Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008)

When I first heard about this show, I really thought that it would be awful because most movies to TV shows don't go well. I didn't think it would do well without the movie cast because what is the Terminator without Schwarzenegger or Linda Hamilton?

On a whim I just decided to watch the first episode to see how bad it was. To my surprise, this show was very well done and drew me in to the characters and stories immediately.

The movies are mostly action-packed sci-fi thrillers with only a little bit of character depth. Unlike the movies, the TV show focuses more on the characters and their day to day encounters and struggles with an emphasis on drama rather than action. There is plenty of action in the show but here it is more of just one component of the whole show rather than its focal point. The action doesn't overpower the drama, character development and growth, which might detract some hard-core fans of the movies. I love the movies, especially part three (I know most people don't like it) but, as much as I like action, I prefer drama because it can be just as or more stressful than being chased by robots with guns,

The show takes place in between the Terminator 2 and Terminator 3 movies. In part 3, it culminates in the robots launching the nuclear missiles and resulting in the war that humans were trying to stop throughout the three movies. This means that the outcome is inevitable, so the show is about the struggles of the humans to try to stop what will happen. The characters do not know this but we do, so we have to take the show as a ride, rather than the destination since we know what will happen anyway.

The Connors have been on the run for a few years from the authorities while trying to find a way to change the future and prevent the robots from taking over the world. They are running from town to town with John transferring to and from schools with new IDs, like his mother, Sarah. Along the way, John meets a nice girl in school named Cameron, who turns out to be a robot sent from the future to aid the Connors and their pursuit of destroying whatever it is that caused robots to become autonomous and destroy mankind.

To add drama to the story, an FBI agent, named James Ellison, is in pursuit of Sarah Connor for escaping a mental institution and killing some people.

A bad robot corners the Connors and Cameron, so Camero she puts together a time machine and the three go five years into the future to continue the same pursuit. Along the way, more evil robots chase them constantly but good humans have also been sent back to help them.

I had my doubts about Lena Headey playing Sarah Connor because filling Linda Hamilton's boots is a big task. I feel that this actress has very much the same personality and skill as Hamilton, so I really don't notice the difference too much. She is a perfect actress for the part.

Thomas Dekker is good as John Connor. To be honest, young Connor never seemed that important in the movies - yes John Connor is one of the leaders in the future against the robots but young Connor is just starting out in his learning. The movies never really weeded John Connor's character out as much as they could have done. In this show, John Connor is really developing greatly as a character and it is interesting to see him gain his skills that will help mankind in the future wars ahead.

Summer Glau is great as Cameron Phillips, the robot sent from the future to help the Connors. She has the robot emotionless, slack face down pat. She is a great character, not only because she is a robot with great powers, but also because of the tension caused between the human characters and her because she is not a real person and not 100% trusted since robots are the enemy in the future.

Richard T. Jones is a great addition as James Ellison, the FBI agent following Sarah Connor. His character adds to the depth of the show by being a somewhat neutral force in the show because he doesn't really know what is going on and doesn't trust the Connors. Gradually, he is seeing that not all is right in the world.

So far, the show is up to its ninth episode and is on a break now. It hasn't lost any of its momentum since its first episode. It seems to be a very solidly written show with a story in mind, rather than be made up along the way. Many shows have a villain of the week type of story but not here. Every episode is tied together as if it is one long movie, rather than diverging into different storylines each week and forgetting the main story arc.

If you like robots, Terminator movies, apocalypse stories, sci-fi, or a good drama, you need to watch this Fox show.

Season two ended recently with a rushed ending because it might be canceled. Every time Fox gets a show that is good, the bigwigs at the time cancel it. It's not known yet if the show will return for a third season.