For many of our readers this was already a foregone conclusion, but this post is for everyone else. Though two data points on a Friday don’t necessarily make for a trend, we have more data points than that for Sarah Connor, and whenever it finishes its run, it’s done. Yes, I know Bill will write about this in the next Renew or Cancel update but I’m guessing Bill will boil it down to its essence, which is, whenever it finishes its run, it’s done. Enjoy it while it lasts! If you’re already in that space yourself, there’s no reason to read the rest of this.
But, if you’re one of those people who just won’t let go that easily, read on. The numbers are, as Bill would say, look away bad. I know some will hold on to hope until it’s just not on anywhere anymore. But I don’t believe in holding on like that, at least when it comes to TV shows with the kind of low Nielsen ratings we’re talking about for a scripted show on broadcast television. So, I plan to actually take my own advice and simply enjoy the show while it lasts.
We’ve seen this movie before, and we know how it ends. The remaining episodes will (hopefully) air, Fox will announce its fall schedule and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles won’t be on it, and between now and then, and even after there will be a lot of noise on the Internet.
1. Maybe The CW will pick the show up for a third season since its produced by Warner Bros, or maybe SciFi will pick it up since it’s a SciFi show, or maybe DirecTV will write a big check to bail the show out!
None of those things is very likely to happen. Not impossible, but not likely either. Ultimately it will come down to how much Warner Bros is willing to discount it, or said another way, how little it is willing to charge. Typically, other networks don’t want to pick up a show that had really, really bad ratings. If TSCC had 8 million viewers and a 2.0 in the demo, things would be different. It doesn’t (if it had those numbers on Friday, FOX would likely stick with it), but if it had those kind of numbers and was being cancelled, it might be more attractive to the likes of the CW. The CW might be reasonable to think in that case that it could perhaps do in the neighborhood of what it does with Supernatural. The problem is, the show is already doing in the neighborhood of Supernatural, and it’s not on the CW. So it would do worse on the CW. And even worse than that on SciFi.
Some have suggested that the show is very inexpensive to produce and so therefore someone else would give this a try. I’m not so sure. I’m not sure that the show is hugely expensive, but it’s more expensive to produce than a show like Supernatural on The CW or a show like Eureka on SciFi. One of the reasons it seems like the broadcast shows never wind up being saved by cable networks is cost. I can definitely believe the show was offered very inexpensively to FOX this year, and that was one of the reasons it was even on the air for a second season to begin with. But I do not believe the studio can afford to discount the show heavily enough for cable or the CW without everyone involved with the show taking big pay cuts.
Sometimes shows move from one broadcast network to the other for a variety of reasons (think Scrubs moving from NBC to ABC), but we’ve seen a lot of shows get cancelled from broadcast networks in the last 18 months and never have seen one of them wind up on cable or The CW.
So what about a DirecTV deal like it did with Friday Night Lights? In that particular case the studio and the network were all under the same umbrella (NBC Universal), and we don’t know yet if that deal really worked out. We won’t know for sure until we hear NBC’s plans for the show next season. Because TSCC isn’t produced by a FOX owned studio, it seems less likely that FOX would be interested in brokering that sort of deal. Of course, if DirecTV could write a big enough check so that Warner Bros was willing to give it to FOX for free, that’s a different story. I wouldn’t bet on that happening.
Judging from how many people watched Friday Night Lights on DirecTV, and how many people are watching it on NBC, I’ll be very surprised if that experiment continues. And if it doesn’t, that will likely mostly put the kibosh on such deals in the future. But even if NBC/DirecTV do go another year, because of the ratings for TSCC, such a deal for it seems very unlikely.
Also there’s this: TSCC doesn’t get the sort of critical acclaim Friday Night Lights gets.
2. It’s a big hit on the Internet!
Not big enough, and that won’t be a factor.
3. The movie Terminator: Salvation is coming out and Terminator sensation will sweep the nation creating a Terminator style frenzy and there will be HUGE INTEREST IN ALL THINGS TERMINATOR!
Sorry, but I always sort of thought it was the other way around. That the only reason Terminator: TSCC was back on the air this year was because Warner Bros discounted the show very heavily to FOX and committed to buying lots of commercial time for Terminator: Salvation on FOX. There is absolutely no data to suggest that how people feel about a two hour film correlates in any way to watching a television series that is only loosely based on the films. Dark Night: The Series and Wall-E: The Series would already be on the air if that was true.
4. Variations of: Nielsen is an antiquated system! FOX didn’t promote the show enough! FOX screwed the show over by scheduling it on Mondays! FOX screwed the show over by scheduling it on Fridays! Pleeeeeeaaaaaaassssssse FOX, don’t cancel Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, it’s the only show I watch on FOX! If FOX cancels the show I’ll never watch FOX again!
