The Fox Network has ordered a second 13-episode season of the Terminator spin-off TV series, The Sarah Connor Chronicles.  The potent Terminator franchise’s first foray onto the small screen averaged 10.5 million viewers in the face of strong competition and declining network TV viewers.

The show stars Lena Headley in the title role with Thomas Dekker as her son John (who saves mankind in the future) and Summer Glau as a nubile robot sent to protect John from Terminators sent from the future to kill him.

Fox has not yet designated a timeslot for The Sarah Connor Chronicles.  Rumors have the network developing a companion series and scheduling the two shows as a block, but no announcements have been made yet.

The fourth Terminator movie, which stars Christian Bale, is slated to make its debut on May 22nd, 2009 (see “Terminator IV Set for Memorial Day Bow”).  The Terminator franchise has spawned loads of merchandise including a number of comic book series from Now Comics and (mostly) Dark Horse.