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“We’re outnumbered, and we have all lost so very much. If you’re listening to this, you are the resistance.” No, that’s not Christian Bale putting the word out to the beleaguered remnants of humanity in the trailer for the new movie Terminator Salvation, but rather the message Sarah Connor Chronicles fans were putting to each as the rallied in an attempt to save their show.

On the bubble and under the gun from the word go, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles dodged the cancellation budget first time around by the narrowest of narrow margins. But now it seemed the notoriously impatient Fox executives, who expect their shows to perform well and perform now, were ready to pull the plug.

But rather than sit idly by while one of the richest and most involving sci-fi shows in recent years is put to the sword, presumably to accommodate yet more reality TV, fans organized and attempted to fight back. A campaign was launched under the banner of “Save Sarah Connor” whereby fans would take pictures of themselves with products that sponsored the show and post them online. Much like John Connor and his rag-tag, post-apocalyptic army; their goal is not to win this one single battle (they didn’t – the show sadly has been canceled) but to win the larger cancellation war.

Back in 2007 when CBS canceled Jericho, fans again used the Internet to revolt by sending peanuts—a reference to an incident in the series finale—to CBS headquarters. After some 20,000 lbs of nuts arrived at CBS headquarters, the suits there got the message that there was interest in the series after all. Commissioning a further seven episodes, CBS gave fans the resolution to the storyline they so desperately sought.

Similarly Joss Whedon’s bizarre but brilliant Dollhouse has received a second season to prove itself in a decision based less on the show’s own merit and more on the rabid nature of the Whedon fanbase and their undying support for the short-lived series Firefly. Having shown the mistreated series much love on DVD, Fox duly realized that there is longevity in Whedon’s world; and by keeping it alive and kicking, they trust that they will be rewarded on the back end with ancillary sales, something Whedon shows excel at.

Now the ire of the Average Joe on the Internet is nothing new, but what’s different is the way fans are wising up in their choice of antics. Simply being irritating isn’t enough. Firefly fans bought DVDs and merchandise. Sarah Connor Chronicles fans bought products from sponsors of the show and let Fox know they were doing it. Finally fans have cottoned on to the one true language that all networks speak: money. They may not have been able to save Sarah Connor but the renewal of Dollhouse shows that Networks are ever so slightly starting to listen.