(SPOILER WARNING: We're probably going to give away less major twists or details than other reviews, but Terminator is very plot-heavy and if you want to stay completely free from spoilers, turn back now. Enjoy your time under your rock until Sunday night.)

Every network is looking for the next Heroes, so why not go back to one of the greatest in sci-fi history? No, we're not talking about KITT and Knight Rider (well, not yet). This week marks the resurgence of a nearly quarter-century old universe in Fox's highly anticipated new series, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, starring Lena Headey (300) and Summer Glau (Firefly). The action/drama debuts on Sunday with a two-night premiere and we've been lucky enough to see the first two episodes, a roller coaster ride in terms of both plot and quality. The Sarah Connor Chronicles may not be perfect but it satisfies the one thing that every network programming executive is looking for nowadays - when that second hour comes to a close, it will be very hard not to tune in again next week to see where it's going. There are some chinks in this cyborg's armor, but the concept, the leads, and some of the storytelling, especially in the second hour, are strong enough that The Sarah Connor Chronicles actually has the potential to become much more than just the guilty pleasure we thought it would be. It could be great.

You might not feel that way after just Sunday night after what is easily the weaker of the two episodes but give the show time and realize that the first hour has to be, by the very nature of a show like this, almost all set-up. Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles starts in Nebraska in 1999. It's been two years since the action of T2: Judgment Day and Sarah (a gorgeous Lena Headey) and John (a whiny Thomas Dekker) have been on the run, but have settled down long enough for someone to fall for one of sci-fi's greatest heroines. Knowing that she'll have to be on the run soon again when the law catches up to her, Sarah whisks John away and they're off to another small town where they run into Cameron (Summer Glau). Before you can say "she'll probably be back," Cameron is taking bullets to the chest to protect John. Yes, the future John Connor has finally learned that his younger version will pay more attention to pretty killer robots, not just muscular ones.

After John and Cameron are forced to deal with the worst substitute teacher of all time, our three heroes are quickly on the run again, although this time it's from a future that Sarah thought she had changed. If you remember, at the end of T2, Skynet was destroyed and the future looked so bright that Arnie had to wear shades. Well, it turns out that Dyson's research wasn't all destroyed and Skynet starts up again in the not-too-distant future. We all know what Skynet leads to - it starts with a and was the name of that Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck movie that you might have heard of a few years ago. So, Sarah, John, and Cameron are on the run, this time using much more complex inventions than a motorcycle. Can they stop the new Skynet? Will John ever learn that he needs to just stay in a locked basement until it's his turn to save the world? Is there a more attractive pair of leads on television than Lena Headey and Summer Glau?

To be blunt, Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles starts off a little wordy and a little poorly directed. The action all employs a bit too much slo-mo, cheesy music, and other unnecessary bells and whistles that remind you that even though this incarnation has a character named Cameron, the legendary director with the same surname isn't calling the shots. The action seems much more tightly choreographed in the second episode, so it's possible that this was a kink they already knew had to be worked out.

The dialogue can be rough at times through both episodes, but that shows signs of improvement too. After the first hour, I was pretty convinced that with a few too many lines like "I can't keep running!", Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles would be a lot closer to the latest incarnation of Bionic Woman than any sort of classic TV. It felt like once the concept ran dry and the initial charms of the cast wore off, the lack of writing ability on the show would shine through (which is what happened to Bionic). But the second episode hints at a deeper well of thematic material than I was expecting. There's a brief reference to 9/11 that's chilling and a twist with the fate of Sarah Connor that could add some emotional depth to a show that I didn't expect to have much.

For now, the concept is incredibly strong and the two leads - Headey and Glau - are both perfect. That should be enough to get viewers over any cheesy dialogue or overused slo-mo in the first few outings and the second episode displays some serious potential that we can only hope is fulfilled. With a couple of great actresses and a concept that is clearly timeless, you should never count out the Terminator. The future for sci-fi fans looks pretty bright. Now, if John Connor could just send someone back to stop the writer's strike.