BY DAVID KRONKE >TV CRITIC

A nation crippled after a terrorist attack attempts to rebuild but is gripped by angry divisiveness.

A president, exploiting fear, attacks foreign lands that may not have been involved in the attack and attempts to rewrite the Constitution. Journalists, fearful for their careers, don't ask the pertinent questions.

Sound like any country you know?

Actually, it's the Allied States of America, the New World Order posited by "Jericho" as it begins its second season. "Jericho" almost didn't make the cut after its first season, but a dedicated fan base convinced CBS to give it another chance by deluging the network with peanuts (their efforts are acknowledged in tonight's episode).

And we should appreciate their success, for as "Jericho" returns in its first three episodes of the new year, it's no longer just concerned with the hearty survival tactics of its small Kansas town, but it's chipping away at just who might have been behind the nuclear attacks that leveled 23 American cities in season one.

In the meantime, a new provisional government based in Cheyenne, Wyo., has wrested control from Washington of everything west of the Mississippi. It has created its own army to restore order: Maj. Beck (Esai Morales) enters Jericho to establish peace after last season's war with neighboring New Bern, and he recognizes Jake (Skeet Ulrich) as someone he needs on his side.

Meanwhile, Hawkins (Lennie James) is accumulating evidence that the attack was domestic in origin, not foreign. And the sinister guy in charge (Daniel Benzali) - who's not the president by proxy - has dispatched a Blackwater-style contractor to Jericho, headed by an enemy from Jake's past.

And for those who come to "Jericho" for its lighter moments (and those would be?...), Stanley (Brad Beyer) and Mimi (Alicia Coppola) are planning their wedding. "Jericho" may need some levity, but the Stanley/Mimi subplot really feels torn from some other show.

"Jericho's" main story lines are compelling yet grim, and yet it grabbed a lot of viewers early last season (though lost steam after a lengthy hiatus). It can be enjoyed as a post-apocalyptic thriller, or as a metaphorical examination of the Bush presidency (much like BBC America's "The State Within," which also features Lennie James), with shout-outs to 9/11 conspiracy theories, the unpunished Blackwater massacre in Iraq and even the government's spurious suggestion that pharmaceuticals imported from Canada were somehow tainted.

There are a few instances of sloppy (or convenient) plotting, where characters must bend the laws of physics to turn up on the scene when they do (but then, "24" trucks in the same thing, and it won an Emmy). Overall, though, "Jericho" is that rarity: a thoughtful thriller whose dark vision doesn't overwhelm its taut action.

David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke@dailynews.com

www.insidesocal.com/tv/

review>

JERICHO

>What: Season two premiere of the post-apocalyptic drama about survivors of a nuclear attack on America.

>Where: CBS (Channel 2).

>When: 10 pm Tuesday night.

>In a nutshell: As a conspiracy mounts, so does the tension and the intrigue.