From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Terminator: The Sarah Connor
Chronicles (sometimes abbreviated as
Terminator: TSCC) is an American science fiction
television series that aired on Fox. The show was produced by Warner Bros. Television and C2 Pictures. It is a spin-off from
the Terminator series of
films. It revolves around the lives of the fictional characters Sarah and John Connor, following
the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The series
premiered on Sunday, January 13, 2008, on the U.S. television
network Fox. Production for the series
was provided by Terminator 2 and Terminator 3
producers and C2
Pictures co-presidents, Mario Kassar and Andrew G.
Vajna, C2 Senior Vice President James Middleton, David Nutter, and Josh Friedman, who
not only served as Executive Producer but also wrote the script for
the first two episodes.
The show opened mid-season with a shortened run of nine
episodes, January through March 2008. It was the highest-rated new
scripted series of the 2007-08 television season[1]
and was renewed for a second season,[2]
which began on September 8, 2008, and ended April 10, 2009. On May
18, 2009, despite fan efforts,[3]
Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly announced Fox would not renew
the show for a third season.[4][5]
Bear McCreary
said "At the last spotting session, I begged Josh Friedman for the
answers to these questions, and he told me enough that I know
season 3 would have been our best."[6] Josh Friedman said
"Good shows are cancelled every year; smart shows, worthy
shows...."[7] There
are still several fan campaigns being held in order to "save" the
show. The most notable of these is the mobile billboard campaign
being run by the owners of the "savethescc" website.[8][9
]
Plot
Back
story
Main articles:
The Terminator,
Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and Terminator 3: Rise of the
Machines
At the end of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Sarah Connor, her son John and the 800 Series
Terminator successfully destroy
the T-1000, as well as the arm
and computer chip from the first film's Terminator. The T-800 from the
second film, at its own request, is then also destroyed in order to
eliminate any future technology that could be used to create Skynet.
In Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, it is revealed that
Sarah subsequently dies of cancer and that Judgment Day has not
been averted but merely delayed. At the beginning of the television
series, a T-888 using the name Cromartie is sent back
to the time following Terminator 2: Judgment Day to kill
John. Cameron, a Terminator that John sent back from 2027 to
protect his earlier self, leaps forward in time with John and Sarah
to 2007 jumping over the year in which Sarah would have died. Thus
history changes and from John and Sarah's perspective events now
occur differently from those that occurred in Terminator 3:
Rise of the Machines. Now wanted fugitives with the fear of
pending cancer playing on Sarah's mind, they must also face the
reality that other enemies from the future could be after them.
Summary
See also: List of
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles episodes
The pilot episode is set in 1999 and introduces Sarah, her son
John, and Cameron, a Terminator that has
been re-programmed to protect John. They are being pursued by a
Terminator (Cromartie) sent back through
time to assassinate John and also by FBI Special Agent James Ellison, who believes
Sarah is an insane criminal (based on the events of Terminator
2: Judgment Day).[10][11]
Sarah is romantically involved with a paramedic named Charley Dixon, but ends her
relationship with him to stay on the run. During the pilot, Sarah,
John, and Cameron make a temporal leap to the year 2007. Cromartie
suffers extensive damage while trying to kill them, begins repairs
to his endoskeleton and artificial flesh, and continues his search
for John in 2007. Because John is frustrated with their life of
running, Sarah resolves to go on the offensive against Skynet. But
the world in 2007 proves complex: they find Skynet has sent
additional Terminators back in time to support its own creation,
and the resistance movement has sent back its own fighters to
interfere. As they seek out an intuitive chess computer called The Turk, which they suspect
may be a precursor to Skynet, they forge an alliance with Derek Reese, resistance
fighter and John's uncle. As the series progresses, the Connors are
confronted with the reality that they would find more enemies,
either at the present or from the future, bent to reshape the
future for their own goals.
