Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is a science fiction drama series developed for the Fox Broadcasting Company by Josh Friedman. The series follows the characters of Sarah and John Connor (portrayed by Lena Headey and Thomas Dekker, respectively) after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. In the pilot, the pair are transported from 1999 to 2007 by a terminator named Cameron Phillips (Summer Glau) who was sent back from the year 2027 to protect John. From that point, the show chronicles the trio's attempt to stop the computer system Skynet from going online, triggering a nuclear holocaust and declaring war on mankind in an apocalyptic future.
The Sarah Connor Chronicles premiered on Sunday, January 13, 2008 after the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys playoff game[1] at 9/8c to the highest ratings for a scripted television program on Fox in seven years and the most viewers for a scripted show on the network in eight years. Additionally, it also had the highest ratings of a scripted program debut during prime time among adults 18–34 and 18–49 (key demographics for advertisers) in three years and the most viewers for a scripted program premiere in two years.[2] A second episode followed the next day, Monday, in the show's regular timeslot at 9/8c.
Due to the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike, only nine of the original thirteen episodes for the first season were completed.[3]
The producers of the show announced that it was renewed for a second season, initially for only 13 episodes.[4] The new season began airing on September 8, 2008 in the United States. On October 17, 2008 the network gave the show a full second season order, bringing the total number of season 2 episodes to 22.[5] The series went on a brief hiatus mid-season, from December 16, 2008, to February 13, 2009. When it returned, it was scheduled with Joss Whedon's Dollhouse on Friday nights.
A total of 31 episodes of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles aired before being cancelled on May 18, 2009.[6]
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| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | DVD release dates | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere | Season finale | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | |||
| 1 | 9 | January 13, 2008 | March 3, 2008 | August 19, 2008 | August 11, 2008 | August 13, 2008 | |
| 2 | 22 | September 8, 2008 | April 10, 2009 | September 22, 2009 | November 16, 2009 | October 27, 2009 | |
| Series # |
Season # |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
U.S. viewers (million) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Pilot" | David Nutter | Josh Friedman | January 13, 2008 | 276022 | 18.36[7] |
| In 1999, after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Sarah Connor and her son, John Connor, are fugitives from the police and FBI. In the series opener, Sarah and John move to a small town in New Mexico; a Terminator named Cromartie attacks John's school; a reprogrammed Terminator named Cameron transports Sarah and John to the year 2007 where they will battle Skynet. Meanwhile, FBI Agent James Ellison becomes obsessed with finding Sarah. | |||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Gnothi Seauton" | David Nutter | Josh Friedman | January 14, 2008 | 3T6851 | 10.08[7] |
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Three days after they arrive in 2007, Cameron takes Sarah to get new identities from four resistance fighters that were also sent back. Finding three dead, one missing and another terminator whom the pair fight off, Sarah elects to visit Enrique to obtain new IDs. Meanwhile John grows frustrated at being contained in the house; Sarah is told by Cameron that she died from cancer in 2005, and remnants of Cromartie begin to reassemble. The episode ends with Sarah taking tests, clearly frightened by what Cameron had told her. "Gnothi seauton" is Greek for "Know thyself". |
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| 3 | 3 | "The Turk" | Paul Edwards | John Wirth | January 21, 2008 | 3T6852 | 8.65[7] |
| As Sarah tracks down a new lead into the creation of Skynet, she becomes involved with a cell phone salesman called Andy, who is constructing a chess-playing computer named The Turk. John and Cameron attempt to remain inconspicuous in their new high school, which proves difficult when John attempts to stop a girl from committing suicide. Cromartie continues its search for a biological covering while Agent Ellison attempts to solve the case of the three dead fighters from the previous episode. See also: The Turk | |||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Heavy Metal" | Sergio Mimica Gezzan | John Enbom | February 4, 2008 | 3T6854 | 8.84[7] |
