TV: Terminator - The Sarah Connor Chronicles premiere impressions

After watching the first two hours of the new "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" series on FOX, I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised and retract my previous misgivings - mostly. The creator, Josh Friedman, is largely reverent to James Cameron's Terminator universe without being enslaved to it (and thankfully, this TV series pretends the execrable third film never happened). I thought I'd give my impressions, since I am a diehard fan of the first two films.

Right away, Lena Headey isn't afraid to take Sarah to a different place than the tough-as-nails commando Linda Hamilton played in T2. This Sarah is less haunted, more motherly, more affectionate. Summer Glau's portrayal of the protector terminator, Cameron, also deserves merit - her relationship with both the future and present John Connor should be fun to see unfold. Dekker's Connor, by the way, is a little less commanding and a little less mature than what we saw in T2, which is irksome but not too jarring.

There are some potential problems. The series is still in danger of being a "Terminator of the Week" show, with implausible new cybernetic threats being heaped upon the Connor family just for the sake of having something to show on screen. I'm hoping the focus goes to the struggle against SkyNet - and stopping it this time seems like it won't be as simple as blowing up a building.