Cast and
characters
See also: List of
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles minor characters
Main
characters
- Lena
Headey as Sarah Connor: Sarah
Connor is a major character in the Terminator series. She
is the mother of John Connor, who will one day become the leader of
the human resistance. The authorities, however, see her as a
deranged fugitive. Series creator Josh Friedman saw over 300 actresses for
the role and described the actress he was looking for was someone
"who embodied that spirit and who was believable in that role and
not just some glammed up, Hollywood, actressy thing".[12]
After a friend recommended English actress Lena Headey for the
role, Friedman watched her audition tape, and thought she was "a
tough, tough woman".[12]
Having seen The Terminator when she was a
teenager, which "scared the hell out of [her],"[13]
Headey was aware of the iconic status of the character and in
regards to Linda
Hamilton's portrayal of the role in the film series, she
remarked, "Linda Hamilton will always be the original Sarah Connor
and it's a very strong print that she's left, but hopefully people
will embrace what I bring to Sarah and see it with fresh eyes".[14]
When asked about her approach to the role, Headey said "I'm playing
a mother who is a single parent, bringing up a teenage son, who
also happens to save the world — as a byline to her life. And the
way I would play that is someone who's passionate and scared and
angry and a mother, all these things. So I approach that just
trying to be honest within the boundaries of her".[15]
However, the choice to cast Headey was criticized by several fans
and critics who argued that she bore no resemblance to the
athletic, muscular woman established by Hamilton, who transformed
her body into that of a muscled warrior for Terminator
2.[16]
The controversy was covered by the Los Angeles Times,[16]
The Boston Herald,[17]
and The
Guardian,[17]
as well as in online forums.[17]
- Thomas Dekker as
John
Connor: John Connor is Sarah's son and the future
leader of the human resistance. He is only 15 years old at the
beginning of the show, turning sixteen in the season one finale. As
the series progresses, John struggles with his feelings for
Cameron, who is a Terminator. Dekker was cast after Headey secured
the role of Sarah Connor.[18]
Regarding the Terminator films, Dekker says "They are like
my favorite films when I was younger. So it's very ironic that I'm
getting to do this. And I know for the younger generation and for
myself, John was equally important to me as Sarah was, and I know a
lot of the people that I hear from really, really care about
John".[19]
Dekker describes his character as "a continuation of Eddie
Furlong's character" but "he's in a darker, more mature place
now".[13]
- Summer
Glau as Cameron: Cameron is a
Terminator whom John Connor sent back from the year 2027 to protect
his earlier self. Her model and exact capabilities are not
known,[20] but
she can mimic human mannerisms better than the T-800 model could,
and she can also consume food, a first for Terminators.[21][22] Her
name is a homage to Terminator film franchise creator James Cameron.[23]
Glau had not seen the Terminator films prior to being cast
as Cameron Phillips, whose role in the series was initially kept
concealed but was later revealed to be a Terminator sent from the
future to protect John.[21]
Friedman had previously wanted to cast Glau in a pilot he wrote
four years prior to The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but she
was already committed to Serenity.[12]
Glau almost did not audition for the role because of her
preconceptions of the character and she felt that she did not have
"that Terminator look".[24]
On playing Cameron, Glau said she was "intimidated" by the role
because it was a challenge for her to balance the human and robot
characteristics.[25]
Later in the series it is revealed that Cameron stole the identity
of a resistance fighter, Allison Young, before being
reprogrammed.
- Richard T. Jones as
James Ellison:
James Ellison is an FBI Special Agent
pursuing Sarah Connor. At first puzzled by what he initially thinks
is Sarah's outlandish story, he later collects inexplicable
evidence of the Terminators (including the body of Cromartie) and
gradually realizes the truth. Jones describes his character as a
"man of faith"[26] and
likens him to that of Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive.[27]
Jones was allowed to improvise a few lines to provide "a little bit
of comic relief" to the show.[27]
In the second season, Ellison pursues employment with ZeiraCorp,
allying himself with Catherine Weaver (whom he does not know is a
Terminator until the series finale).
