Back in 2008, fans of the Terminator franchise were treated to something that few could have ever dreamed of before: a television series based on the characters from the movie.
The anticipation and marketing for The Sarah Conor Chronicles helped it bring in some of the best numbers for any series released as a mid-season opener, and it looked as if the show was going to last.
Unfortunately, like many shows that fans love but don't tune in to watch, it was canceled long before its time. The cancelation came at the worst time imaginable since the season two finale ended in a cliffhanger, leaving the fans on the edge of their seats.
Sadly, fans would never learn the true fate of John, Sarah Connor, or any of the other characters they had been following for 31 episodes.
Granted, the characters and many others have found their way back onto the silver screen, but the small screen adaptation faded with little left but a couple of seasons for fans to binge watch whenever they're feeling nostalgic.
While the show didn't last, fans haven't forgotten about it. In fact, there are some interesting behind-the scenes details and facts that most fans probably never got a chance to find out.
What did it take to bring the Terminator franchise to the small screen and why did it leave the air? People have been asking these questions and more, and finally, we've got the answers.
With that said, here are the 20 Crazy Details Behind The Sarah Connor Chronicles TV Show.
A PETITION FAILED TO BRING IT BACK
These days, whenever a beloved series is given the ax, it takes about 30 seconds for someone, somewhere to put together a petition to try and bring it back.
When Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was canceled, fans hoped to convince Fox to, at the very least, let the third season make it to air.
The internet acted swiftly but, as we all know, it failed to achieve its goal. Overall, it only succeeding in racking up 10,574 signatures.
Other fans have tried to bring the series back throughout the years, but to no avail.
Given the time that's passed and the status of the rights to the franchise, it seems certain that no petition will ever succeed in resurrecting this Terminator.
CAMERON WAS SENT THROUGH TIME 2 YEARS BEFORE KYLE REESE
If you go back and watch the original Terminator, you will see that Reese and the T-800 were sent back from the year 2029.
In the television series, Cameron was sent back from the year 2027, which means she may have been the first Terminator in order to be sent back through time from the perspective of the people in the future.
Granted, all this time travel makes the timeline a bit confusing, but from John Connor's perspective, he already lived through the events that he was working to achieve.
His sending Cameron back to his teenage years meant that he had already lived through the events of the movies and needed to make sure that the timeline from the TV series happened.
IT HAD A RUNNING GAG
When the series kicked off, Cromartie, a T-888 sent from 2027, takes on the appearance of Garret Dillahunt's character, George Laszlo, an out-of-work actor who he terminates.
Thanks to his face being implicated in the act referred to as the "Swimming pool rampage," he gets a posthumous boost to his career.
This led to a running gag that paid homage to the 1980s fantasy movie The Beastmaster.
In season two, a few scenes were shot from Laszlo's biggest hit, Beast Wizard VII and the scenes became so popular among fans and the crew alike that it became something of an ongoing joke.
They even planned on filming some scenes for release on YouTube, but they didn't have the time to complete the project.
IT TOOK SOME TIME FOR SARAH TO SAY "TERMINATOR"
It took until the very last episode of the series for Sarah Connor to actually say the word "terminator," which is strange, considering the title of the show.
This is a woman who not only has fought multiple Terminators through the course of her life, but she in the company of one for a considerable amount of time, so you would think that she might drop the T-Bomb at least once.
In the season two episode "Born to Run", Sarah gets into it with Weaver and their involvement with Skynet. The line marked the only utterance of the word by Sarah when she said, "You lying Terminator b----. You're building Skynet."
SUMMER GLAU DIDN'T WANT TO AUDITION FOR THE ROLE
Looking back at TSCC, it's hard to imagine anyone other than Summer Glau playing the role of Cameron.
There's a good reason for this and it has to do with the simple fact that the role was written with her in mind.
While this happens on occasion, it doesn't always work out in casting, as actors can be busy with other projects. However, it nearly didn't work out for this series either.
When she was presented with the script, Glau was initially apprehensive. She didn't want to go to the audition and read for it.
It took her mother's prodding to get her to go, which is a good thing seeing as Glau's rejection would have been a hard on the series' creator, Josh Friedman, who truly envisioned Glau in the role.
SUMMER GLAU WAS CHOSEN BECAUSE OF SERENITY
When Josh Friedman was working on character development for the seriesn, he immediately thought of Summer Glau for the role of Cameron.
His mind went to Glau thanks to her performance in what is likely her most iconic role (outside of TSCC) - that of River Tam from Serenity.
That role was launched by the hit series Firefly, but the movie Serenity had just been released in 2005 when Friedman was developing the series.
She was chosen due to her expertly choreographed fight scenes, rather than her portrayal of the character.