All of that is just blah, blah, blah freaking blah. Seriously. Saying those things might make some people feel better, but none of those things will actually do anything to save the show. The most likely thing to save the show somehow so that it at least winds up on the air somewhere is if you and a few million of your friends go out and buy the DVDs. But sadly, that’s not going to happen either. Please note that both Jericho and Moonlight before it, shows that actually had a lot more viewers than TSCC (TSCC now has numbers lower than Swingtown, also cancelled) a.) did not sell a ton of DVDs and b.) more people are watching the shows that CBS is airing now than watched those shows.
Does all of this suck for fans of the show? Absolutely. But TV is a business, and shows that pull numbers like TSCC has pulled (even when it was on Mondays) aren’t good business. Is it possible Warner Bros will discount the show so steeply for a third season the likes of SciFi or the CW would be interested? It is possible, but that doesn’t seem like good business for Warner Brothers, so it too seems unlikely.
I know that it sucks for the fans of the show, and I’m not trying to tweak anyone, but sadly, the numbers for the show are really bad. So long, see you, bye, style bad. Smaller networks like The CW and SciFi just don’t pick up shows that have abysmal Nielsen ratings on broadcast television. But that won’t stop all the speculation.
I would watch Dark Knight: The Series. Wall.E: The Series, too.
I smell lots of comments coming for this post. Mine being the first (or by the time I hit the submit button, probably second) I should probably say something relevant. But I can’t think of anything other than:
Save your crazy SAVE OUR SHOW stuff, people, it ain’t happening. Sometimes you just have to realize that a show has no chance at survival, this is one of those times.
But i’m sure i’m about to see 300 THIS IS HOW THE SHOW WILL BE SAVED comments, so carry on.
I’m not sure people understand but last year shows that should have died lived, like Friday Night Lights.But such deals and bringing back of say pushing daisies or Dirty Sexy Money were because the networks had less pilots due to the writers strike: and i guess not many ‘good’ pilots so networks put more effort into saving shows than cancelling. So such deals now I doubt will not happen, networks will want to build a more solid schedule for the 2009-2010 season. Shows like TSCC had flopped like this last might have been revived but not this year: especially since networks have less money.
i’m not sure even the fans WANT this show to be saved its been gradually sinking in quality season 2 is a joke compared to season 1 the pacing is extremely slow, too many pointless side plots / filler episode / hardly any action , they’re keeping fan hated characters (Jesse, Riley) etc.
The thing is, even if the show is saved or moved to another network for another season they always continue to tank in ratings and get cancelled again. Roswell and recently, Jericho where saved by write in champaigns only to see the shows tank even worst the next season its brought back.
Cagney & Lacey was canceled and then brought back and kept around for another 5 seasons. However, that show was lucky to have Sharon Gless. I don’t think Terminator would have such luck if it were brought out of cancelation!
TSCC was given alot more chances than any other (SF) TV show in decades. Most of them were better then TSCC (even thou TSCC is a great show, that is, if we don’t count the last few episodes that were crap). And it failed in EVERY possible way. I don’t even know why are we still talking about this.
I won’t fangirl over TSCC and say how much it meant to me here (I’ll save that for a future post) but you’re right Robert; this really does suck. I don’t have much else to say.
… Except that I wish it would somehow be given one more season so it could go back to its roots and wrap the series up.
I will watch TSCC to the end but wont be sad to see it go.
CW wont save it for the same reason CW didnt save Jericho or Moonlight or any of a dozen other shows cancelled in the last 2 years. CW just doesnt have the money. CW locally is so bad that early morning programming has cheesy infomercials, Girls Gone Wild for hours on end and some wacko cult show called Nation of Yahweh – those crackpots are famous for killing over a dozen white people in the 80s and cutting off body parts to prove their loyalty to the leader.
And it wont get the Friday Night Lights treatment either as that hasnt been successful as they hoped and has under 4 million viewers.
Seidman got it 100% in regards to the future of TSCC. Dollhouse will die too after its run is done.
Actually I don’t think that’s the reason to why the CW wouldn’t pick up TSCC or didn’t pick up Jericho and Moonlight. I mean sure, it’s true that the CW doesn’t have a lot of money, at least not as much as the other 4 broadcasting networks. But I think the reason to why the CW wouldn’t pick TSCC up, is the same reason it had when it didn’t pick The O.C. up or when UPN didn’t pick up Firefly. The CW wants to form its own brand so they won’t become a new UPN (used-parts-network).
Josh is going to kill Cameron in the finale there is not doubt in my mind. Its only fitting. Her so called fans, spit the fanbase and threw off any new fans when trying to understand this show. Every message board would have so called fans trashing a episode NOT on its merits, Not on how it portrayed Terminator in a TV episode, but on how much Jameron it had in it.
Chances are low for the show to come back. However Warner IS interested in selling it to another vendor vs. hearing they’re being canned and saying “oh well,” like they do 99% of the time.
First they have to figure out if they can continue to shop the show for the same price they shopped it to FOX for. If they can, then most definitely SCI FI would be interested, because it’s cheap. I don’t know if they can do that, because I doubt DODGE for instance would pony up the same cash for SCI FI, or even pony up cash at all for a season 3.