- Brian Austin Green as
Derek
Reese: Derek Reese is a Resistance fighter sent to the
past by the future John Connor. He is the older brother of Kyle Reese (John Connor's
father) and paternal uncle of John. He knows Cameron in the future,
but still does not trust her and becomes paranoid every time she's
around, but throughout the series he begins to have a love-hate relationship with her.
He is recurring in the first season but becomes a regular in the
second season. Derek knows Jesse Flores who arrives from the
future. He is killed by a Terminator while attempting to save
Savannah Weaver. Another Derek from an alternate timeline is
introduced in the series finale.
- Leven
Rambin as Riley Dawson: Riley Dawson is
John's new love interest that he meets at school, much to the
consternation of Sarah. John does not reveal the story of his life
to her, but as they get closer, he realizes he is endangering her
life. Unknown to John, a resistance fighter, Jesse, has brought
Riley back from the future to prevent John from getting too close
to Cameron, and to get close to John. She appears to develop
genuine romantic feelings for John. Jesse later kills Riley after a
struggle.
- Garret Dillahunt as
Cromartie / John Henry: Cromartie is a T-888[28] sent
back in time to kill John Connor in the pilot episode, in which he
was portrayed by Owain
Yeoman.[29]
He takes damage to his biological covering, revealing his metal
endoskeleton. After he finds a new biological covering in the
episode "The Turk" in the shape of actor George Laszlo, he
continues his search for John. After chasing John and Riley into
Mexico, Cromartie's chip is destroyed and John buries his body in
the desert. When John returns later to destroy Cromartie's body, it
has been moved. Ellison has recovered the body for Catherine
Weaver, who connects Cromartie's body to the Babylon A.I. named
John Henry. Dillahunt was a recurring character in the first
season, but becomes a regular character in the last season,
portraying Laszlo, Cromartie and John Henry.
- Shirley Manson as Catherine Weaver: Catherine Weaver
is a shape-shifting Terminator disguised as the CEO of a high-tech
corporation called ZeiraCorp. A model T-1001, her liquid
metal form as she changes shape resembles a faster and an
easily-recovering version of the T-1000 seen in Terminator 2: Judgment
Day.[30]
She is focused on developing artificial intelligence using The
Turk, the intuitive computer at first believed to be a precursor to
Skynet (but later shown to be a separate entity). She targets other
Terminators in order to reverse engineer
Skynet technology in the present, and to prepare for the future
war. She plans on using this research to fight Skynet. Despite the
revelation that Weaver is an enemy of Skynet, it is still unknown
where her allegiance
lies.[31]
Weaver hints at her motives in the episode "Born To Run" when she
asks Cameron, "Will you join us?" through messenger James Ellison.
During the episode "Today is the Day, pt.2" Cameron explains to
Jesse Flores that John Connor asked the same question of the T-1001
in an attempt to forge an alliance against Skynet.[30]
Other
characters
- Dean
Winters as Charley
Dixon: Charley Dixon, a paramedic, is Sarah's fiancé
until she leaves him in the pilot episode and travels eight years
forward in time. Although he marries another woman in the interim,
during subsequent episodes he builds a friendship with the Connors
and renders medical assistance when needed. When his wife is killed
in the second season episode "The Mousetrap", he is not seen again
until the episode "To The Lighthouse", which reveals that he now
lives in a lighthouse, being a safe house that Sarah set up for
him, which he has booby trapped and alarmed to protect against
further attacks. When the house is invaded by human assassins
acting for the apparent proto-Skynet, Charley is killed enabling
John Connor to escape.
- Stephanie
Jacobsen as Jesse Flores: Jesse is an
Australian resistance sailor and Derek Reese's love interest. In
her timeline, she sailed to Los Angeles for supplies aboard the
upgraded nuclear submarine USS Jimmy Carter
(SSN-23), captained by a reprogrammed Terminator, Queeg, of
which she is the executive officer. In 2007 she is on
a mission to find and stop Cameron from adversely influencing young
John, by recruiting Riley Dawson in the future and bringing
her back to frame Cameron for her murder. In the future from which
Jesse comes, John has withdrawn from humans and speaks only with
Cameron. It is unclear whether this mission is self appointed, but
comments by her and the fact she was able to access the time travel
machinery with Riley suggests others in the Resistance leadership
group may share her concerns about Cameron's influence on John.
