Hollywood tried to recapture the magic of the first two Terminator films several times in vain, and their attempts were not limited to the cinema.
Back in 2007, they gave the franchise a crack at the small screen with Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – a reboot ignoring T3 that starred Lena Headey, Summer Glau, and even Shirley Manson of Garbage. Looking back, it was an offbeat concept to find on network television, almost as odd as Twin Peaks.
Arguably, that aura made it perfect for the Fox network which was defined as much then by The Simpsons and Family Guy as it is now. However, they had another hit at the time riveting audiences called 24 broadening their identity and opening the door to some ambitious swings in the action genre.
But like most shows that set up camp at Fox, The Sarah Connor Chronicles’s tent collapsed when a stiff breeze blew through. Circumstances were not favorable to it or its chances. The show had the misfortune of premiering mid-season in the middle of one of the industry’s inclement and recurring writer strikes.
As you might expect with everything working against it, the series lasted only two seasons and ended on a cliffhanger. Creator Josh Friedman saw the writing on the wall and crafted the finale with a definitive end in mind, but he had bigger plans which he discussed with Empire.
“I wrote the season two finale, and I thought there was a good chance that that was going to be the end. I wanted to write something that sat astride an ending, emotionally, and yet would allow us something to do if we did get a season three,” Friedman said.
“I wanted to write an episode that was like, ‘Be careful what you wish for.’ John loves Cameron, but it’s like Pinocchio, she’s not a real girl. So okay, well, what if he met the real human [that the Cameron Terminator was modelled on]? John never likes being John, he doesn’t like the burden of the mantle. So, what happens if he gets his wish?” he continued.
“He shows up in the future, he gets to meet his dad, meet the girl he couldn’t have, but in human flesh. And nobody knows who he is, so he has no pressure. So it felt like it could end there, but that it wouldn’t,” he explained.
But it did, which was bittersweet for Friedman. “I was sad that we were cancelled. I wanted to do more, but I also felt satisfied personally. I didn’t want it to just feel like the needle had been pulled off the record suddenly. I wanted it to feel like the song had ended. Even if the album hadn’t,” he added.
Cameron, played by Summer Glau, was a female Terminator sent back in time to protect John Connor, played for the series by Thomas Dekker. She soon joins him and his mom (Lena Headey) in the ongoing fight against Skynet, and facilitates their jump to the future of a contemporary late 2000s “when” things took place.
The Sarah Connor Chronicles premiered at a time when film and TV were in a professional spiral although was a ray of light for critics, and it found an audience. Unfortunately, viewership didn’t grow enough to justify production costs and the plug was ultimately pulled.
Over the years, the show developed a devoted following that prefers a continuation for their beloved series over whatever James Cameron is cooking up next.
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