TV Preview
'Sarah Connor Chronicles,' butt-kicker
By Diego Vasquez
Jan 10, 2008 - 9:12:09 AM

This is one in a series of Media Life previews of those programs.
 
Name of show
“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”
 
Timeslot
 Fox, Monday 9 p.m. (premieres Sunday at 8 p.m.)
 
Plot synopsis
 “Sarah Connor Chronicles” takes place after the movie “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” in which Sarah, played here by Lena Headey from “300,” finally got rid of the evil Terminator sent from the future to kill her teenage son John.
 
Despite that victory, Sarah and John (Thomas Dekker) are fugitives, and there are plenty of Terminators from both the future and present still looking to take them out. John may be the future savior of mankind, but at 15 he’s not quite ready for that responsibility.
 
At school, John meets Cameron (Summer Glau), someone he feels an instant connection with. But that’s because Cameron is actually a cyborg sent from the future by John himself, and it turns out she’ll stop at nothing to protect the mother and son.
 
The two also meet FBI agent James Ellison (Richard T. Jones), who begins tracking Sarah for the supposed killing she’s done but then turns into an ally.
 
Outlook 
Sunday’s 8 p.m. premiere of “Sarah Connor Chronicles” should perform relatively well for a few reasons. First, it follows Fox’s coverage of the NFC playoff game between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, which should draw huge ratings.
 
Also, Fox now doesn’t have to worry about airing the show head-to-head against NBC’s coverage of the Golden Globe Awards, since the ceremony was canceled due to the writers’ strike. (NBC will announce the Globe winners during an hour-long press conference at 9 p.m., preceded by a "Dateline" special.)
 
When it moves to its regular Monday slot, “Sarah Connor Chronicles” will be one of only two original scripted programs to air in the 9 p.m. hour, joining ABC’s low-rated “Notes from the Underbelly,” which airs at 9:30.
 
Its main timeslot competition should be NBC’s game show “Deal or No Deal,” which is still able to air originals since no writers are necessary. CBS, meanwhile, has reruns of the comedies “Two and a Half Men” and “Rules of Engagement,” both of which performed decently this week but could slip airing against original programming viewers seem to be craving.
 
The buzz
Media people say production values for “Sarah Connor Chronicles” are high and that it can even be enjoyable to those who may not already be fans of the “Terminator” franchise.
 
“I’m not familiar with the ‘Terminator’ stories, so I wasn’t invested in the characters, but I’m not sure if that makes a difference or not,” says Tracie Chinetti, senior buyer/planner at Boston’s Blitz Media.
 
The only potential concern Chinetti sees is whether a female action hero can connect with viewers.
 
“The one question I’ve heard is the question of marketing a female action hero against the traditional action hero demo, which is younger and male,” she says. “It was the same with ‘Bionic Woman.’ And I don’t know if ‘Bionic Woman’ was as successful as NBC had hoped.”
 
What critics are saying 
“‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles’ is the latest example of what ‘Heroes’ has wrought. Granted, ‘The Terminator’ existed long before the NBC series, but there is no way Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature franchise would have been adapted into a TV show absent ‘Heroes’’ big debut season. If you think not, consider that ‘The Terminator’ has been around since 1984, yet a small-screen knockoff is only just now appearing.” – Tom Jicha, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
 
“Credibly expanding the ‘Terminator’ franchise into TV, this series faces a considerable challenge -- beginning with the usual contortions of time-travel logic -- to maintain its initial pace without devolving into silliness, but under director David Nutter and show-runner Josh Friedman, the first two hours roll a slick brand extension off this profitable assembly line.” – Brian Lowry, Variety
 
“My review will come later, before the Jan. 13 debut, but I will say that people watching Fox's ‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles’ will have super duper fun times. For once, a network's hype of World Series ads and promotions underscores how good a show is.” – Doug Elfman, Chicago Sun-Times