| While searching through stolen cargo, John becomes separated from his mother and he discovers how unsafe the future has become. | |||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Queen's Gambit" | Matt Earl Beesley | Natalie Chaidez | February 11, 2008 | 3T6853 | 8.34[7] |
| When Sarah's friend Andy reveals that he reprogrammed his chess-playing prototype and is going to submit it into a chess competition, she worries about the computer's capabilities and comes face-to-face with the man who's been following her. Cameron gets called into grief counseling. John makes a new friend in shop class. Cromartie poses as FBI agent Robert Kester, and Agent Ellison finds a terminator hand. | |||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Dungeons & Dragons" | Jeffrey Hunt | Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz | February 18, 2008 | 3T6858 | 8.09[7] |
| While receiving medical treatment Derek Reese (Brian Austin Green) has flashbacks of his life in the future, and his personal battle against the machines. Meanwhile, Sarah finds herself trying to explain the past to Charley. | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | "The Demon Hand" | Charles Beeson | Toni Graphia | February 25, 2008 | 3T6855 | 7.12[7] |
| When Sarah breaks into Agent Ellison's apartment looking for the missing T-888 endo-arm, she finds dossiers, files and videos from her stay in the mental hospital and John learns what it took her to escape. The files lead Ellison to hospital psychiatrist Dr. Peter Silberman, a doomsday convert who made Sarah's hospital stay unbearable. Meanwhile, Cameron enrolls in a ballet class taught by Dmitri's sister, in an effort to track down his whereabouts and find out who has The Turk. | |||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Vick's Chip" | J. Miller Tobin | Daniel T. Thomsen | March 3, 2008 | 3T6857 | 7.98[7] |
| John and Derek are at odds when John disagrees with Derek's suspicions about Cameron, while Sarah attempts to reacquire the Turk. Sarah, John, Cameron, and Derek work together to disable Skynet's future surveillance network. | |||||||
| 9 | 9 | "What He Beheld" | Mike Rohl | Ian Goldberg | March 3, 2008 | 3T6856 | 8.29[7] |
| Negotiation for the Turk proves tougher than expected with a mysterious businessman. Agent Ellison and an HRT team try to take down Cromartie posing as FBI agent Robert Kester. Derek takes John out for his birthday where they meet the young brothers Derek and Kyle Reese, John's father. Cameron's fate is left unknown, as the first season comes to a close. | |||||||
| Series # |
Season # |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
U.S. viewers (million) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 | "Samson and Delilah" | David Nutter | Josh Friedman | September 8, 2008 | 3T7301 | 6.34[8] |
| The Connors deal with the aftermath of Sarkissian's attack, which has damaged Cameron's chip, and Derek allies with Charley Dixon. Catherine Weaver, CEO of ZeiraCorp, is introduced. Cromartie pays a visit to Agent Ellison, and reveals his reasons for keeping him alive. | |||||||
| 11 | 2 | "Automatic for the People" | Jeffrey Hunt | Natalie Chaidez | September 15, 2008 | 3T7302 | 5.49[9] |
| A wounded resistance fighter leads Sarah, Derek, and Cameron to investigate a nuclear power plant which may prove a pivotal asset in the future. John meets Riley at school, and they quickly become friends. Meanwhile, Catherine Weaver continues her new project. Upon returning home, Sarah, John and Derek discover the resistance fighter's dying words — a list of names of people and places, each of which is somehow linked to Skynet. | |||||||
| 12 | 3 | "The Mousetrap" | Bill Eagles | John Wirth | September 22, 2008 | 3T7305 | 5.82[10] |
| Cromartie kidnaps Charley's wife, hoping to lure Sarah. Sarah and Derek attempt a rescue, but discover too late that the kidnapping was a setup. Meanwhile, John finds himself caught between Cameron and Riley. | |||||||
| 13 | 4 | "Allison from Palmdale" | Charles Beeson | Toni Graphia | September 29, 2008 | 3T7304 | 5.53[11] |
| Cameron shows signs of residual damage when she temporarily loses her memory as a machine, and ends up discovering distant memories of the resistance fighter on which she was designed. Ellison uncovers information about Catherine Weaver, which convinces him to accept her offer. | |||||||
| 14 | 5 | "Goodbye to All That" | Bryan Spicer | Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz | October 6, 2008 | 3T7303 | 5.61[12] |
