One of my absolute favorite science fiction TV series of the past 10 years. This 2008-2009 two-season series was set in contemporary times and fit into the continuity of the Terminator feature films. It features Lena Headey taking over the role of Sarah Connor from Linda Hamilton. She and her teenaged son John Connor (played by Thomas Dekker), the future leader of the rebellion when the machines take over (as established in multiple films) are on the run, worried that they are still being pursued by killer robots from the future, as well as conventional law enforcement forces for crimes they’ve been accused of). This series had a terrific supporting cast, with Summer Glau (from Firefly) as a female-shaped cyborg sent to protect John, Brian Austin Greene as a future freedom fighter sent back in time to assist them, Richard T. Jones as FBI Agent James Ellison, whose encounters with Sarah and John change his world views, and a chilling Garret Dillahunt as Cromartie, the latest generation of terminator sent back to pursue the Connors, which appears to lose its memory. The production values and special effects (particularly gunfire and explosions) were of feature-film quality on a weekly schedule. The performances, particularly Heady, Jones and Dillahunt, were unforgettable. There were flash-forwards to the terminator-controlled future which seemed inevitable, no matter what actions the Connors took in their own “present” to try to avoid it. The series ended after only two seasons, with several storylines still unresolved — It and Fringe were both airing on the FOX television network, which decided it was only going to renew one of the two shows, and Fringe got the pick-up. I highly recommend this series to any scifi fans, particularly if you love the Terminator movies!

Originally reviewed for my local library's website in October 2013: http://lincolnlibraries.org/bookguide/staff-recommendations/staff-recommendation... ( )