The CW may be a possibility. Warner isn’t happy with the CW right now, and they’re not happy with the CW “Brand,” at all. So they could force it on Dawn, and right now Dawn is bowing to the wishes of Warner. She kicked PRIVILEGED and moved up REAPER at their request. She even agreed to promote the return of REAPER heavily (for a show against the Brand that is, I’m sure SUPERNATURAL wishes it got the same promotion for its shows).
It all comes down to how badly Warner wants to keep the show around. If they want it around they can do it, they own enough cable stations (TBS, TNT).
DirecTV is not going to happen. It’s not even on the table.
@ Jesse
‘Save our Show’ campaigns have worked before, but you’re right that it won’t work here. The ratings are just too bad, and only about 1 in 100 shows with “save our show” campaigns are actually saved, and even less stick around for very long afterwards.
The only time I can actually remember it working was after Family Guy season 2. The fans convinced Fox to bring it back for season 3, after which it was officially cancelled…until they picked it back up again in 2006, due to DVD sales and successful re-runs on adult swim. But Family Guy had better ratings, even relative to what Fox was doing then.
Terminator is dead, but I said goodbye already, because nothing was freaking happening!
Anyway my condolences to fans, and I hope this doesn’t happen to any shows I care about.
aa-
I agree. I enjoyed SCC very much during the first season, but the show is just so boring now and it’s been getting more & more boring every week since September.
oh and @ Average Joe, where do you live? Wacko Cult show? Dang.
i’ve been terrified of this ever since the season premier pulled on 6.3 million. i hope that they give the producers enough time to wrap up the entire show, instead of just leaving us to guess.
i feel so bad for summer glau. she’s been through this before, and i can only imagine how bad it’s gotta suck.
Just posted on the Sarah Connor Society message board. Tried telling them that there’s no hope, but I doubt they’ll listen. I just look forward to all the responses about letter writing campaigns, etc.
This article is nothing but speculation. The title should be changed.
James i think rob and bill know what they are talking about and with the numbers terminator is getting i dont think any network how big or how small wont take on this series because its not a ratings hit.Sure it had a surprise here and there in an episode but still you need to make some noise to get noticed.Terminator didnt do that.
I know how we can save TSCC!! We simply need to create an army of cyborgs, send them back in time, and have them all watch the show to increase the ratings!! Foolproof!
Thank god.
Summer deserves more anyway, she’s too good for this show. It’s sad that I see more of Summer Glau on the Fox promos than on the actual show.
I lost respect for this website after reading this article. You guys are just preying on the emotions of the fans of this show, because you know how emotional and dedicated they are. You don’t even have any official information. Just your opinion. Nice one.
I love the show, but after how close the show was at getting dropped mid-season, I don’t really think anyone involved expected the series to continue beyond the final episode this season. Hopefully the writers can finish the story that they wanted to tell within the remaining episodes. If it gets picked up that’s great and I will continue watching.
When the series started it was promoted that the series would have a Link/tie-in to the Salvation movie, so I figured the series would be in the books before the movie ever came out anyways… just wondering what the tie-in is exactly or if it is something we need to see the 4th movie to understand. A Summer Glau cameo in Salvation during some point would be nice [on the eyes too], perhaps in the movie as “Allison from Palmdale,” the girl that the Summer Glau Terminator was modeled after (from episode 4, season 2) / or perhaps a scene with John Connor reprogramming the Summer Glau Terminator before he sends her back in time.
I’m interested in seeing if the SCC timeline comes into play in Salvation, we already know that SCC follows an alter timeline from the events of Terminator 3, but will Salvation pick up where T3 left off, or will it pick up from the altered event timeline or will this alter timeline come into play… perhaps the only ‘Salvation’ for SCC fans is the potential for the series to live on in spirit through good storytelling in the films.
I will be cry… :’(
I enjoyed Season 1 but Season 2 has been a big disappointment. They have taken it in a whole different direction and it has been a failure. They are trying to bring it back around, but I think it is to0 slow and too late for FOX and the fans to make a difference.
On a separate note, you have to be a moron to think the Nielsen are not outdated when measuring young viewers. If Family Guy was really pulling in such poor numbers before it was canceled, there is no way it would have become one the best selling TV Series on DVD.
gorgon, actually FOX has told Warner that they won’t be picking it back up. So it is kind of official.
I went to New York Comic Con a couple weeks ago and went to the Terminator Salvation panel. Theysaid the only thing from T3 they’re keeping is the date for Judgment Day. Someone also directly asked if they were going to involve TSCC in any way, and what I remember the guy (director or producer or something of T4) saying was they wanted to keep the two seperate parts of the franchise. That might sound negative, but be didn’t say it in a “Cuz it sucks LOL!” way, but more wanting to let the two aspects live on in their own ways.
