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.
TV show's Ratings
Production
Soundtrack
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Original Television Soundtrack)
Different stars
- 1 Bear McCrearyTerminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Opening Title) 0:44
- 2 Bear McCrearySarah Connor's Theme 3:16
- 3 Bear McCrearyCromartie in the Hospital 1:09
- 4 Bear McCrearyAndy Goode's Turk 3:09
- 5 Bear McCrearyCentral America 1:33
- 6 Bear McCrearyJohn and Riley 2:26
- 7 Bear McCrearyDerek Reese 2:51
- 8 BrEndAn's BandAint We Famous 3:34
- 9 Bear McCrearyMotorcycle Robot Chase (feat. Captain Ahab) 2:48
- 10 Bear McCrearyThe Hand of God 3:08
- 11 Bear McCrearyPrisoners of War 6:24
- 12 Bear McCrearyMiles Dyson's Grave 2:42
- 13 Bear McCrearyAtomic Al's Merry Melody 1:21
- 14 Bear McCrearyThe Reese Boys 1:39
- 15 Bear McCrearyRemoving Cameron's Chip 3:13
- 16 Bear McCrearyEllison Spared 2:21
- 17 Bear McCrearyI Love You 2:29
- 18 Bear McCrearyCatherine Weaver 2:04
- 19 Bear McCrearyDerek's Mission 1:45
- 20 Bear McCrearyThere's a Storm Coming 3:00
- 21 Bear McCrearyHighway Battle 3:57
- 22 Bear McCrearyPerfect Creatures 2:13
- 23 Bear McCrearyTerminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (End Credits) 0:35
Cancelled
2
" This season a mother will become a warrior, a son will become a hero, and their only ally will be a friend from the future."
| Country | |
| Runtime | 41 – 46 min |
| Premiere: World | January 13, 2008 |
| Premiere: USA | January 13, 2008 |
| Channel | FOX (20:00, United States) |
| Digital: World | October 14, 2025 |
| Parental Advisory | Frightening & Intense Scenes, Violence & Gore, ... |
| |
| Production Companies | |
| Also Known As | The Sarah Connor Chronicles United States |
Description
Set after the events in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Sarah Connor and her son, John, try to stay under-the-radar from the government, as they plot to destroy the computer network Skynet in hopes of preventing Armageddon.Сast and Crew
Composer
Videos Stills Posters Filming Promo Screenshots Covers
- The U.S. premiere aired on Fox on January 13, 2008, launching with a two-hour block (pilot + follow-up episode) after NFL playoff coverage, which delivered a very large lead-in audience and strong immediate visibility.
- The debut drew a major audience and ranked among Fox’s most noticeable new launches that season, though ratings declined as the series settled into its regular time period.
- The show quickly developed a reputation as a TV continuation of the Terminator story that played the material straight; viewers and critics often pointed to the character-driven approach and performances by Lena Headey and Thomas Dekker as key reasons for a loyal core audience.
- Season 1’s 2008 run was disrupted on the schedule: the 2007–2008 U.S. writers’ strike contributed to an abbreviated season, which affected momentum and week-to-week buzz.
- Season 2 premiered in fall 2008 in a more typical broadcast-season window, but it still faced heavy competition and the broader fragmentation of network TV audiences.
- Even as live ratings softened, the series built an active fandom and above-average engagement, with ongoing discussion on forums and early social platforms keeping interest high between episodes and seasons.
- Audience reception often centered on how the series expanded Terminator mythology for long-form television, using future-war stakes and time-paradox plotting as a way to deliver scale through serialized storytelling.
- Its franchise impact included reinforcing the idea that Terminator could function in long-form serialization, shaping audience expectations for later continuations and reboots.
- A notable pop-culture footprint was the sustained, episode-by-episode development of a more sympathetic “protector terminator” archetype, frequently discussed in comparisons with other franchise iterations.
- The show was repeatedly cited in critical lists and retrospectives as a standout sci-fi drama of its era on U.S. broadcast television, helping it persist in recommendations after it ended.
- Fox cancelled the series in 2009 after two seasons; the decision was widely attributed to broadcast economics and declining audience levels, and its most immediate consequence for viewers was an unresolved cliffhanger ending.
- Following cancellation, fans organized campaigns urging renewal, often referenced as an example of the growing wave of genre-television fan activism in the late 2000s.
- The cliffhanger and absence of a third season became part of the show’s legacy: for some it discouraged starting the series, while for others it fueled ongoing debate about how the story “should have” concluded.
- In later years, the series found a second life through home video and streaming (depending on territory and licensing windows), expanding its audience beyond the original broadcast run.
- Within genre TV discourse, it is often used as a case study: ambitious, high-regarded network sci-fi can still be fragile when judged against ratings math and the cost of retaining viewers.
- Long-term, many viewers continued to associate the show’s identity with lead performances by Summer Glau, Lena Headey, and Thomas Dekker, which helped keep it prominent in retrospective conversation.
Production
Sign up and you will see here
friends impressions of the TV show.
Friends comments and ratings
Summer Glau is a CULT! This series, which also features Lena Headey (even singer Shirley Manson looks amazing), is a very heartfelt and humanizing exploration of what was missing in the full-length Terminator films. I often rewatch some episodes (I changed my rating from a 9 to a 10).
Oddly enough, the relatively low-budget Terminator series is much better than the franchise’s feature-length sequels. Lena Headey and Summer Glau’s performances as Sarah Connor and the female Terminator, respectively, are truly remarkable. I definitely recommend the first season.
Add a short review
280 characters