Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles stars British actress Lena Headey (300) as Sarah Connor and picks up two years after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, with Sarah and her 15 year old son John (Thomas Dekker, Heroes) on the run and preparing for a possible future war against the rise of the machines. Sarah and John find themselves alone in a very dangerous and complicated world. As fugitives from the law, they are confronted with the reality that more … mehrenemies from the future, and the present, including Skynet, could attack at any moment.

Now focusing all their efforts on stopping the birth of a technological enemy, Sarah and reluctant hero John try and track down the true source of Skynets activation and hopefully change the fate of humanity. Pursued by tough talking FBI agent James Ellison who believes Sarah and John are deranged, and aided by Cameron (Summer Glau, The 4400), a fearless new female Terminator who poses as a student at Johns school and whose sole mission is to protect mankinds future leader. The trio make a time jump from 1998 to modern day Los Angeles 2007, in an effort to help fulfill Johns destiny and save the world from an unstoppable war.

The pressure was really on The Sarah Connor Chronicles right from the start. The first spin-off from the extraordinary Terminator franchise, it picks up after the events of the second film, and finds Lena Headey in the title role, who--along with her 15-year old son, John--sets about trying to save the world from the impending threat of Skynet. Along the way too, they encounter Summer Glau (whom theres a strong chance youll know from Firefly), who steps into the shoes of Cameron, a bodyguard Terminator who helps fight off the many threats they face. Shes some piece of work.

Very deliberately paced, and intricately woven to make sure it safely fits within the Terminator universe, The Sarah Connor Chronicles works a great deal better than youd have any right to expect. Tightly scripted, and with a terrific performance by Headey in the central role, the show packs plenty of action and narrative into the nine episodes of its maiden season, and it certainly whets the appetite for more.

Perhaps the biggest compliment to be paid, though, is that The Sarah Connor Chronicles is a worthy companion and follow-up to the first two Terminator films, and one that genuinely expands and deepens the franchise. Itll be fascinating to see where the show goes next. weniger