I just got back from Terminator: Salvation (it was ... eh) and while I was watching it, I couldn't help but think about Fox's just-canceled Sarah Connor Chronicles. It was established when the show began that the two would be working in entirely different continuities. But why?

One of the things that made the first film such an impressive piece of film-making was that they were able to do such a dense science fiction film on a small budget. Now that franchise has turned into special effects and (BOOM!) explosions!! The lower budget forces you to get more creative with storytelling and you wind up with The Sarah Connor Chronicles. But what an opportunity the Terminator franchise had with both outlets occurring simultaneously. An opportunity totally squandered.