John Connor later figures out that Jesse killed Riley and informs
Derek, but orders her life to be spared. Derek confronts Jesse, but
whether or not Derek actually kills her is left ambiguous.
Production
Conception
On November 9, 2005, Variety reported that a
television series based on the Terminator franchise was
being produced by C2 Pictures, which produced Terminator 3:
Rise of the Machines, in association with Warner Bros.
Television. The Fox Broadcasting Company also
joined the project by making a commitment to the pilot, with
Josh Friedman
set to write the pilot and to serve as an executive producer for
the series. Among the executive producers were C2 Pictures' Andy
Vajna, Mario Kassar and James Middleton.[32]
The series, initially titled The Sarah Connor
Chronicles, focuses on the character Sarah Connor who is on the
run with her son after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment
Day. Regarding the character, Middleton said, "She has the
weight of the world on her shoulders and also has to raise a
teenage son who may be the salvation of humanity." Friedman
commented that the series would contain fewer action sequences due
to the smaller budget of television in contrast to feature
films.[32]
Fox Broadcasting greenlit production on August 28, 2006, after
Warner Bros. Television hired
David Nutter to
direct the pilot.[33]
The series was among seven new TV shows picked up by Fox on May 13,
2007 for its 2007-08 television season.[34]
In regards to the plot of the series, Friedman said the show would
avoid the "Terminator of the Week" plot
device, and that Sarah, John, and Cameron will have other threats
than just Terminators. Skynet would
also come into play as the series progresses. Furthermore, Friedman
stated that the events of Terminator 3: Rise of the
Machines occur in an alternate
timeline from that of the TV series.[12]
In addition to having planned the entire story arc for the first
season, Friedman has a rough idea for the plot of the following
three seasons.[35]
At the 2008 press tour, the show's cast and crew promised season
two would be less serialized than the first.[36]
Producer Josh Friedman said his plans were to incorporate the
unfilmed storylines from the remaining four episodes of season 1
into the start of season 2.[37]
Filming
The pilot episode was filmed primarily in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The
principal photography started on January 24, 2007 and took
approximately one month to complete.[29][38]
Subsequent episodes in the series were filmed in the backlot of Warner Brothers
Studios in Burbank, California, on a set
previously used by Gilmore Girls to depict their
fictional town, Stars
Hollow.[39]
Music
See also: Terminator: The
Sarah Connor Chronicles (soundtrack)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles features incidental
music composed by Bear McCreary. For financial reasons, the
main theme of the Terminator film series, originally composed by Brad Fiedel, is
featured only briefly in the TV series—mainly during the title
sequence.[40]
McCreary has stated that his score is inspired by the tone of
Fiedel's score in the first two Terminator films and since
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is a direct sequel
to Terminator 2: Judgment Day, he felt that the tone of
the music should be consistent with that of the film as much as
possible.[40][41]
He began working on the score by recording metallic sounds, using
"oil cans, whale drums, chains,
anvils, brake drums, garbage
cans, thundersheets, tin cans...", after which he edited the samples and
created his own custom library of metallic drums.[41]
For every episode thereafter, live metal percussion elements were
recorded on top of the electronics.[41]
While Fiedel's scores were performed using synthesizers, McCreary
chose to use an ensemble of electric string instruments
instead.[41]
A musical theme was created for each of the principal
characters. The theme for Sarah Connor is the most frequently used
theme in addition to being the longest and the most developed theme
in the series.[41][42]
There are two main sections to Sarah's theme with one presenting
her "bad-ass, stoic warrior"
side and the other as "a loving mother".[42]
John's theme was originally composed for a specific scene in the pilot episode and performed with a solo clarinet to convey his
loneliness and awkwardness.[42]
McCreary stated that the "musical ambiguity in the melody" is used to show John's
transformation in the series.[42]
Although themes were also written for other characters such as
Derek Reese, James Ellison and the "evil terminator[s]", no themes
were written for Cameron during the first season because McCreary
felt that "her character was defined by her relationship with John,
Sarah and the others around her" so Sarah's or John's theme was
used in most of her scenes.[42]
The series mainly features McCreary's original score. Songs and
instrumental music from other sources are
used sparingly. Alter
Bridge's single "Rise
Today" was used for the promotion of the first season. Three
songs have been used in the series so far: "The Man Comes Around" by Johnny Cash was used in
the first season finale and a cover of "Samson and Delilah" by Shirley Manson
was used in the second season premiere. Both songs were used as
background music for an action sequence in their respective
episode. The second season episode "The Mousetrap" features "Safe
Within Your Arms" by Greg Garing. "Nocturne in C-sharp minor" by Frédéric
Chopin was used in the first season episode "The Demon Hand".