However… Summer Glau in T4? Doesn’t look like it. But Summer in T5+? It’s possible. The guy who was leading the panel (the producer or director or something) said they REALLY wanted to listen to the fans and what they wanted, so I could see, if enough fans requested it, that being a strong possibility. Even though they’re not planning on tying the show into the movies, so? Summer could just be there anyway just because she’s cool like that. They could still use her as Cameron (and show her origins so people wouldn’t need to know the show) or as someone cleverly suggested, Allison from Palmdale. If anyone wants to start a
campaign for that, sign me up!
we did have something official enough Gorgon, the ratings info. While I have no reason not to trust Nick’s sources, in this case the numbers were quite enough. I understand that there are fans who won’t let go until the bitter end, and you won’t be alone in that. But rather than prey on your emotions, I was trying to help you adjust them to reality. Yes, as is often the case the reality bites, but that makes it no less real.
I love this show, but I have expected it to be cancelled since the beginning of Season 2. The show wasted its opportunity to start with a bang by going with a weak pilot when it had a post-football audience of 20 million for the first episode. Half the audience checked out right away and never returned. In my opinion that first episode is still the weakest one they have aired. The show would have been cancelled last year if not for the writers strike.
Having said that, I have enjoyed the show ever since and will miss it. But the lesson here is that this kind of long-term serialized show really doesn’t work well on broadcast TV anymore. All of these shows lose significant viewership over time. It’s not that these shows will never work, but that the 22-episode fall to spring “season” is not the right model for this type of show. If American studios can move toward 10-13 episode seasons that are more or less self contained (like on the BBC) so that viewers know that they will see the current story arc completed, they will be more successful in keeping up viewership. Then, shows which have a good short run, can be rewarded by another short run.
People say SCC season one was better, but it was only nine episodes long. If season two had been a short, sharp 9 or 10 episodes as well, I think the storytelling would have been tighter, it would have stayed on point and hopefully ended with a bang again. Hopefully one positive result of the inevitable death of broadcast network TV will be more, better Sci Fi shows available for download or whatever, with shorter, tighter “seasons” featuring better, more coherent storytelling.
Of course Warners could pull a “Til Death,” and offer the show to FOX for practically free and turn a canceled show into a renewed show.
FOX will do anything if it’s cheap enough. Same with SCI FI.
Nobody wants to watch a show about a mother nagging her son to be careful. The problem with this show is in the writing. They need to re-read Jim Cameron’s scripts for Terminator and T2 which are not only action-packed and intelligent, but also funny, with a great love story as the spine. “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” is nearly humorless. The shame is that it has a great ensemble of actors; they’re all top-notch. The show is technically well-executed. But the writing lacks vision. That “funeral” episode was irredeemably boring.
Yeah, I love the people who are acting like the Terminator films are works of art and it’s complete blasphemy to try a different approach in a TV series. I think one episode of this series had as much character devolopment as the first three films. I’m excited for Terminator Salvation because maybe we can do something other than the entire movie being a terminator chasing somebody. I like the films, but people need to stop acting like they’re the Mona Lisa of cinema.
This just in….Nielson Ratings were recently bought by SKYNET – Soooo they won
I hope FOX runs the next 7 episodes – they already committed to this Friday leaving 6 more episodes — if not, i hope their included on the DVD…but regardless – it will probably be open ended to the point where it won’t even connect to the movie…but then again in T-1 Sarah drove off into the sunset – and it was open ended – there is only one thing a blame FOX for (their pushing for Terminator of the week)…Season 1 was really good – sooo anyways here’s to 7 more weeks and then the movie…but FOX did promote well soo kuddos for that-
and P.S. –I’m thankful for Jack Bauer – at least MONDAY NIGHTS rock again!
RG, At current ratings levels, I’d still expect to see TSCC finish all its episodes this season.
Thanks Bill…for the assurance!
How sad. Pushing Daisies is gone, Life and Life On Mars are likely doomed. And,of course, SCC, the Darkest Show on Television, is next.
But Biggest Loser, American Idol, and The Bachelor roll on and on. The masses are asses.
i think joss whedon will get summer glau into the dollhouse. she said that would be happy to join the show for some episodes and joss was agree with her. and then she’s perfect for that role. she moves from a cyborg to a doll. LOl!
T:TSCC lost its footing and never got back up. (Where is the Life Alert when you really need it?) The stories never were that good to begin with and there’s only a few gems in the whole lot. The most promising aspects that series had going for it turned out to be as disingenuous as Josh Friedman’s “War of the Worlds.”
I’ve come to the conclusion Friedman may know a good thing when he sees it. He may even have a few good ideas, but when it comes to making a touchdown, he’d somehow manage to fumble even if he caught the ball in the end zone.
The original T:TSCC cast are all phenomenal actors and they deserved better, from the creators of this show. They’ve done an amazing job, considering the crap they’ve had to work with.
It’s pointless to go into all the things that ruined this series for me, since most of the people who are still around embrace it for the very same reasons.
