The Sarah Connor Chronicles takes place a short two years after the events of T2 and even though Sarah (Lena Headey) and John Connor (Thomas Dekker) feel they have averted Judgment Day, they are still on the run because the FBI believes them to be responsible for the death of Dr. Miles Dyson, so their lives are spent running from town to town, never staying anywhere for long, and never forming any real bonds.
When the Connors arrive in Los Angeles, the mechanical menaces from the future decide to rear their tin-heads again. This time, though, the John Connor of the future has sent back a teenage-looking cyborg to save them. This new comrade, Cameron (Summer Glau, whom viewers might recognize from Firefly and The 4400), not only keeps the pair safe, but also sends the trio through time to the year 2007 in order to better hunt down whoever it is that is building Skynet this time.
The short season is spent having Sarah and John getting used to the changes that have occurred in the short eight years they were gone, as well as dodging the FBI agent who was on their trail during that time. As they try to blend in and take up a new life, Cameron explains that there are actually freedom fighters and other Terminators scattered all about the timeline in order to help their various causes. The Terminators are sent back with various objectives, like collecting rare metals and storing them in bomb shelters that will survive the nuclear attacks, while the humans were sent back by John to either help his younger version or stop Skynet from being made. Among these freedom fighters is Derek Reese (Brian Austin Green), who turns out to be Kyle's (John's father from the future) brother.
One of the aspects of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles that I really have to commend is the sheer production value of the series. It just looks good. Whether you are talking about the makeup and prosthetics used when cyborgs get shot up and show their endoskeleton, or the times when the machines are walking around without their flesh, it just all looks really good.
The series has a few twists in it that help to keep it exciting, but the over-arcing storyline style means you can't miss any episodes without feeling lost. While that can be annoying while watching the series live, it just makes it that much easier to get sucked into when you have the entire season ahead of you.
Unsure exactly how this series fits in with the existing and up-coming movies, I did some research and learned that, while the series overwrites the third movie (since the time travel starts before Rise of the Machines and ends in the present day), the movies themselves will continue as if Terminator 3 happened. Basically, the series becomes an alternate timeline, so what happens in the series probably won't have any bearing on the movies.
If you are a fan of the Terminator movies, then you should definitely give this series a try. Both Headey and Dekker do a great job of taking on the roles of these existing characters (especially once they have a few episodes under their belts), and the only real downside seems to be the rushed manner the series took towards the end, no doubt as a result of the Writer's Strike. If you can, check Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete First Season out on Blu-ray, but if you don't have a player yet, then at least see the DVD version, you won't be disappointed.