The episode "Mr. Ferguson Is Ill Today" features the song "La
Llorona", originally written and recorded by Chavela Varga but Bear
McCreary made his own version of it. The episode "Adam Raised a
Cain" features a moody cover of "Donald, Where's Your Trousers"
originally written and recorded by Andy Stewart, performed by Garret
Dillahunt and Mackenzie Brooke
Smith at the closing. The record label La-La Land
Records released the original television soundtrack for Terminator: The Sarah
Connor Chronicles on 23 December 2008.[43]
Release
Marketing
Summer Glau as a Terminator on a promotional poster, which was also
used by Fox for the show's billboard advertisements
Prior to its broadcast on television, Fox undertook a large
marketing effort to promote the show, which was described by Joe
Earley, Fox Executive Vice President of Marketing and
Communications, as the "biggest campaign for a new mid-season show
in years."[44]
The advertising campaign began months prior to the premiere date to
make sure that it would attract existing Terminator fans
as well as welcome in new fans.[45]
After 24 was postponed to the 2008-09 TV
season, more time was devoted to the show by Fox's marketing team
and more on-air promotional spots were available for the show that
would otherwise have gone to 24.[45]
Fox began their advertising campaign for Terminator: The
Sarah Connor Chronicles on September 27, 2007, with a brief
teaser which ran during primetime programs, consisting of an image
of two red dots that lasted for a few seconds on screen before
disappearing.[44]
The two red dots were revealed to be the eyes of the Terminators
from the show in the second phase of the advertising campaign,
which began two weeks later. The final phase of the campaign
commenced in November 2007 with more broadcast information being
added to the advertisements.
In addition to on-air teasers, Fox heavily promoted the show
during the World Series by releasing the first
45-second preview for the show on October 27, 2007. Other forms of
advertisements used included: mobile tours on "Terminator" buses
sponsored by Verizon Wireless; an interactive cell
phone game based on the series offered by Verizon's V CAST, which
rewarded the players with ring tones, wallpapers and
behind-the-scenes footage; cable tie-ins; online outreach via the
official website and wiki; online sneak peeks; and a poster design
contest run by Fox.[46]
Advance screenings of the pilot episode were also held at the 2007
Comic-Con International convention and at
Golden
Apple Comics in Los Angeles on January 4, 2008.