As a Terminator, she would need to be able to kick butt and take names, which is why River Tam was a perfect inspiration for Friedman's Cameron.
IT SUFFERED DUE TO THE WRITER'S STRIKE
Back in 2008, the Writers Guild of America launched a strike that tore through Hollywood. The biggest result of this was the launch of a plethora of reality shows, but that wasn't the only casualty - TSCC took a hit as well.
Originally, the series was meant to be picked up for a full season run of 13 episodes, but because of the strike, it only ended up producing nine in the first season.
Additionally, the strike forced Fox to move the show from its planned Monday 8pm slot to an hour later, which didn't help its ratings.
It premiered with a record-breaking number of viewers and garnered a quick order for a second season, but it's likely that it wouldn't have suffered the ratings cut had Fox been able to proceed with the series as it originally planned.
JAMES CAMERON ISN'T A FAN
Whenever a new series that acts as a sequel to a movie comes out, fans want to know what the original creators think of it.
The Terminator is one of James Cameron's most beloved projects and he only decided to take on Terminator 2: Judgement Day when he had a good story to tell, so any time a new Terminator project is launched, most fans want to know his opinion.
In a Reddit AMA discussion, Cameron mentioned that he objectively doesn't like the movies.
He said that the 3rd and 4th film failed to live up to the potential that he established with the first two and that he "never really watched much of" the television series.
He said that he never gave it a chance and just couldn't get hooked into it.
IT TOOK PLACE IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE
There are two theories about where TSCC fits into the rather convoluted timeline of the Terminator franchise.
For most fans, it is not considered canon because it doesn't fit within the timeline of the movies. If you go back and watch the films, this is fairly accurate since the Terminators and concepts revealed in the show don't mesh well with the movies.
Because of this, some fans have insisted that the show exists in a parallel universe outside the normal continuity of the movies.
This allows the show to explore new ideas and concepts that weren't found in the movies without having to worry about continuity. Because of this, most fans have accepted this theory.
However, there is also another theory where the TV show fits into the timeline....
IF IT WERE CANON, IT ERASED EVERYTHING AFTER T2
Just as Superman Returns erased the events of Superman 3 and 4, TSCC comes into the franchise after T2 and erases all of the movies that follow it.
This is the only way that the series can exist in the franchise's main universe without juxtaposing the admittedly already difficult-to-follow timeline of the Terminator franchise.
Some fans prefer to think of the TV series as the natural course of events that followed T2 either because they don't like the movies that followed or because they feel that it logically fits.
Whatever fans' reason, the TV series is meant to fill this slot irrespective of the movies that followed.
It was pitched as a natural sequel to the events of T2 — at least, this is how Josh Friedman imagined the series.
JOSH FRIEDMAN REFUSES TO TALK ABOUT SEASON 3
When a series like TSCC is canceled, the creators will sometimes take to Twitter or other social media platforms to reveal things that were never aired.
They might even publish a comic book series continuation, which happened following the conclusion of Smallville and other series, but this isn't what happened when TSCC was pulled from the airwaves.
When asked about what was supposed to happen following the cliffhanger ending of season two, Josh Friedman refused to talk.
He won't reveal any of the information about the planned season and what was supposed to be aired following the cancelation of the series.
Whatever his reasons, it has left fans guessing and going to other members of the cast and crew to try and figure it out.
THOMAS DEKKER LEAKED THE RETURN OF SARAH CONNOR
Fortunately, for fans, Josh Friedman's refusal to talk about the plans for season three is limited to him, as others have spoken out.
When asked what was supposed to happen in season three, series star Thomas Dekker leaked some details that may have even influenced the writing of Terminator 6, which is set for release in 2019 and the source for the above image.
Dekker revealed that the third season might find an older Sarah Connor running around the wasteland. She remained behind in the past when John shot to the future in the series finale, so it stands to reason she might still be around.
Seeing as Linda Hamilton is reprising her iconic role in the forthcoming movie, the plans for season three may end up coming to fruition.
FURTHER LEAKS SUGGEST THE RETURN OF DYSON
Thomas Dekker's leaks weren't limited solely to the return of his character's mother in future events. He also mentioned that a character from Terminator 2: Judgement Day would make an appearance and undertake a large role in the resistance fight against Skynet and the machines.
If you recall the character Miles Bennett Dyson from the movie, you may remember his son, Danny.
Danny appeared in several scenes throughout the series, but was set to return in a larger role in the future events of season three.
Rumor has it that Dyson will appear in the forthcoming Terminator 6.
Most recently, he appeared in Terminator Genisys and was played by Dayo Okeniyi. In Genisys, Dyson was one of the principal technicians behind the Genisys project that hid the Skynet.
