It remains to be seen if Stargate Atlantis has the same kind of longevity, but I know its fans are as supportive and passionate as any other fandom you'd care to name. :)

If my recollection of the backstory from T2 and T3 is right, they didn't spend all those intervening years dodging terminators and other crap sent from the future. They essentially laid low, trained, and waited. Essential for survival, but pretty boring for a weekly series if viewers tune in looking for cyborgs and whatnot. Being a slave to the film continuity doesn't serve them here.

So, do they do the Fugitive/Incredible Hulk/Nowhere Man/etc. thing and go from place to place dodging trouble from corrupt cops/vengeful rednecks/aggrieved road ragers/whatever in an attempt to stay true to what's known about the characters from the films, or pull a Smallville/Highlander and pretty much re-invent the mythos for their own purposes?

You're right that Chronicles will probably be very different in style from the movie. But won't people who like the movie be expecting something similar? If so, seems more like an attempt to cash in on name recognition.

As for Sarah's premise, I imagine the Fugitive format will play a large role, but then again, maybe the producers have found a way to keep that tried-n-true approach fresh.

I know, pull on this leg and it plays "Jingle Bells."