Billboard
advertisements, which were described by Variety to have "blanketed New
York and L.A.", contained images of Summer Glau's Terminator in a
"Lady Godiva-esque
pose" used to target the young-male demographic, while the key art
emphasized on Sarah Connor being at the core of the show to attract
the "mom demo".[45]
Fox originally planned for more outdoor marketing in other cities
but the marketing budget was reduced because of the Writers'
Strike.[45]
A promotional partnership with automobile manufacturer Dodge began in the show's second
season and featured placement of Dodge products in
several episodes, Dodge's exclusive sponsorship of the extended,
52-minute episode "Goodbye to All That," and a four-week vehicle
giveaway entitled "The Never Back Down Challenge."[47]
Broadcast
information
An extended cut of the pilot was publicly screened for the first
time on July 28, 2007, at the 2007 Comic-Con International
convention.[48]
Originally scheduled to premiere on January 14, 2008, the
television broadcast of the show was rescheduled to commence on
January 13, 2008, after Fox reorganized their
broadcast timetable due to the 2007–2008 Writers
Guild of America (WGA) strike.[49]
As such, Fox's original intention to air Terminator: The Sarah
Connor Chronicles in the Monday 8:00 p.m. ET timeslot
as a lead-in program for 24 was also changed. The show was
moved to the Monday 9:00 p.m. ET timeslot with Prison Break as
its lead-in program.[50]
Following the resolution of the WGA Strike, the Los Angeles
Times printed a chart indicating the status of American
network television series. The chart, reprinted by a number of
other websites, categorized the series as a term used to describe
series in danger of cancellation.[51] The
Hollywood Reporter stated that the show would likely return.[52]
TV Guide then
reported that "Fox has given producers the green light to start
booking directors for next season's first three episodes".[53] Fox
later confirmed that the series would indeed receive a second
season, which began on September 8, 2008, in the Monday 8:00 p.m.
ET timeslot. Due to schedule changes from Fox, the show had a two
month break between December 16, 2008 – February 12, 2009. The show
then aired on Fridays at 8:00 p.m. ET. The show was officially
canceled on May 18, 2009.
DVD and
Blu-ray Disc
The first season was distributed under the title Terminator
– The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete First Season on
both DVD and Blu-ray Disc by Warner Home Video. The three-disc DVD
set was released on August 11, 2008 in the United Kingdom,[54] on
August 13, 2008 in Australia,[55] and
on August 19, 2008 in North America.[56] The
Region 1 DVD set contains all nine episodes aired from the first
season, commentary on select episodes, audition tapes for select
actors, video of Summer Glau practicing for her ballet scenes,
making of features, and deleted scenes for certain episodes. The
Region 2 and 4 versions have all nine episodes but has excluded all
the special features apart from one deleted scene. On the other
hand, both the three-disc Blu-ray sets released in North America and
Europe contain the same bonus features offered by the Region 1 DVD
set. On the Blu-ray Disc set, each episode is encoded in 1080p, VC-1 compression with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio and is
presented with a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track.
The second season was released on September 22, 2009 in North
America and on November 16, 2009 in the United Kingdom, under the
title Terminator – The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete
Second Season on DVD and Blu-ray. In Ireland the second season
was released along with a boxset containing the first and second
seasons of the show on November 16, 2009. The North American
release date was originally planned to "coincide with the home
video release of the summer blockbuster Terminator Salvation", but
the release of Terminator Salvation was later postponed to December
1, 2009. [57][58]In New
Zealand the second season DVD set was released on November 11th
2009[59]as was
a boxed set containing both seasons.
Response
Ratings
Seasonal rankings (based on a weighted average total viewers per
episode) for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles in
the United States:
| Season |
Timeslot |
Season premiere |
Season finale |
TV season |
Rank |
Viewers
(in millions) |
| 1 |
Sunday 8:00 p.m. ET (January 13) |
January 13, 2008 |
March 3, 2008 |
2008 |
#36 |
11.4[60] |
| Monday 9:00 p.m. ET (January 14 – March 3) |
| 2 |
Monday 8:00 p.m. ET (September 8 – December 15) |
September 8, 2008 |
April 10, 2009 |
2008-2009 |
#71 |
2.96[61][62]-6.34[63] |
| Friday 8:00 p.m. ET (February 13 – April 10) |
The series premiere in the United States was watched by 18.6
million viewers during its premiere timeslot on January 13,
2008.[64]
Critical
reception
See also: Pilot
(Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles)
The pilot episode received a rating of 11.1 from Nielsen Media Research on
January 13, 2008. The mainstream press gained raving reviews.