Unfortunately the louder than loud minority is clueless and can’t understand why T:TSCC has failed, but who really cares? I don’t.
T:TSCC is a perfect example of what not to do when handed perfection.
A statement from Fox is official.
The show may not get a third season, but putting a title like that for this post is at the very least not true. Not true yet, anyway. Have some journalistic integrity.
I feel this is an excellent show and hopefully SCI FI or CW will pick it up….all our friends and co workers love it. Good luck
Gorgon, journalistic integrity on a blog that is 98% made up of prognosticating based on numbers results in posts like these. But you’re under the mistaken impression that we’re trying to be journalists, or for that matter paid to be journalists, or for that matter paid at all!
You don’t have a realistic view of how the numbers work, or how blogs work. have some personal integrity and don’t read our blog anymore if you don’t like it!
All that had to be done to the title was have “not likely” to be back next fall and everything you posted would have been great prognosticating. And Nick C (we don’t know who he is) should have a better link to his source than his word.
I do like how I elicited a defensive post from you though
I’ve been year since October last year and Nick C has proven himself to be quite reliable.
I dunno Rachel, his sources told him that ABC would keep one, perhaps two out of Eli Stone, Dirty Sexy Money and Pushing Daisies
Gorgon, Seidman and others are just being realistic. TSCC is dead, all that needs to be done is put the toe tag on the corpse and slide it into the drawer at the morgue. When FOX exiled it to Friday Nights that was its way of saying “Its dead, Jim” (as Dr. McCoy on Star Trek would say).
I high hopes of TSCC, while its ok, its not great and suffered from too many terminators and too much time travel. Nobody is going to ride to its rescue. The failure of experiments like Jericho and Friday Night Lights to generate larger fan bases pretty much doom any fan efforts to save their shows. With a SAG strike on the way, its probably going to be a boring fall season filled with games shows and unscripted junk.
Oh well, LOST and Fringe are still doing well (especially in the key demos).
This show is set to have a panel at WonderCon on Sunday. That’s sad
Dark Knight: The Series? Well, there’s Batman: The Brave and the Badly Drawn.
Robert, tis true I hadn’t heard of the cancellation of ELI STONE yet. I knew it was on a bursting bubble, but I hadn’t heard confirmation that it was “official,” but I did on DSM and PD. Likely they hadn’t informed the ELI STONE people when I got the information, then an hour or so later, that too became official.
When they first started talking about ELI STONE sticking around the ratings on that show hadn’t bombed yet. I think the week they started talking about keeping it was the week the ratings took a nose dive from their previous “is that acceptable?” number.
Josh Friedman only has himself and the direction he decided to take this season for it to be canceled. i hope if it is picked up by another network he would be replaced. Sucks cause it had potential. I know after last weeks show im done . ill catch it on dvd that way i can foward through all the boring parts. which im sure will be the majority of teh seven episodes left.
T:SCC S2 started off strong until the three dots storyline. The mid season cliffhanger with Sarah going to that small town ufo convention and seeing a mini hunter killer was weak. Overall i think this season has had many missteps, for some reason the writers have lost focus and included too many subplots. You have these interesting characters like Catherine Weaver and John Henry and you focus on John’s cheesy romance with riley spending way too much time on her to finally reveal she is from the future. That plotline could have been told in three episodes and been more sinister. Then Derrick is missing most of the time, Cameron is an ornament in the background. What happened?
“But Biggest Loser, American Idol, and The Bachelor roll on and on. The masses are asses.”
You forgot ‘Survivor.’
Season 1 of Terminator was absolutely gripping, but season 2 has been more uneven. There have been some really good episodes, but there have been too many off nights. The last two were pretty bad. I ended up fast forwarding through most of the funeral episode. The bad thing is that they could not afford to have weak episodes at this time.
We could get into a long list of things that need to be done to improve the show. I’m not sure what the correct answer is, but I would say the writers need to sit down and start over from scratch. I wish they would come up with some sort of arc for the show. Maybe have Judgment day at the end of next season and have a season in the post nuclear world. It would be expensive, so I doubt that would happen, but it would be awesome!
Awww Thats sad, I really like this show. I hope there a good endding though…Im not gonna fight for this show because Im still campaigning for October Road(and campaigning takes soooo much hard work and deditcation) But I will Def continue to watch the rest of the season.
At first I thought this was the most useless topic ever with a “No shit”, until you started making fun of the fanboys, and fangirl’s, crazy ass “logic” about how the show might live on.
It’s done, and from what I have seen of the first episodes of the season it deserves to go.
Well, Josh just posted on the official blog that he was WARNED by the studio execs NOT to do so much exploration of Sarah Connor’s psychology.
These are the results.
The essence of the Terminator franchise is the exploration of the possible relationships between man and AI. While TSCC did pretty well with that by introducing Cameron, the show has been mostly a “family drama” about Sarah and John and their relationship with each other and others.
And that just didn’t cut it with hardcore science fiction fans.
