Well, the producers promised us one heck of an episode and they certainly delivered. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles went out with a big bang tonight and leaves lots of unanswered questions. Will we get answers next season?
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (TSCC) continues the ongoing saga first started in 1984 in the original Terminator movie. This particular piece of the puzzle follows the travails of freedom fighter Sarah Connor (Lena Headey), her teenage son (humanity’s future savior) John (Thomas Dekker), and his Terminator protector, Cameron (Summer Glau). Others in the cast include Richard T. Jones, Brian Austin Green, Garret Dillahunt, Shirley Manson, Leven Rambin, Dean Winters, Stephanie Jacobsen, Mackenzie Brooke Smith, and Sonya Walger.
The FOX series premiered on January 13, 2008 — in the plum spot following an NFL playoff game. Over 18.6 million viewers watched with an impressive 11.1/16 rating/share in the 18-49 demographic. However, without the benefit of a football lead-in, only 10.1 million returned to watch the next day, with a 6.2/9 in the demo. The third installment dropped again, to 8.66 million and a 5.3/8. Despite the vast decline, FOX opted to renew the series for season two.
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When TSCC returned last September, it drew its worst numbers to date — 6.33 million and a 2.4/7 in the demo. Things got worse immediately and the series hit a dismal low of 4.57 million and a 1.8/5 in November. The show went on hiatus for two months starting in December. When it returned in February, TSCC served as a Friday night lead-in to a new sci-fi series, Dollhouse. The hope was that the pairing would be mutually beneficial but it didn’t work that way and many believe that TSCC has actually been hurting the Joss Whedon series. TSCC’s audience ended up dipping below three million in early March.
While many moviegoers are greatly anticipating the new Terminator movie, the TV series just hasn’t attracted enough interest. With ratings like these, it’s impossible to think that the series will return for a third year. That’s a huge shame because, after an episode like tonight’s, we’re left with a lot of unresolved plot points.
Tonight, we saw John Connor leave his mother behind and time travel to the future. Once there, he meets Derek (who doesn’t know him yet) and his dead father, Kyle Reese (who hasn’t fathered him yet). Reese is accompanied by very version of Cameron.
It’s obvious that the series is poised to take off in some interesting directions and is really hitting its stride. The fact that the last few episodes have been so strong make the show’s prospects all the more disappointing. It’s a shame that the writers didn’t get to this point sooner.
If the show doesn’t come back next season, and it looks like it won’t, are you upset with how the show has ended?
Image courtesy FOX.
Here I am commenting in 2021. It’s been 12 years since the series ended. I had never watched it back then but somehow ended up finding both seasons at a local Goodwill. Watched the entire show in two weeks. It was amazing. The best Terminator story by far that I have ever watched. I know the actors are all a lot older now but the entire premise of where this show ended and the scenarios it introduced should have been explored further. I believe there is enough of a fan base that a Season 3 could have been put in… Read more »
I’ve just finished watching the two seasons back-to-back, over the course of a few days. Highly addictive! Like Lost, this series has suspense, excellent dialogue, emotional tension, one-off vs. sweeping storylines, even the alternate reality mindbenders – and I love both shows for those reasons. Even with a few years passed, I’m still hoping for a rekindling.. Not of the Sarah Connor Chronicles, but the John Connor perspective (like it always has been). Is the T1000 organization a third faction, designed to infiltrate the terminator ranks, while recruiting from the human ranks – for their own agenda – and what… Read more »
Please bring back the series for 3rd season, its one of my favourite shows and the best one ever I watched so far
this show had brains. the dialogue i agree was superb. subject matter: god vs. machine vs. humanity, like nothing else on television. BRING IT BACK!!!
Im hearing that SYFY is interested in picking up the series since alot of their in studio made movies basically suck. SYFY is currently playing TSCC in reruns looking to see how many people are interested in the syndicated show. If it brings in a relatively good numbers they might revive it in 2012.
I have to admit I did not follow the show when it was airing as my schedule prevented this, but am a long Terminator fan. The SCC fox tv show, once I was able to watch the entire series, I felt was great. Cancelling this show is a puzzlement to me as the writing and story line were great and future shows development had great potential. I hope that this will be reconsidered in the future, possible (which has been hinted at) a post series DVD movie. At least this would possibly bring closure to some questions that fans have… Read more »
HEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPP! I’ve just finished Series 2 DVD box set and need answers. Actually, I need Series 3 to be made!
WAS Cameron working to destroy John all along?
Is the liquid metal woman with Skynet or not?
If John is no longer the leader of the resistance in the future is humanity screwed?
Is Sarah dead or alive in the future?
TSCC was the best show i’ve seen. Any update on the the stright to DVD idea?
Fox was foolish, they advertised it in a completely different view. This was a mistake because it attracted the wrong audience and in the end ratings dropped because many were hoping for something else. The dramatic aspect to the show helped connect other’s to the show and many people although less than 3 million awaited the next episode, impatiently even though it would come back next week. TSCC may have had bad ratings but in the end numbers can lie because all issues on the net about TSCC display fans resentment to Fox for canceling the show after such a… Read more »
I can’t believe you cancelled the show, me and my daughter loved it.
It actually made us quite made, is there any hope of the show making a return with the same actors?
Email me back if you know anything.
thanks ,
John Graham
It better come back….been waiting forever for somethign to come out like this.
Honestly, I can’t remember being as disappointed at a series being dropped as I was with TSCC! I feel a little guilty because I didn’t watch the series when it was on. I was kinda shell shocked at how bad the short lived Bionic Woman series was and assumed TSCC would be more of the same…man was I so totally wrong! I watched it and was extremely impressed with how the writers and actors treated the subject matter…with seriousness and integrity and I appreciate that. I am amazed another network hasn’t picked it up, I hope someone has the good… Read more »