One of the few cool shows to survive the network's axes this new fall season is Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. We lost NBC's Bionic Woman, CBS's Moonlight, and Lifetime's Blood Ties, among others I enjoyed last year. Maybe it was ratings, maybe the writer's strike, doesn't really matter who's to blame. Just frustrated how often this happens to shows I was really getting into.

Luckily, The Sarah Connor Chronicles will put a new smile on my face, when it premieres tonight (September 8th, 2008) on FOX. Actually, it's starting right now, as I write about it (Cappy scrambles to let the DVR work it's magic, so he can watch it later in the evening). The first season of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles begins two years after the film, Terminator 2. Living quietly tucked away with a new fiance, Charlie Dixon, Sarah and her son ... the eventual savior of what is left of all mankind, after the machines take over ... John Connor, try to live a normal life. But, mama Sarah smells trouble a mile away ...

 

COME WITH ME ... IF YOU WANNA LIVE

 

At school, John meets a pretty, young student Cameron. In class, he also meets a new sub for his teacher, Mr. Ferguson. Unfortunately, both are terminators sent back into the past, looking for the infamous John Connor. Which basically means, nothing they did during Terminator 2 helped change mankind's awful future. After identifying John, the teacher immediately whips out a gun and fires throughout the entire class. John narrowly escapes out the classroom window, and is rescued by the pretty, young terminator Cameron. Sarah is none too happy about any of this, and back to the old on-the-run-from-evil-machines routine. Not to mention, all the ruckus has alerted the FBI to the fugitives, lead by Agent James Ellison. Luckily, there is an escape plan in place, decades ago. A bank vault has been holding a secret weapon, that will destroy the terminator. Downside, is they must set the bomb off and be thrust 8 years into the future.

 

 

The good news ... it worked. The bank exploded, the world thinks both Sarah and John are dead, and they made the jump into the future, successfully (although, quite naked). The bad news ... the terminator's head also travelled with them into the future. But, there is a silver lining, as they also meet up with John's uncle Derek Reese, who was sent back in time to complete his own specific mission. However, Agent Ellison catches wind of their remarkable escape from the bank explosion, years earlier. And former fiance Charlie Dixon, now married to someone else, sees their faces on a news program. And so the story continues, as all these forces reunite to ward off the terminators. Like the lady said ...

 

IT'S GONNA BE ONE HELLOVA DOGFIGHT

 

• Sarah Conner - Lena Headey (she was the Spartan Queen in 300 ... Ultra, The Brothers Grimm, The Cave, tv mini-series Merlin, and next year's horror flicks, tell-Tale and Laid to Rest)
• John Conner - Thomas Dekker (From Within, played Zack in the ever-evolving Heroes tv saga, appeared wayyy back in Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Generations ... look for him in next year's horror movie also co-starring with Lena Headey, Laid to Rest)
• Charlie Dixon, Sarah ex-fiance - Dean Winters (best known from HBO's prison saga OZ, Hellraiser: Hellseeker, also appeared in the X-Files spin-off, Millennium)
• Cameron Phillips, the reprogrammed good terminator - Summer Glau (what can I say about everyone's favorite River, from Firefly and Serenity fame... also, USA's The 4400, The Unit, Mammoth, and the remake of the tv horror classic, The Initiation of Sarah)
• Cromartie, the evil T-888 out to kill John - Garret Dillahunt (HBO's John from Cincinnati, USA's The 4400, The Book of Daniel, two amazing roles in Deadwood, and made his earliest appearances in older scifi series I loved: Millennium, 7 Days, and The X Files ... watch for him in the highly anticipated apocalyptic film, The Road, and next year's remake of the 70s classic horror flick, The Last House on the Left)
• Agent James Ellison, obsessed FBI agent - Richard T. Jones (Cutting Room, Judging Amy, Event Horizon, and next year's installment, Final Destination 4)
• Derek Reese, Kyle Reese's older brother, and John's uncle - Brian Austin Green (I knew there was a reason I liked this actor, he is Irish, Scottish, Hungarian and Cherokee descent, oooOOO, Spooky again)
• Michele Dixon, Charlie's new wife - Sonya Walger (just watched her in a DVD that GOONKA was kind enough to send me, Caffiene ... last seen as Penny, in the incredible series, LOST, and the upcoming film, The Factory)

• Catherine Weaver, CEO of a high-tech company, ZeiraCorp - Shirley Manson (yes, the one and only lead singer of the rock band, Garbage)
• Riley, John's cute new friend - Leven Rambin (from the short-lived series, The Book of Daniel)

I am really excited to see what this new season has in store for us! For more info on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, airing Monday nights on FOX, please visit the website:

http://www.fox.com/terminator/