| John and Derek infiltrate a military academy to protect a future member of the resistance who is being targeted by a new T-888, while Sarah cares for a young boy who may also be targeted. Meanwhile, Weaver gives Ellison his first assignment. NOTE: This episode is approximately ten minutes longer, and was originally broadcast with "limited commercial interruption". | |||||||
| 15 | 6 | "The Tower Is Tall but the Fall Is Short" | Tawnia McKiernan | Denise Thé | October 20, 2008 | 3T7308 | 5.34[13] |
| Savannah, the real Catherine Weaver's daughter, embarrasses the T-1001 when she misbehaves during Catherine's interview and photo shoot. The T-1001 seeks psychological help for the child, due to its lack of knowledge about raising children. Sarah, John, and Cameron seek out this same psychologist, because he is on their list of Skynet targets, and enroll in his practice, hoping to discover his connection to Skynet. During that session, Sarah reveals John's true part in the killing of Sarkissian. Meanwhile, Derek is surprised to encounter Jesse, an ex-lover who has gone AWOL, fleeing the dystopia of the future for the comfort of the present day. | |||||||
| 16 | 7 | "Brothers of Nablus" | Milan Cheylov | Ian Goldberg | November 3, 2008 | 3T7306 | 5.16[14] |
| Sarah, Derek, and Cameron pursue the people who robbed them, while Cromartie continues to pursue John. Ellison is attacked in his home by a Terminator apparently sent to replace him, but he is unexpectedly saved by Cromartie. | |||||||
| 17 | 8 | "Mr. Ferguson Is Ill Today" | Michael Nankin | Daniel T. Thomsen | November 10, 2008 | 3T7311 | 5.19[15] |
| John takes Riley on a trip to Mexico, but after a fight in a bar they both end up in prison. Cromartie uses Sarah to find John, but Agent Ellison arrives to help Sarah, Derek and Cameron defeat Cromartie once and for all. | |||||||
| 18 | 9 | "Complications" | Steven DePaul | Ian Goldberg & John Wirth | November 17, 2008 | 3T7309 | 5.31[16] |
| The stress from the near miss with Cromartie takes a toll on Sarah, leading to nightmares and sleepwalking, and she revisits Dr. Sherman to help explain the dreams. John and Cameron return to Mexico for Cromartie's body, only to find that someone has already removed it. Jesse captures a Skynet collaborator from the future who allegedly tortured Derek, but Derek has no memory of the man. This leads him to believe that his actions in the present may have already begun altering the future. | |||||||
| 19 | 10 | "Strange Things Happen at the One Two Point" | Scott Peters | Ashley Edward Miller & Zach Stentz | November 24, 2008 | 3T7310 | 4.62[17] |
| (This title refers to a proverb in the popular Asian board game Go). Sarah's obsession with the three-dot symbol leads her to a company who may have The Turk, however the search eventually proves a dead end. Meanwhile, Jesse faces problems of her own involving her plans for the Connors, and Ellison's investigation of Dr. Sherman's death reveals chilling details of John Henry's programming. Riley suffers a breakdown, revealing a knowledge of Judgment Day. | |||||||
| 20 | 11 | "Self Made Man" | Holly Dale | Toni Graphia | December 1, 2008 | 3T7312 | 5.83[18] |
| Some of Cameron's nighttime activities are revealed as she seeks knowledge in a library with a friend who shares her interests. The discovery of a Terminator sent too far back in time leads Cameron to investigate the possible ramifications on the timeline. John and Riley's relationship continues to develop. Another Skynet target for termination in the past is revealed to be the Governor of California, however Cameron finally locates and destroys the assassin before it can carry out its task. | |||||||
| 21 | 12 | "Alpine Fields" | Charles Beeson & Bryan Spicer | John Enbom | December 8, 2008 | 3T7307 | 5.21[19] |
| Sarah, Cameron, and Derek work to save a family, whose name is on their list, from another T-888. Derek recalls how the mother's unborn child will play a pivotal role in the future. Details of Derek and Jesse's first meeting are also explored. | |||||||
| 22 | 13 | "Earthlings Welcome Here" | Félix Enríquez Alcalá | Natalie Chaidez | December 15, 2008 | 3T7313 | 5.29[20] |
| Sarah attends a UFO convention and tracks down a blogger with a connection to the three-dot symbol. Riley's new bond with John causes a clash with Cameron. Details of Jesse and Riley's relationship are also revealed. Ellison tries to teach John Henry about the value of life. As Sarah nears the end of her search, she is discovered by a security guard, and is shot in the ensuing struggle. | |||||||
| 23 | 14 | "The Good Wound" | Jeff Woolnough | Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz | February 13, 2009 | 3T7314 | 3.52[21] |
