TheTerminatortelevision shows were bold enough to do what the movies were afraid of. AfterthreeTerminatormovieswere released from 1984-2003, the franchise released its first television show in 2008 withThe Sarah Connor Chronicles. Lena Headey, who later played Cersei Lannister inGame of Thrones, starred as Sarah Connor.
This version ofTerminator’s timelinepicked up after the events ofTerminator 2: Judgment Day, as Sarah and her son, John Connor (Thomas Dekker) worked to stop Skynet from becoming a reality. The show aired for two seasons on Fox before it was canceled.
It wasn’t until 2024 that the franchise would have another television series. This time around, it wasNetflix’s anime seriesTerminator Zero, where an AI system known as Kokoro was being developed to compete with Skynet. Part of the reasonThe Sarah Connor ChroniclesandTerminator Zerowere well-received was because they took a risk that most of the movies were unwilling to take.
The Terminator TV Shows Did Not Include Arnold Schwarzenegger
They Focused On Other Actors Instead
Despite being the face of the franchise, Arnold Schwarzenegger was not incorporated into the stories ofThe Sarah Connor ChroniclesorTerminator Zero. SinceTheSarah Connor Chronicles' timelinewas set afterJudgment Day, Schwarzenegger’s characters from the first two movies technically existed in this continuity.
From a logistical standpoint, it may have beendifficult for Schwarzenegger to appear since he was busy serving as the governor of Californiawhen the show aired from 2008-2009.The Sarah Connor Chroniclespaid tribute to Arnold Schwarzeneggerin a subtle manner, but this was the full extent of any role he had in the show.
As forTerminator Zero, it was far less connected to the existing movies and characters. Schwarzenegger did not voice any ofTerminator Zero’s characters, with Timothy Olyphant voicing the Terminator and Rosario Dawson voicing the AI system Kokoro in the anime show’s English dub.
Terminator Zero Was The First Terminator Project To Move On From John And Sarah
All Previous Terminator Movies & Shows Revolved Around The Connors
BeforeTerminator Zero, the only projects Schwarzenegger hadn’t been in wereThe Sarah Connor Chroniclesand the 2009 movieTerminator Salvation, both of which revolved around the Connor family. The television series focused on Sarah and her son in the aftermath ofJudgment Day,while Christian Bale played an older version of John inTerminator Salvation.
Either John or Sarah were in all the movies as well. In addition to Headey inThe Sarah Conner Chronicles, Linda Hamilton played Sarah in the first two movies and inTerminator: Dark Fate, andGame of Thrones' Emilia Clarke took on the role inTerminator Genisys. Meanwhile, Dekker and Bale were two of the many actors to play John over the years.
Terminator Zerobroke new ground for the franchiseby being the first project to move on from John and Sarah Conner. The Netflix show’s main characters included scientist Malcom Lee, the resistance soldier Eiko, the AI Kokoro, the mysterious Misaki, and the new Terminator voiced by Olyphant. The Connors were no longer the only ones at the forefront of the battle against Skynet.
Why The Terminator TV Shows Succeeded Without Arnold Schwarzenegger
Schwarzenegger is an integral part of the franchise, and he is one of the key reasons whyThe TerminatorandTerminator 2: Judgment Daycontinue to resonate with audiences decades later. That being said, many of the sequels with Schwarzenegger struggled because they were rooted too much in the stories that had already been told.
The Sarah Connor ChroniclesandTerminator Zerohad the advantage of telling their stories without having to figure out how to put Schwarzenegger at the forefront. The shows instead got to focus on telling new stories with an entirely new cast of actors, and inTerminator Zero’s case, a new cast of characters as well.
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Audiences became invested in the new versions of Sarah and John Connor, along with the new characters inTerminator Zero, and it was not necessary to bring in Schwarzenegger for the sake of recognizability or legacy. It would have been more difficult for these characters to have the spotlight if they had to share it with Schwarzenegger and his versions of the Terminator.
Sarah Connor Chronicles And Terminator Zero Have A Better Reputation Than Most Terminator Movies
They Are The Franchise’s Best Stories Since Judgment Day
Even thoughThe Sarah Connor Chronicleswas canceled after season 2, itstill has a much better reputation than most of theTerminatormovies, as doesTerminator Zero.The Sarah Connor Chronicleshas an 85% Tomatometer score and 88% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes, whileTerminator Zerohas an 86% Tomatometer score and 79% Popcornmeter score.
Not only areThe Sarah Connor ChroniclesandTerminator Zero’s scores fresh, but they are also far higher than the scores for most of the sequels.Terminator Genisyshas a dismal 26% Tomatometer score and lackluster 52% Popcornmeter score, whileTerminator Salvation’s critical and audience scores are at 33% and 53%.
Rise of the Machineshas a much better Tomatometer score at 70%, but the Popcornmeter score is quite low at 40%. The most recent movie sequel,Terminator: Dark Fate, has critical and audience scores of 70% and 82%, which is better than many of its predecessors, but still noticeably lower than the critical scores forThe Sarah Connor ChroniclesandTerminator Zero.
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Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines(2003)
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At this point, there is widespread interest inTerminator Zeroseason 2, but little interest in seeing any of the more recent movie sequels continuing their stories. While there were many factors involved when it came to the more positive reputations ofThe Sarah Connor ChroniclesandTerminator Zero, Schwarzenegger’s absence was definitely one factor that ultimately helped both shows.
Terminator 7should not bring Schwarzenegger back, and should try to focus on new characters and new stories the way thatThe Sarah Connor ChroniclesandTerminator Zerohave done.
This should be kept in mind as James Cameron works on theTerminator 7scriptand charts a new direction for the franchise’s next movie sequel. As tempting as it might be,Terminator 7should not bring Schwarzenegger back, and should try to focus on new characters and new stories the way thatThe Sarah Connor ChroniclesandTerminator Zerohave done.
Since Cameron is busy with multipleAvatarsequels andGhosts of Hiroshima, it will be many years beforeTerminator 7will come to fruition. In the meantime,The Sarah Connor ChroniclesandTerminator Zeroare easily theTerminatorfranchise’s best stories sinceJudgment Daywas released in 1991, and are well worth rewatching or seeing for the first time.
