days and harsh, post-nuclear reality. "You see the world alive—with music and beauty—before the bomb. It's wild, refreshing and fun," she says of the upcoming glimpses of backstory.

But savvy viewers know better than to assume that such lightheartedness will actually be lighthearted (instead, it could very easily gravitate toward wild), or last very long. Instead, as winter approaches, supplies dwindle and threats mount from sinister neighbors, my prediction is that Jericho's post-apocalyptic present will only get more grim.