There's nothing like a good post-apocalyptic story. Charlton Heston wandering around a deserted downtown while zombies lurk around the corner? Or Charlton Heston battling damned dirty apes? Or Charlton Heston eating people? Awesome. Recently, our desire for a good P-A book got so intense we contemplated reading The Stand again, for the third time. (Instead we opted for The Stand rip-off Swan Song and, well, we're still contemplating reading The Stand for a third time.) So, needless to say, it was with much anticipation that we sat down to watch CBS's post-apocalyptic drama, "Jericho." (It airs tonight at 8 p.m., with a rerun on Saturday.)

The pilot begins with the return of prodigal son Jake (Skeet Ulrich) to his hometown of Jericho, Kansas. He gives everyone who asks where he's been for the past five years a different answer, and when his father--and town mayor (Gerald McRaney)--refuses to turn over some inheritance money, Jake bolts town once again. But he doesn't get far before the sight of a mushroom cloud in the distance changes his plans.

The townspeople of Jericho are suitably freaked out about the explosion, and they soon learn that it was more than an isolated incident...And really, that's the gist of the pilot. Small town folks dealing with the possibility that they might be amongst the last living people in the world. Cheery, isn't it?

We realized upon watching "Jericho" that the appeal of post-apocalyptic tales comes in the discovery stage--when people leave their towns or cities to venture out and discover the truth about the fate of the world. The best parts of The Stand were the road trip parts, when the characters had to make their way from one end of the country to the other. "Jericho" is less like The Stand, and more like The Day After or Testament, and we all know how fun those movies were!

Now, there is some intrigue to be found in the series, the most obvious being what the hell is Skeet Ulrich hiding? And there's another character who seems to know a hell of a lot about disaster-preparedness, but his family doesn't seem to like him very much. If there's a bigger picture thing going on (and the "Lost" influences are apparent, as they are in several new shows this year), and the show becomes more than what the pilot and second episode had to offer (namely, a bunch of townspeople panicking and trying to avoid radiation sickness) then it could be worth sticking with. But if it stays as depressing as it currently is (and keeps utilizing really inappropriate alt-rock songs on the soundtrack) we're going to have to pass...

Because "America's Next Top Model" is on at the same time! And there are two, count 'em, TWO San Francisco gals in the running (and one from Sacramento, does that count?). We can't link to their individual profiles because the CW's Web site is annoying, but the two SF girls are Megan, a 23 year old bartender, and Melrose (?) a 23 year old fashion designer. (The Sacramento chick is 20 year old AJ, a student.) We're so glad to have someone to root for, and we don't care if they all turn out to be egotistical loonies--in fact, all the better if they are! And if anyone actually knows any of these chicks, please, spill the dirt in the comments!