Fox Orders More Sarah Connor Despite Lukewarm Ratings
Tuesday October 21, 2008
Thomas Dekker and the cast of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
© Fox
Ordering "the back nine" signals the network's confidence in the show, even though ratings have lagged the network's major hits like House and Bones. For the week ending Oct. 12, Sarah Connor garnered 5.7 million viewers and 5.4 million the previous week, compared to 13.3 million for House (for the week ending Oct. 19) and 10.6 million for Bones (for the week ending Oct. 12).
Of special concern was the slight falloff in viewers from the second season premiere, which brought in 6.3 million viewers. This kind of drop in viewers often leads network execs to think hard about renewing a show, so the extension of Sarah Connor's second season was a bit of a surprise to industry observers.
Recent episodes, shifting the focus more towards John Connor's inner conflicts, have been solid in terms of writing, performance, and production values, so to me this seems like a good call. Thomas Dekker has proved himself capable of carrying the show, and the writers are giving him interesting material to work with. What's most surprising is the consequent underutilization of Brian Austin Green as Derek: even though he saved the show last season with his own personal adrenaline boost, so far this season he seems to be just loitering around the set, waiting for someone to write him a part.
This follows an earlier announcement that Fringe's back 9 had also been picked up. Fringe, riding a wave of buzz associated with its co-creator J.J. Abrams and generally positive reviews, has been a much larger hit: Fringe delivered 9.2 million viewers the week ending Oct. 19 and was the eleventh-ranked show among viewers 18-49.
"We're having a blast working on this show with this great team of producers and amazing cast," said Kevin Reilly, Fox Broadcasting's President for Entertainment, in announcing Fringe's extension. "The series has really taken off creatively, and it's exciting to see that the audience is responding. We believe this is the first full season of many years to come."
Comments
This show has become unwatchable… God only knows what happened in last night’s episode but I no longer care what happens. The logical holes in the plot and sheer problems with pace have killed the whole thing. Jim Cameron must be p!ssed.
well i admit i had some troubles with the first episodes of the first season but as a lifetime fan i stuck with it . this season is way better written , more depth . John conner is a human being afterall and has troubles with the high expectations . i also love watching john growing from a running teen to a kickass soldier and for the first time i can see him become the leader he is supposed to be . great news for me . the episode in that militry school from a couple of weeks ago was the best so far . and as a hater of 90210 (90s) i have to admit A. Green is awesome and i to hope his role will grow in the season . if only Jericho had been a fox series …. sigh
I really liked the first season of Terminator, despite its faults, but I have been distinctly unenthusiastic about Season 2 so far. A lame villain, cheap sets, and lack of Derek. Not to mention weird plot holes (i.e. ep 2: “let’s go kill a terminator with some shotguns”), I agree that Dekker is getting to be capable, and there have been thrilling moments, but I’d rather be watching something else (currently burning through Lost, which I just started).
btw, did anyone see the Shatner-Takei feud is getting bigger?
Actually, I am probably just annoyed by the shift from her voice on the credits to a man’s voice with dorky lines (”Sarah, John’s mother, mentor, protector,” or whatever).
But I imagine they are betting that the movie will create more of a market for the TV show.