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It wasn't too much of a surprise, but Fox made it official.

The network known for axing shows like "Alien Nation" and "Firefly" well before their times took a rare step by renewing a science-fiction series, namely "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles."

Michael Ausiello of TV Guide reported rumors of the pickup last week, but others say it wasn't too much of a stretch since the show didn't do horribly in the ratings (it did lose 50 percent of its premiere, but that premiere came after highly rated playoff football), and it's attached to a franchise that is preparing to put out its first movie without actor and governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Fox has ordered 13 additional episodes for a second season of the show, but it's still not clear whether it will move to the fall, or take up a mid-season premiere like it did this past season.

The show, which is produced by Warner Bros. Television, stars Lena Headey as Sarah Connor, Thomas Dekker as John Connor and Summer Glau as the Terminator Cameron.

It premiered with an 11.1 rating/16 share in overnight ratings, according to Nielsen Media Research, but ended with a rating closer to 5.0/8. It averaged a 5.9/10, helping it finish among the top five network genre shows.

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