They could have had a very sophisticated, push the envelope relationship between John and Cameron that would NOT have been a simple “shipper” concept or the equally “been there, done that” concept of Cameron just being another dumb Terminator reprogrammed to protect John. Cameron’s nature could have been revealed as a fully independent AI just like Skynet, no longer under anyone’s control, with her own motivations and goals.
Face it, Summer Glau was fifty percent of the show, whether the haters like it or not. Lena and Tom were the other fifty percent. There was a reason for casting such a popular actress in that particular part – everybody knew immediately that it meant there would be a relationship between the kid and the machine – then Josh threw it all away for the reason that he wanted to explore Sarah Connor too much.
Cameron was reducing to doing the Connors laundry and comic relief.
A major opportunity was lost here.
As Travolta said at the beginning of “Swordfish”, there was a total lack of realism and they didn’t push the envelope.
I love TSCC. But it deserves this, it really does. The numbers are bad because the show has had some truly bad episodes (especially the last 3). And once people quit on a show like this, they’re not coming back. I know, because I did it to Lost, and to Heroes, and I would probably do it to TSCC too if a) I knew it didn’t have long left and b) Summer Glau wasn’t so insanely hot.
Fox promoted the heck out of the show. I remember last superbowl how much of a plug it got. I watched the first season and just lost interest. If you want a SCI FI show that surprises you every episode pick up one of the Stargates or BSG on SCI FI. Eureka is also an entertaining show.
I’ve been saying for awhile that the first season showed mad potential. I didn’t think it was GREAT, but it could have been the start of something good. Unfortunately, it’s gotten SO. FREAKING. BORING!! Seriously, nothing happens. I feel like the episodes are treading water. Nothin is moving forward. If I were FOX, I’d cancel it just due to the fact that these episodes are a slap in their face. It’s like they are just coasting to collect a pay check; except for the word “coasting” would incinuate a forward movement, and this show sure isn’t doing that! I’ll watch the last few eps, but then I’ll be fine with it fading away (even though it’s felt like it left since October).
It’s sad. This really is a terrific show, and I’ll miss it. What you say is true, I think. Fox may be to blame for moving it to Friday nights, but whether they are to blame or not, the show is still failing.
The plot of season 2 has been terrible, but… pardon me if I missed it but your article doesn’t say what the ratings were, does it? Or how those ratings met or did not meet the lower-expectations that Fox was anticipating by moving it to Friday?
Since the Fox guy said they were giving low-ratings shows a chance by putting them on Fridays, the ratings would have to be especially bad to be worse than the lowered expectations that Fox had already set.
Fuck you, this is the first thing I’ve read on this website, and will be the last.
Wow, Ryan. What’s with the rage?
Ryan the writing and the ratings show that terminator is going to get terminated.The people who run this site defenly have insiders and ways of getting there info.So i would trust them.Also clean up your act before you reply again on here.
This is madness!
This…
Is…
…TVBYTHENUMBERS!
I began to think that maybe TTSCC could produce new episodes to be aired in first-run syndication, just as how Baywatch became a first-run syndicated TV series after it was canceled by NBC. Admittedly, however, the idea (while not unheard of) is obviously just wishful thinking.
Show got boring. Too much talking and not enough shit blowing up. Hey I liked it, even some of the more talky episodes.
Michael, that’s an interesting though. The big difference with how Baywatch was successful and TSCC would not be is that Baywatch were mostly stand-alone eps. TSCC dont have any, yet the eps lately haven’t moved forward either. It’s almost like the story is crab walking (aka moving to the side, not in a forward story).
What a sad state of affairs for those of us that really yearn for GOOD SCIFI stories on tv for us to watch, with the vast possibilities this show had and to only bomb because the stories that might have been explored are endless yet the show lacked any imagination and became boring. I understand the franchise for the show was mostly high energy fighting and action scenes but so much more could have been looked at if the writers could have developed the passion to make it happen. I am not trying to blame anyone, but this story was very successful as a movie franchise and should have been on tv. I suspect they spent more energy advertising the movies than what every episode of the series cost. Another problem is, the fan base as often as not watched the show somewhere other than where rating was counted. Today we have large numbers of folks that refuse to even subscribe to a cable outlet and choose to view from the web so they are not (so to speak) paying customers that advertisers felt any benefit from their viewing. Folks this is all about advertising and NOT about programs. The networks would put a little ole lady on the air netting in a rocking chair if 10 million folks would watch, they just are not in the business to promote shows but to draw a crowd and sell ads. Wrestling proves my point, kinda stupid but it draws a crowd and sells ads.
A better writing and meaningful plot could have saved the franchise and the series but it just did not happen?
If you can stand the blaring commercials or mute them then what’s left is a bunch of sitting around “chatting” on the screen for an hour. We don’t need another night-time soap opera. If they don’t want the show to be in the dirt then don’t bore everyone. Get a clue fox ‘execs’.
the terminator series started out really good. the problem is they strayed from an easy formula. all we wanted to see was time traveling robots chasing people. now the story line is too complicated to follow. the series created too many questions and inconsistencies. it’s a bummer, the terminator is my favorite sci-fi franchise. they really botched it.
