John Wirth interview

For the Writers Guild of America West, Tara de Bach talks to John Wirth, the lead writer on the TV series Terminator: The Sara Conner Chronicles.

How were you able to combine the films' storylines with the television construct?

You have to have rules. I love the Warren Beatty version of Heaven Can Wait, and I'll tell you why -- it has a clearly defined set of rules. Early in the film, Joe Pendleton is in the bathroom looking at himself in the mirror and talking to Mr. Jordan, and he says something to the effect, “So, when I look in the mirror, I see me, but when everyone else looks at me, they see Farnsworth?” Mr. Jordan responds, “That's right, Joe.” It's simple, it's clear, they laid out the rules for the audience and stuck with them throughout the film. With The Sarah Connor Chronicles we are trying to do the same thing. The films abided by a set of rules, a mythology, set out by James Cameron, and we try to abide by them as much as possible. But as the show progresses, and we grow the characters, we're adding to the mythology.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles trailer