by Joseph McCabe

When news first broke of a Terminator television spin-off, longtime fans of the sci-fi film franchise were pretty skeptical. How, they asked, could anyone hope to pull off the kind of high-octane thrills that defined the Terminator movies with a drastically reduced budget on a weekly basis? But skeptical or not, those fans tuned in when Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles debuted on Fox earlier this year, making its pilot a ratings blockbuster. Since then, viewership has leveled off a bit, fueling speculation that the cost-prohibitive show is on the bubble. Nevertheless, T:TSCC producers Josh Friedman and John Wirth showed up at Wondercon last weekend?to speak with FEARnet about their show?s evolution, and hint at what we might see in Season 2!

Can you talk about how this show evolved, from film to TV?

Friedman: Well, it?s been about two years. One of our other producers, James Middleton?who represents the rights holders?he sold the TV rights to Warner Brothers a year and a half ago. They made the mistake of hiring me to write the pilot; and we shot the pilot in Albuquerque a little over a year ago. Since then we?ve been working hard, making episodes, until that little strike thing happened.

Wirth: Yeah, that little strike. That was fun.

The pilot was phenomenally successful, and the show?s generated a good deal of buzz. Can you talk about what Season 2 might bring?

Friedman: [Laughs.] No.

Not at all?

Wirth: Do you have any ideas for Season 2? Because we?ll take ?em. [Laughs.]

Friedman: Sign a release if you do! [Laughs.] Obviously, I think in a general sense?more hunting for Skynet, more dodging scary robots. And I think we?ll see a pretty significant progression in the relationships of our little dysfunctional family.

Is it very challenging, at least when dealing with the studio, to develop a Terminator storyline that differs from that of the ongoing series of films?

Freidman: No, I think the studio?s been very supportive. We understand that these are not only two different media; they?re two different branches of the franchise. But I think that?s the cool thing about Terminator?it?s sort of inherent in the time travel idea?the idea of different futures, and ?no fate but what we make.? So we?re making a different fate on TV than they?re making on film. So we don?t talk to them, and they don?t talk to us.

Wirth: Not because we?re not friendly, but it?s really a separate project. We?re not involved at all with that project.

Freidman: I?m not friendly. [Laughs.]

Summer Glau was an interesting choice for the show?s Terminator. We saw a female terminator before, but not a girl. Was that an idea that encountered any resistance?

Friedman: No. I mean, I wrote a girl Terminator in. It was something that I always wanted to do in the project. I think in any coming of age story?and in a lot of ways this is John Connor?s coming of age story, a mother-son story?there?s usually a third person in the triangle who pushes along that coming of age, and it?s often a girl. So I thought it seemed like the appropriate thing to do. We hadn?t really seen that iteration, and it seemed like it made sense for the character. Summer was somebody that I had been chasing around for years, to make a pilot, and I lost her to Serenity on my last pilot. She?s somebody that I knew, that I wanted to bring in. She?s perfect.

How about Lena Headey as the new Sarah Connor?

Wirth: I love Lena Headey. She?s a very tough woman, but she has a? There?s sort of a question about how much of her motherly instincts she?s showing. But I think she?s sort of spot on, in terms of just revealing a tiny little bit every week. And every week, as the story sort of develops, especially between her and her son, we see a little bit more inside that character. But on the outside, I think she?s bad-ass. I love her. And she?s gorgeous. [Laughs.]

Thomas Dekker plays her son, John Connor. How is his character evolving as the series progresses?

Friedman: Thomas talked to me last night, I saw him at our hotel. He said, ?I just want you to know that my arms are killing me.? He?s been going to a trainer, because I think he?s determined that if he gets buffer we?ll let him throw people around next year. So I said, ?Well, if you just keep doing it, then we?ll write it that way.?

The arc of the mythology is, ?This is a woman who?s raising this guy to be the leader of mankind, and at what point do you sort of let him loose?? It?s still early. We?ve only done nine episodes, and you can?t have the guy out beating people up yet, although he has. I think that?s probably the progression we?ll see the most?of him towards being a leader from sort of being the understudy. I think that?s the inevitable thing. And also the stress that that?s gonna cause everybody.

Wirth: I think he?s just doing a great job as a fifteen-, sixteen-year-old kid. I have a fifteen-year-old kid. I totally see that aspect of growing up in him. He?s resisting, I think, what he perceives as his mother?s destiny for him, but he?s confronted with the reality of it everyday. And I just think he?s doing a great job playing that. It?s kind of a dichotomy of character. It?s cool.