Dear TTSCC writers how did you mess this up? A show about killer future robots plus one of those robots just happens to be smokin hot . oh i know include 3 minutes of said terminators in each episode if your lucky instead make it all about johns crazy mom and his ugly GF . All that being said i will watch till the end in hopes they can redeem them selves. Hopefully FOX puts summer glau in a show that has a future she is great.
Even I, crazy obsessed fan with less taste than a peanut, welcome the canceling of this awful series. Put it out of its misery already.
It freakin sucks i love this show hopfully antoher network will pick it up
Nkinsey, I see what you mean. While a show like Baywatch had the old-fashioned approach of consisting primarily of stand-alone episodes, it is a different story for TTSCC. In fact, I have noticed that just about every episode of TTSCC has opened with the words, “Previously on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles…”
If it were a soap opera or perhaps a medical drama, that would be understandable. However, such a format doesn’t work for a lot of shows. What works for one show doesn’t work for another. Obviously, TTSCC would be more effective if the majority of episodes were stand-alone episodes. The soap opera approach is obviously not very beneficial for a sci-fi/action series like TTSCC. I suspect that it’s one of the reasons why the program’s audience share is sliding.
WTF is the ratings?!? The last time I checked, TSCC had 5.4 million viewers on Mondays. Yeah, the 3 Friday episodes were awfully boring. They need more action…like have gang type wars between the Connor clan and the terminators with hired mercenaries. I think they made the mistake of trying to settle in one town, instead of constantly being on the run. I hope they don’t get cancelled! They really need a bang-up last 6 episodes of the season.
How is it that “Mad Men” on AMC with 1.7 million viewers better than TSCC?
How about USA Networks picking-up TSCC? They have some really good shows and Monk’s last season is this summer?
Hey nickC, better check your “sources” before you post again.
Reason ’til death’ was saved wasn’t because it got offered freely it was because Sony set up some sort of deal with WB – FACT
Preston B, head of Fox programming strategy, said that they won’t be making any decisions regarding T:SCC had its last nine, they’re not about to pull another firefly – FACT
Which brings me to the last thing. The show’s material is one thing but when you see websites, such as this, talking as if the decision has already been made you are turning away potential viewers. You may not realize it, and you’ll probably deny it, but this article and these comments aren’t helping the numbers either especially when you just speculate, speculate, and speculate.
I’ll watch T:SCC till the end and if this really is its last hoorah then so be it. But until an official announcement is made all I see here is pessimists trying to sound like realists. Check your facts next time, that’s what realists do.
“The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche
Nick85. Hmmmm, let’s see, which had more impact on TSCC’s ratings: a.)TVbytheNumbers saying its numbers weren’t any good and would not be renewed or b.) FOX thinking the exact same thing and moving the show to Fridays?
Realistically, we’ve known since November TSCC had no hope for next year. That’s definitely NOT the same as “officially absolutely knew for sure!”, but the lack of official announcement says nothing about how realistic of a view it is.
I’m pretty sure Nick C understand completely that the only reason FOX kept ‘Til Death was that it was offered to them for almost nothing.
Nick85, please feel free to educate us all. How did WB have anything to do with TIL DEATH? It’s a SONY TV show and it airs on FOX. What did Warners have to do with it? I’m pretty sure SONY and FOX reached a deal because they offered it CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP. My source on that couldn’t be any closer to the deal, so I’m sure it’s more accurate than anything between “Sony and WB.”
And THIS is why I often HATE the Internet . . . because people have become brainwashed into believing that what they see in print on the Internet is actually factual. F————————————–!
How could any lame brain compare the viewership numbers of Swingtown with The Sarah Conner Chronicles? Swingtown was a SUMMER SHOW, when most smart people are out enjoying the sunshine and warm weather. Oh, but if I put it in print, no one will bother to check the comparison with Jericho and Moonlight, which along with the Sarah Connors Chronicles, were broadcast as part of the regular schedule. Get a clue, Robert and stop passing off fiction as fact, because every once in a while a guy like me who actually cares about the FACTS, is going to call you on it.
xerxes, TSCC is LOWER than SWINGTOWN and you just said most smart people aren’t watching in the summer. So that kind of says just how low TSCC is doesn’t it?
How is that not relevant? It is lower than a canceled program that was airing in your idea a bad time of the year. That has to be relevant because as you said TSCC isn’t airing in that time of year. Thus it being worse in ratings than SWINGTOWN is even worse.
Did you think your attack on Robert out? It doesn’t look like it.
