Fox has picked up "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" for a full season.
The network has ordered nine more episodes of the show's second season from Warner Bros., sources said.
The sci-fi series has garnered a relatively modest rating on Monday nights this fall. Its most recent episode was seen by 5.7 million viewers, earning a 2.3 rating in adults 18-49 and a 6 share, tying NBC's "Chuck" in the 8 p.m. time period.
Fox's overall ratings tend to increase significantly after the first of the year, powered by "American Idol." Network executives may believe the drama's audience will grow once the overall Fox tide rises.
Earlier the network picked up a full-season order of "Fringe" and has "Dollhouse" planned for midseason. Both are sci-fi shows. Since "Dollhouse" is undergoing creative reworking, having fresh episodes of "Terminator" also provides additional insurance should "Dollhouse" be delayed.
The pickup makes "Terminator" the first 13-episode sophomore series this fall to receive a full-season order. Most second-year shows have struggled mightily in the ratings recently, particularly those that were disrupted by the three-month writers' strike, which ended in February. Having concluded its first season in March, "Terminator" was off the air for less time than many other returning shows.