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Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: An awesome show, so what went wrong?
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By now, it's pretty clear that Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is down for the count. After opening big on its Season One premiere during the writer's strike in 2008 with 18 million viewers, T:SCC suffered continously decreasing numbers and hit its death knell when FOX moved the show from Monday nights to Friday, the graveyard for prime-timetelevision. Even with the mid-season partnership with Joss Whedon's Dollhouse, both shows suffered low numbers. Not even the promise of the summer blockbuster Terminator: Salvation was enough to save this cult hit show. After a fairly successful first season run, amazing acting/writing, and the addition of Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson, it's fair to ask what went wrong. This article serves as a farewell and eulogy to yet another fabulous canceled show.
The Terminator franchise is instantly recognizable to almost everyone, whether you've seen the movies or not. Arnold Schwarzenegger first portrayed a cyborg sent from the future to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), the mother of the future savior of mankind in James Cameron's 1984 film The Terminator. He then reprised the role in T2: Judgement Day in 1991 and in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines in 2003. He's now known to Californians as the "Governator" and you would be lying if you didn't recognize the phrases "I'll be back" or "Hasta la vista, baby." So how is it that such a popular and iconic film franchise gets turned into a television show that not only forgoes Ah-nuld as the Terminator, but puts its hero in high school? Admittedly, as the promos for Josh Friedman's interpretation of Terminator first aired, the show's premise looked a little like simply getting more money out of an already successful franchise. However, what emerged was some kind of fantastic hybrid between action movie, deadpan comedy, and family drama that attracted a devout fanbase.
Josh Friedman's 2008 installment of the Terminator franchise takes place after T2 and essentially revokes the entire existence of T3 (thankfully). Lena Headey (300) takes over Linda Hamilton's role as Sarah Connor, the tough as nails mother of John Connor (Thomas Dekker), who will eventually become the leader of the human resistance against machines. Thomas Dekker (Heroes, Laid to Rest) channels the Edward Furlong smart aleck, hair in the face, emo kid attitude in his portrayal of John, and adds an impressive dose of a boy who has to become a man too quickly. Dekker manages to turn a whiny, self-obsessed teen boy into a fantastic, complex, and conflicted soldier who is torn between his calling and the life of a normal kid. Dekker adds depth and emotion to his character, and effectively makes John into the leader of the Resistance.
Perhaps the most experimental and what turns out to be the most complex and interesting character is the introduction of teenage cyborg Cameron (Summer Glau). Summer Glau (Firefly, Serenity, The 4400) has big shoes to fill following Schwarzenegger, Robert Patrick, and Kristanna Loken and she hardly looks the type to be crushing skulls and beating up guys twice her size. But Glau delivers an intricate, entertaining character that certainly makes one question the line between man and machine. Not only does Cameron beat up the bad guys in style, but she also provides the majority of the comic relief on the show with perfect deadpan and timing. Glau also gives Cameron a child-like innocence in addition to her seemingly mechanical exterior, and as she learns, it is both fascinating and a little unsettling. With the added performances of Richard T. Jones (Agent James Ellison), Brian Austin Green (Derek Reese), Shirley Manson (Catherine Weaver), and Garret Dillahunt (Cromartie/John Henry), the question remains as to what led the show to its cancellation at the end of its second season.
It would be easy enough to blame it all on FOX, which has a history of cancelling fabulous shows before their time (read Firefly, Wonderfalls, Arrested Development), but FOX did move T:SCC around and advertise fairly well. While the move to Friday nights truly killed the show (it was beating Gossip Girl on Mondays), FOX at least tried a little. The ratings system may also have hurt T:SCC. After all, people rarely have the time to watch TV anymore, so they often turn to TiVo and online players, which only count in Nielson ratings for the first few days. Ultimately, though, it may simply be that most people may not want to tune in every week to watch a sci-fi series. Certainly, T:SCC is more than that, but first impressions are lasting. Either way, FOX will be missing a fantastically well written show and a great fan following (it won E!'s annual Save-a-Show campaign).
Season 2 had some amazing episodes, most notably the season premiere "Samson & Delilah," "Allison From Palmdale" which explores Cameron's origins, and the gripping season/series finale "Born to Run." Battlestar Galactica alum Stephanie Jacobsen and Garbage lead singer Shirley Manson both make fantastic villains and the introduction of the T-1000 (think Robert Patrick's liquid terminator from T2) was amazing. The snags for Season 2 came in the introduction of Leven Rambin as John's new girlfriend Riley, and Sarah's lack of character development. Rambin was likeable enough, but the majority of the show's interest came from the complex pseudo-romance between John and Cameron, a relationship that was sorely missed towards the middle of the saseon. This season, Headey as Sarah wasn't given much to work with as she played the same old stoic, angry, slightly psychotic mom with no real outlet for her fears. It's undeniable that Sarah is a kick-butt leading lady, but a static character is often a boring one, and Sarah's role as a titular character was greatly undermined.
Even though T:SCC is no more, there is still a lot to look forward to. Season 2 will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray Disc on September 22 and Season One is currently available for purchase, so if you haven't yet seen this show, check it out! The last 12 episodes of Season 2 are available online at FOX's website if you need to catch up. If you have seen the show and need a Terminator fix, go check out the fourth feature film in the franchise: Terminator: Salvation, starring Christian Bale and Sam Worthington in theatres now.