Nick,
My comment was posted as a protest to the tone and context of the statement, “TSCC now has numbers lower than Swingtown, also cancelled”, as if a comparison between these two shows is even possible. The suggestion is that Swingtown is somehow the barometer of shows that survive despite low viewership numbers. That’s false, unless TSCC was just a summer show. Low Swingtown viewership numbers, well geez, you think? Aired in summer, and against the Summer Olympics, no less? It’s viewership numbers had everything to do with the fact that it was never allowed to find an audience on the regular schedule, and was booked for the wrong network in the first place — the network I so affectionately refer to as the “Crime” Broadcasting System. The show was never given a chance like TSCC, or Jericho, or Moonlight for that matter. Yeah, I was and am a fan of the show, and I just refuse let these types of apples and oranges comparisons to be made by individuals who are supposed to be plugged into the industry, because the comparison is blatantly false and they know better.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Damn it I love this show, whyyyyy
xerxes did you seriously just say that TSCC and Jericho weren’t given a chance? Really?
Sadly, this show is/was a pile of boring drawn-out dialog. No suspense, no effects to speak of, no plot really, the show just drifts along. Has been that way for months. No wonder it’s cancelled. Who’s the idiot producer.
Ok cancellings shows I like isnt what annoys me. Like you said its a business that happens and I understand that. What does annoy me however is cancelling shows someone invested 1+ years of their life to watching everyday only to get left hanging. (dark angel, bionic woman remake, and now most likely tscc and knight rider come to mind). If youre gonna cancel a show ok fine withhe me but at LEAST give the developers/writters one or 2 more episodes to throw some kinda ending toegther to resolves the whole thing and wraps it all up, so you (the viewers) dont feel like they just read half of a book, only to find the other half of the pages missing, and no copies of that book availible anywhere else, thus never being able to finish the book you invested your time into.
I hope it won’t be cancelled. But, I guess if the viewing numbers are low it kind of seals its fate.
I notice the vocal majority harping on about it being ‘boring’. I disagree, I think it’s a slow burner that ’soulfully’ explores its characters. I think the worst thing that could happen to this show would be to have lots of ‘big bangs and gratuitous cleavage’ weekly. But I can see why it has lost the interest of a certain type that watch this. The action pace has slowed down considerably to the point that its main demographic who want to see fireworks, hot girls… and literal, uncomplicated story writing that doesn’t require more than an hours concentration, have been alienated. I guess the writers, in trying to make this show more than a cheap, salacious and superficial concept rip off have lost their main audience.
Some people forget (or don’t realise) that James Cameron’s Terminator wasn’t just special effects and explosions. It was atmospheric, cleverly written, had action; it was about the characters and their development, and the thing that everyone seems to miss, it was a love story. It wasn’t just about the robots and the end of the world, they were merely plot devices. Terminators 1 and 2 were masterpieces in bringing all these elements together, and keeping the pace just about right.
I guess it wouldn’t hurt the SCC to use a few more ‘bangs’ and pick up the story telling pace just a little, to balance it out some more. The heart is there, the writing is there, the action is there, the character development is there, it just needs some more finesse to bring it all together now – and hopefully before it’s too late.
It’s really one of the best shows ever. The plot is grear, even the sideplots. I would definitely buy a DVD and watch season 3.
It is a shame if it is cancelled, though I am hopeful. The season finale was obviously left open 4 a continuation, but seemed much more like a close 2 me. I must state that I do believe the movie could help. I just let a friend borrow season 1 and he watched it all at once, calling me immediately after asking 4 season 2 lol. He had never even heard of the show, doesnt watch network TV, only satellite. I can hope, I mean, the Clone Wars sparked a CN series that recorded its highest # of viewers 4 CN in its existence(From what I read on the internet).Yet Star Wars has become a bit of a religion 2 many. Oh, and since the Dark Knight movie, CN also did start a new Batman animated cartoon, so movies can have a bit of inspiration 2 ur TV programs. Those of us faithful can only hope. Unfortunately most of the people who watch network TV r senior citizens, or might as well b. Aside from this show, watching network TV is like watching Lifetime.
I mean, WHO watches Dancing with the Stars?? or the Bachelor?? or American Idol?? People with either no lives, or no imagination. This is exactly why I only watch sports and movies. TSCC was the only show I have watched on network TV since cable was introduced.
Meh… I dont know what to think. I love the show… and the ratings are terrible. But so are ratings for The Simpsons, Family Guy, Cops, and many other FOX staples. I cant see them canceling the show just because of poor ratings. I think a move to a different night and some pumped up action would do wonders for the show. Like package TSCC w/ 24 and have your cant miss heart thumping Sunday.
Plus, they may have wrapped up a few loose ends w/ the finale, but they also opened up many more. I think FOX is going to take a “wait and see approach” for this series. If the movie is a huge hit, bet on the series coming back for a 3rd installment.
But so are ratings for The Simpsons, Family Guy, Cops, and many other FOX staples.
Um, no? The Simpsons and Family Guy both perform VERY WELL in the demo. Cops costs pennies compared to TSCC and still manages to pull better numbers, and on Saturday when even less people are watching broadcast TV than Friday.