One of the reasons why I regret not blogging as much as I'd like to, is to advocate for something I like, or a cause that people should know about. This is the former, but I also look at it as a cause, in that there's a significant chance that it won't return in the fall. My favorite television series, without question, is Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Despite ratings that have often been lackluster, it will be airing its Season 2 finale tonight, after a total of 31 episodes. Many shows do not make it to this stage, so I am grateful. But I want more! I have a feeling that if cancelled, it will become a cult hit like Firefly, but I would rather still have it on the air. Remember a few years ago, when the fans of that show "Jericho" (which I later saw and concur that it was a great show) got together and sent tons of peanuts to CBS in protest after they cancelled it? I thought that was crazy, but am ready to throw in with some of those same fans for the sake of this show.
The reasons that this show is in trouble are (1) the Nielsen system (used to judge how many people watch a television show) is woefully outdated and inadequate, and needs a complete overhaul. I refuse to believe that so few people watch this show; (2) when there is a recession or other hard times, people want to escape into a reality show like American Idol, or a sitcom, or something of that nature. A show about a mother and son running from killer robots to prevent a nuclear doomsday is probably the last thing people want to see, unless it's filled with action like Terminator 2 was, and that brings me to reason (3): I believe that a lot of people came into this show expecting to see T2 every week, since the Terminator movies are action-packed. This is not that kind of a show. While it does have its moments, SCC is much more story-driven and character based. Themes like humanity, religion, and the use of technology in our lives is given a much deeper look here than the films ever gave. So, it's kind of a catch-22. This was promoted as an action show, and action and traditional Terminator fans coming into this were disappointed, while people who would really give a show like this a chance were turned off by what they thought was a mindless shoot-em-up show.
Anyway, please watch the show tonight, write Fox to let them know to keep this great series, and watch Season 1 on DVD. There are later Season 2 episodes on Hulu, and the earlier ones are around the Internet too if you know where to look. Here's a clip from episode 13 of Season 2 that captures the show pretty much perfectly, IMO:
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