Sarah Connor Chronicles Set Tour

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A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit the set of the upcoming Sarah Connor Chronicles. Here’s the rundown on that amazing day:

At 9:30am the bus arrived at our hotel to take us to the WB lot. (Yes, it’s a FOX show, but it’s taping on the WB lot.) After we checked in at the gate, the bus drove us onto the lot a block away from the Connor house. We were then divided into two groups, and my group headed directly to the house. Inside, we were all given directors chairs and headsets to watch a scene being filmed. The scene we observed was a moment between John and Sarah Connor (Lena Headey) talking in the kitchen, before John had to head to school. We were told that they were shooting for episode 3 that day.

Producer James Middleton met with us for a bit. I asked how long the Sarah Connor Chronicles will run this season, and he let us know that they have approval for 12 episodes. With good ratings, we can hope for more!

In between takes, Summer Glau (from Firefly/Serenity and The 4400)came back to meet and shake hands with each of us. She was very polite a friendly, looking each of us in the eye while exchanging names. Summer will be playing Cameron, a Terminator sent back to protect the Connors.

A bit later, the new John Connor, Thomas Dekker (of Heroes fame), walked back to our room and answered our many questions and talked a bit about his new role, the updated fashions, and his respect for the Terminator movies.


When the other group arrived, we switched places and were led to the trailer of make-up artist Rob Hall. There, he took a volunteer and turned him into a Terminator. As we watched and asked questions about his history and work, Rob created “scratches” on the volunteer’s face, and what looked to be metal underneath the skin. It looked incredibly realistic.



Here I am, getting a closer look at the prosthetics used in the show.


Here are the transformed Terminators, with Summer Glau in the center.

As we walked back to the Connor house, someone pointed out several trailers in a row. Apparently where a Big Name Star, Shia LaBeouf, and quite a few others were filming a Certain Fourth Genre Movie.

Lunch was catered outside, where we were able to eat with a couple of the show’s producers. Executive Producer John Wirth sat next to me, and several of us began asking questions about the show. A little bit later, Richard T. Jones joined us, sitting on my other side, even though he wasn’t even working that day. Richard talked a bit about his character, James Ellison. Ellison is a F.B.I. investigator who is searching for Sarah and John Connor, but is always just a step behind. Richard was very down-to-earth and gracious. I thanked him several times for coming out on his day off to meet with us. John, Richard, and James sat and talked with us for quite a while.


Star Lena Headey greeting visitors.

Star Richard T. Jones, me, and Executive Producer John Wirth.

Richard signing a poster for a guest.

Then, before we had to leave, we all gathered for a group shot. I’m standing, just to the right of the stairs.

All in all, it was an incredible experience, and I had a fantastic time!

…Closer to the premier in January, I’ll be posting more details about Sarah Connor Chronicles!

– And here is a link to TheTVAddict’s post on the set tour. (He was one of the guys made into a Terminator!)

Photos are courtesy of Adam Taylor/FOX.
Publicity photos: ©2007 Fox Broadcasting Co.

27 thoughts on “Sarah Connor Chronicles Set Tour”

  1. What a fantastic experience for you, Angela!! And you got some great pictures too. I would have been all over the special effect trailer trying to see how they do everything.

    I can’t wait to see this show. I hope it’s as good as it looks. 😀

  3. What a great experience for you, Angela. Not only did you get to tour the set of the show, but you got to meet hottie Sumer Glau. I’m more than a little jealous. 🙂

  5. Christine – That part was really cool. Especially, since I dreamed about being a make-up artist as a kid.

    Heather – And he was even better looking in person!

    John – It was! And I’m a big fan of Summer, so meeting her was a highlight!

    Thanks, Robert! I had a blast!

  7. You’ve got the hook-up.

    Thanks for sharing the behind the scenes report. So when do YOU get a TV show? hehe 😉 It would be pretty cool if there was an ET/Extra/Insider type show on the SciFi Channel or something.

    Anyhow, I hope the Sarah Conner Chronicles is on the same level of quality as Smallville. That would awesome.

  9. OMG! This looks like so much fun! How cool to sit beside Richard. I think he is so cute!!

    Thanks for sharing and I can’t wait for the show!

  12. *sigh* Jealous.
    I have to admit, I would watch this just for Summer Glau. She makes me go all stupid and drool. I had been there I would not have been able to string two intelligent words together.
    But I would have killed to be a Terminator.

  13. Wow, those are some excellent pictures. Congrats on getting a chance to tour the set. Will definitely be checking back with the SciFiChick for the latest news on the Sarah Conner Chronicles.

  16. i think this is one of the coolest ideas FOX has had in years, and i think that this is going to be the breakdown coolest show of the season. i don’t see the crappy shows like american idol or 24 doing better than this for the main fact that terminator is so integral to our culture. i mean one of the most famous lines in movie history would have to be, “I’ll be back”.

  23. Wow, how cool is that. 🙂 Didn’t notice the article before. Haven’t seen any of the series, not sure it’ll be any good, but might hunt it out on DVD just-to-make-sure.

  25. when is the show coming back because you left me stump?? and i cant wait for the next season to permiere?? by the way thomas i think your hot??? you really make a good couple with the co-star summer glau??? u to make a perfect couple guarranted that??????

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