CAMERON'S NAME IS A TRIBUTE TO JAMES CAMERON
When you put your heart and soul into a project that is later picked up by others and taken to new places, it's nice when the franchise doesn't forget about you.
When Josh Friedman was developing the character played by Summer Glau, he thought that it would be a nice homage to the man behind the Terminator franchise to name her after him.
Fortunately, "Cameron" works as both a good last name and a good first name for the dangerous robot sent back from the future to protect the boy who would go on to lead the resistance that won the war.
It's a nice homage to the man who started it all, and even though James Cameron isn't a fan of the series, we're sure that he at least appreciated the nod.
SEASON 3 WAS GOING TO REVEAL A LOVE TRIANGLE BETWEEN CAMERON, JOHN, & ALLISON
One of the plots that was supposed to carry into the third season involved Cameron's chip, which housed her programming and AI.
The chip was carried into the future by John Henry and there was meant to be a sort of "love triangle" going on in the future between John, Cameron ( or at least her AI), and the woman her body was based on, Allison.
There aren't any real details about what this would have involved, but it was one of the leaks given to fans by Thomas Dekker.
He was going to somehow meet and possibly become enamored with Allison, who would probably be involved in the resistance at some level.
This might have been an interesting plot, but sadly, we won't ever get to see it.
IT WAS FILMED ON THE SAME SET AS THE GILMORE GIRLS
Whether or not you know it, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that Hollywood likes to reuse sets.
They are expensive to make, and anytime a production can cut its budget by using another television series or movie's set, it will do this.
Occasionally, these crop up from sources you wouldn't normally think of, and in the case of TSCC, the show used a set that is extremely familiar to fans of The Gilmore Girls.
One of the sets used for TSCC was Stars Hollows, the set used for many shots and scenes in The Gilmore Girls.
Stars Hollow is pretty much an entire town with a number of individual shops that have been used on a wide variety of projects.
Besides TSCC, the set has been used in Supernatural, Pushing Daisies, and 2011's The Muppets movie, among many others.
THEY COULDN'T AFFORD TO USE THE ORIGINAL SCORE
Like many movies from the '80s and '90s, the original Terimantor movie had an iconic score. The tones and ominous music used in the series has become synonymous with the franchise, so fans expected to hear it when they first tuned into the series pilot.
Unfortunately, the production budget didn't cover the cost of acquiring the complete score, so they hired Bear McCreary to take over for the series music.
The title card for the series does feature a brief piece of the original score written by Brad Fiedel, but outside of that, Bear had to put his own talents to use.
He used the original score to inspire his work, which helped him to create a sound that was both unique to the series, but still similar in tone to the original.
LENA HEADEY SPOILED THE SURPRISE
Looking back at the marketing for TSCC, it's pretty obvious that Cameron, who was played by Summer Glau, was a Terminator.
There are images of her with just a torso and the familiar red eye. However, initially this was kept quiet.
The plan was to reveal Cameron as a Terminator in the pilot episode, which would be a surprise to viewers, but Lena Headey accidentally spoiled this.
In an interview where she was promoting 300, Headey accidentally leaked the fact that Glau was playing a Terminator.
Once the cat was out of the bag, the surprise was spoiled and everyone who tuned in to watch the pilot episode already knew the big reveal.
GAME OF THRONES' LENA HEADEY AND EMILIA CLARKE PLAYED SARAH CONNOR
A series of interesting coincidences have tied together both Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Terminator: Genisys with Game of Thrones.
Game of Thrones has become extremely popular in recent years, obtaining a huge fan following.
However, many fans may not know that GOT has more in common with Terminator than many thought.
The tie-in comes from the simple fact that Lena Headey, who played Sarah Connor on TSCC stars as Cersei Lanister on GOT.
However, one of Cersei's main rivals in the show is Daenerys Targaryen, who is played by Emilia Clarke. Clarke portrayed Sarah Connor in the movie Terminator: Genisys.
It's a simple connection that really ties it all together, seeing as both women took on the same role but are also bitter rivals on GOT.
CASTING LENA HEADEY WAS CRITICIZED
TSCC takes place after the events of T2. As you may recall, Linda Hamilton is extremely buff in the movie. She took Sarah Connor, who was a meek waitress, and turned her into a fierce warrior.
Because of this, Lena Headey's casting in the role was heavily criticized. Many fans argued that Headey was too small and emaciated to take on the role.
However, Headey was an avid boxer at the time, and while she was certainly thin, she had the athletic build that she retains to this day.
As she easily proved in the first episode of the series, she was more than capable of portraying a buff and athletic Sarah Connor.
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Can you think of any other interesting things about Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles? Let us know in the comments!