| An injured Sarah is guided by the image of John's deceased father, Kyle Reese. Riley slices her wrists at the Connor's house, and John and Cameron are stuck with Riley at the hospital. Meanwhile, John Henry's search for answers on the Internet and its resulting discoveries about his body's prior whereabouts, agent Ellison's, and Catherine Weaver's corporate dealings with ColTran result in deadly consequences. | |||||||
| 24 | 15 | "Desert Cantos" | J. Miller Tobin | Ian Goldberg & John Wirth | February 20, 2009 | 3T7315 | 3.84[22] |
| Sarah, John, Cameron and Derek investigate the company town connected to the suspicious destruction of a nearby factory, while Weaver sends her own man into town in search of a potential survivor. | |||||||
| 25 | 16 | "Some Must Watch, While Some Must Sleep" | Scott Lautanen | Natalie Chaidez & Denise Thé | February 27, 2009 | 3T7316 | 3.42[23] |
| Haunted by nightmares of the guard she killed in the factory, Sarah checks in to a sleep clinic. When suspicious things begin happening, Sarah suspects Skynet may be using the facility for brain-mapping. As her condition deteriorates, Sarah suspects that her dream world is in fact real. | |||||||
| 26 | 17 | "Ourselves Alone" | Jeff Woolnough | Toni Graphia & Daniel T. Thomsen | March 6, 2009 | 3T7317 | 2.96[24] |
| Cameron begins to suffer involuntary reflexes, leading her and John to wonder about latent damage. Cameron wonders whether or not she can be trusted not to turn against John, but John is more concerned that she will kill Riley for drawing too much attention to them. Meanwhile, Riley discovers her partner Jesse has betrayed her by trying to provoke Cameron to kill her, and a confrontation ensues. | |||||||
| 27 | 18 | "Today Is the Day, Part 1" | Guy Norman Bee | Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz | March 13, 2009 | 3T7318 | 3.50[25] |
| Jesse flashes back to a life-altering mission aboard her submarine, the Jimmy Carter. The sub is piloted by a reprogrammed Terminator who surreptitiously changes course, telling her that John Connor ordered him to pick up a mysterious package from an offshore oil rig. Back in the present, Sarah learns about Riley's death and implicates Cameron, but John isn't sure. Ellison teaches John Henry a lesson on ethics after he lets Weaver's daughter Savannah play hide-and-seek unsupervised in the ZeiraCorp headquarters. John visits the morgue to say goodbye to Riley, and notices defensive wounds on her hands. | |||||||
| 28 | 19 | "Today Is the Day, Part 2" | Guy Norman Bee | Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz | March 20, 2009 | 3T7321 | 3.65[26] |
| Jesse’s submarine mission in the future takes a fatal turn when the box is opened, revealing a T-1001 and changing her perception of machines forever. Sarah has a talk with Cameron about John, while John confronts Jesse and reveals that he's known about her for weeks. He tells Jesse to leave, but she meets Derek in the parking lot, who aims to kill her. At home, John breaks down and cries in his mother's arms. | |||||||
| 29 | 20 | "To the Lighthouse" | Guy Ferland | Natalie Chaidez | March 27, 2009 | 3T7319 | 3.83[27] |
| Fearing for her life, Sarah stashes John in a safe house with the only person she believes she can rely on, Charley Dixon. Cameron and Derek struggle to work together after she reveals a big secret, and Weaver’s entire effort is at risk when John Henry is compromised. | |||||||
| 30 | 21 | "Adam Raised a Cain" | Charles Beeson | Toni Graphia | April 3, 2009 | 3T7320 | 3.35[28] |
| John deduces that Savannah is the latest Skynet target, and narrowly saves her from a Terminator; however, Derek is killed by the Terminator in the battle. John Henry learns that the Connors are alive and that Ellison knew, and Ellison arranges a meeting with Sarah where she will give him Savannah. At the meeting, the cops show up and arrest Sarah. John and Cameron flee. | |||||||
| 31 | 22 | "Born to Run" | Jeffrey Hunt | Josh Friedman | April 10, 2009 | 3T7322 | 3.60[29] |
| Sarah is questioned by the FBI before being broken out of jail by Cameron, who takes her and John to meet with Weaver at ZeiraCorp. Once there, all parties are attacked by a flying drone and escape to the basement to discover Cameron deactivated, its chip given to John Henry who has fled into the future. Sarah and James Ellison remain behind while Weaver and John follow him into the future. Once there, he meets Derek and Kyle Reese as well as Allison Young, who Cameron was modeled after. None of them have ever heard of John Connor. | |||||||
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