USA Today gave
the premiere episode 3 and a half stars out of four, calling the
series, "smart, tough and entertaining."[65]
The
New York Times referred to it as "one of the more
humanizing adventures in science fiction to arrive in quite a
while",[66] while
the Los
Angeles Times declared the show "has heart and feeling"
and "an almost Shakespearean exploration of fate vs.
character" that features "plenty of really great fight scenes, and
explosions, as well as neat devices developed in the future and
jury-rigged in the present."[67] In
addition, film industry journal Daily Variety declared the
series pilot "a slick brand extension off this profitable assembly
line" that showcases "impressive and abundant action with realistic
visual effects and, frankly, plenty of eye candy between Glau and
Headey."[68] At
the start of the second season, Variety praised "Headey's gritty
performance as Sarah -- managing to be smart, resourceful and
tough, yet melancholy and vulnerable as well" and that the
Chronicles "continue to deliver", getting "considerable mileage out
of the constant peril" facing the characters.[69] The
Connecticut
Post placed it on its list of the top 10 TV shows of 2008:
"It's smart, with thought-provoking meditations on parenthood,
destiny and human nature, and features good performances by Lena
Headey, as Sarah, and Summer Glau."[70] On Metacritic, a review
aggregator which assigns a normalised score out of 100 to each
review, the first season currently holds an average score
of 74 based on 24 reviews.[71]
The second season has a score of 67, based on only 4 reviews.[72]
Not all response has been positive, however. The Futon
Critic, in a June 14, 2007 review of the pilot episode,
declared that "it's actually far more ingrained into the Terminator
mythology than you'd expect," but stated that "this installment
feels less like a 'pilot' and more like an excuse to rearrange the
deck chairs on the 'Terminator' franchise to potentially have a TV
show."[11]
One negative report from La Lámina Corredora reported that
"the pilot feels too much like a cheap remake of T2."[73] Tim
Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle
derided the entire conceptualization and production of the series.
His review leveled criticism against Fox for having "taken the
wholly predictable course of putting a lot of money into explosions
and regenerating cyborgs" but not having "paid much attention to
plot, casting or writing."[74]
In its review of the second season, IGN felt that despite a few middling episodes
and the restrictions of a TV budget, "[the series] turned out to be
intelligent, complex and consistently operated on a deeper
emotional level than anyone could have expected."[75]
Looking back on the series, Alan Sepinwall of The
Star-Ledger was disappointed by Sarah and John as well as
the sluggish pace of the show, however, he felt these weaknesses
were outweighed by the strength of the performances of Summer Glau,
Brian Austin Green and Garret Dillahunt as well as the writers'
commitment to showing the emotional toll on the characters.
Commenting on the final episode of season two, he called it a
"terrific" finale which took the show in a new potential-filled
direction.[76]
Recently, the show won the E!Online "Save One Show" poll, and has
received positive coverage from places such as Wired and CNN.[77][78][79] In an
effort to keep the series on the air, fans created support
communities on Facebook and MySpace and uploaded videos to
YouTube.[3]
Awards
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
won the following awards:
The series was also nominated for the following
awards:
- Saturn Award: Best Actress on
Television, 2007 (Lena Headey)
- Saturn Award: Best
Network Television Series, 2007
- Teen Choice Awards: Choice TV Actress:
Action Adventure, 2008 (Summer Glau)
- Teen Choice Awards: Choice TV Breakout Show, 2008
- Teen Choice Awards: Choice TV Breakout Star Female,
2008 (Summer Glau)
- Teen Choice Awards: Choice TV Breakout Star Male, 2008
(Thomas Dekker)
- Teen Choice Awards: Choice TV Show: Action Adventure,
2008
- Primetime Emmy Award: Outstanding
Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series, 2008 (Paul
Karasick for "Pilot")
- Primetime Emmy Award:
Outstanding Special Visual Effects, 2008 (James Lima,
Chris Zapara, Lane Jolly, Steve Graves, Rick Schick, Jeff West and
Bradley Mullennix for "Pilot")
- Primetime Emmy Award: Outstanding Stunt Coordination,
2008 (Joel Kramer for "Gnothi Seauton")
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