Terminate This, Pal

Despite the Hollywood writers' strike, a few new shows continue to trickle onto the networks' schedules. These are mainly series for which the scripts were written last summer and fall. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which had been intended as a mid-season replacement all along, is one example.

If you're not familiar with it, the show is based on the Terminator series of movies, which starred the Governor of California. The TV series takes place between the second and third movies, though it apparently takes some liberties with the timelines already established by the films.

When I first heard last fall that this show was coming, I pretty much dismissed it as being worthless trash that wouldn't be worth watching. So imagine my surprise when I saw that USA Today gave Sarah three and a half stars out of four. And considering how picky TV critics can be, that sounds pretty good.

Chief among the cast is Summer Glau as a "good" terminator sent back in time to protect Sarah and her obnoxious teenage savior of mankind, John. If you remember a short lived science fiction series called Firefly, you may also recall that Glau played the psychotic psychic, River.

And while Joss Whedon is not associated with this new show, the writer does compare it to Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer because while it features intense action, it can also witty and funny at times.

Assuming I'm still sober enough after watching the Dallas Cowboys get their asses kicked by the Giants, I certainly plan to watch.

Part one of the premier airs tonight on Fox at 8 PM and concludes tomorrow night.