The success of Netflix’sTerminator Zerois a great reminder to check out theTerminatorfranchise’s other TV show. Set in one of the manyTerminatortimelines,Terminator Zerofocuses on brand new charactersinstead of revisiting famous names like Sarah Connor or the T-800. DespiteTerminator Zero’s new castof characters, the Netflix anime explored some classic themes from the franchise, including but not limited to whether Judgment Day can be stopped.
Terminator Zerocurrently has an 86% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest for aTerminatorproject since James Cameron’sTerminator 2: Judgment Day. After a series of disappointing attempts to reinvent the franchise on the big screen,Terminator Zeroproved that there is still room for new stories within this world. The anime series was also a reminder thatTerminatorworks on the small screen, as originally proved by the short-lived yet incredibly promisingTerminator:The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
Terminator Zero’s Success Is A Reminder Of How Good The Sarah Connor Chronicles Was
Terminator’s First TV Show Was Just As Promising As Terminator Zero
Released three years afterTerminator 3: Rise of the Machinesarrived in theaters,The Sarah Connor Chronicleswas the franchise’s first attempt to branch out into television.James Cameron was not creatively involved in the project, which was also the case forTerminator Zero. The fact thatTerminator’s only two TV projectsare among the franchise’s best-received projects is no coincidence and speaks to how well this world works on the small screen with the right story.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chroniclesignores the events ofTerminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
The Sarah Connor Chronicleswas a very audacious project in that it tried to tell one of the most successful, innovative blockbuster movie series to television. Even big-budget TV shows from a network like FOX can only do so much in terms of locations and special effects, yetThe Sarah Connor Chroniclesnever felt like a cheap version of the movies.Instead, the series created its own language and made for some fun sci-fi set in the world ofTerminator.
Terminator Zero Took A Very Different Approach From The Sarah Connor Chronicles
There’s More Than One Way To Make Terminator Work
Terminator ZeroandThe Sarah Connor Chroniclesare both great shows that took opposite approaches regarding how to tell aTerminatorstory on television. Whereas the 2006 show positioned itself as a direct sequel toTerminator 2and recast Sarah and John Connor,Terminator Zerofocused told a standalone story featuring new characters.The Sarah Connor Chroniclesstarts right after the events ofT2and tries to be a better sequel to that movie thanRise of the Machineswas.
Terminator Zero’s Ending Explained: Did They Stop Judgment Day?
Terminator Zero adds a new twist to Judgment Day, with Skynet now having to stop a different A.I. that could destroy it – but who wins in the end?
Netflix’sTerminatoranime, on the other hand, is so disconnected from the rest of the series that it can be watched with no context whatsoever of the franchise. Naturally, many of the themes and ideas in the animated series work much better when you have the context of the entire saga. Regardless, those who enjoyedTerminator Zerowill likely enjoyTerminator:The Sarah Connor Chroniclesand vice versa.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Cast
This spinoff of the Terminator franchise follows Sarah Connor, her son John, and Cameron, a Terminator reprogrammed to protect John. Pursued by time-traveling Terminator assassins, they must cope with life on the run as well as the impending threat of Skynet.
