NETWORK: Fox
AIR DATE: September 8, 2008
STARRING: Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker, Summer Glau, Richard T. Jones, and Shirley Manson
CREATED BY: Josh Friedman

Adding a rock 'n' roll star to the cast of a struggling show? Isn't that an automatic call to bloggers to use the words "jump" and "shark"? The Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles isn't exactly struggling, but its first season was undeniably hit and miss, which has somewhat kept the show back from finding a wider audience. The show broke out to a HUGE start with over 18 million people checking out the premiere, but that number was cut in half, closer to 8 million, by the ninth and final episode. And even fans of the show would admit that the first season was a bit up and down. When it worked, SCC was very entertaining, but there were some kinks to work out. It looks like that was what the off-season was for. After watching the first episode of season two, I can safely tell you two things - SCC has definitely not jumped the shark and if Josh Friedman can keep his creation this riveting and fresh for even a few months, The Terminator is going to become one of the more successful hits of the '08-'09 season. This is a high-quality, high-energy hit waiting to break out.

"Samson & Delilah" may feel like a fresh start for The Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles but it actually picks up right where the first season ended. (One of the more interesting elements of the first dozen or so episodes of SCC has been how often that happens - it's ironic that a show that features so much time travel is one of the most linear from episode-to-episode on the air right now.) At the end of season one - and, please, go rent or buy the excellent first season release before reading or watching any further - Agent Ellison (Richard T. Jones) had a riveting encounter with the very deadly Cromartie (Garret Dillahunt) while Sarah (Lena Headey), John (Thomas Dekker), Cameron (Summer Glau), and Derek (Brian Austin Green) tried to stop the end of the world by destroying SkyNet. At the opening of season two, Ellison is a true believer, trying to figure out his role in this fascinating mess and a new player, Catherine Weaver (Garbage's Shirley Manson), the CEO of ZeiraCorp, may hold all the answers.

The Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles worked best in the first season when it balanced the action with the melodrama. This is a show with very deep themes, but that doesn't mean it needed to always take itself so seriously. The first episode of season two finds that balance better than any of season one. There are some incredibly intense action scenes, including an amazing showdown with a possibly evil Cameron, but there is also some heartfelt, believable drama, mostly courtesy of the continuously impressive Brian Austin Green, whose presence has really improved the show. (Yeah, I never thought I'd write that either, but he's honestly very, very good here.) The opening of season two of SCC contains more interesting scenes and memorable moments in its 44-minute running time than some shows provide in a season. It's the best returning show season premiere we've seen so far this year. Don't miss it.