If anyone claimed that there were any Terminator movies better than the original two, they would probably raise a few eyebrows – but there are two TV shows that match the quality of James Cameron’s efforts. Although all the Terminator movies and TV shows combine to tell one huge story, the franchise is most known for its feature-length efforts. That being said, Terminator‘s confusing time travel rules have been retconned so many times that it’s tricky to tell what’s part of the main canon anymore. However, the TV shows generally avoid falling into that trap.
The expected return of James Cameron for Terminator 7 will be the series’ first project to have its creator back at the helm since 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The movies that followed the first sequel have failed to live up to the high standards that Cameron helped to set. Not only do they remain some of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s best action movies, but also some of the best movies within the entire sci-fi genre. While the four other movies have largely been failures, the TV branch of the Terminator franchise has been far more successful in honoring Cameron’s earlier contributions.
The Sarah Connor Chronicles & Terminator Zero Lived Up To The Franchise’s Best Movies
One is live-action, and the other is anime
Although Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines received moderate praise, it failed to make the same impact as the first two movies. So, its successor was a TV show, and not a movie. The Sarah Connor Chronicles ran for two seasons between 2008 and 2009. It ignored the events of Rise of the Machines and instead continued the story after the events of Judgment Day. Despite its short run, The Sarah Connor Chronicles was a much bigger hit than the 2003 movie, but ultimately didn’t get the viewing figures to warrant its continuation. However, it was brilliant while it lasted.
2009’s Terminator Salvation received a theatrical release a month after The Sarah Connor Chronicles ended, but neither project acknowledged the other. Instead, they existed within alternate realities.
It took another 15 years after Sarah Connor before another Terminator story arrived that came anywhere near how good Cameron’s movies were. Netflix released Terminator Zero season 1 in August 2024, and the show’s inaugural run consisted of eight episodes. What’s perhaps most interesting is that, as an anime, Terminator Zero was also the franchise’s first animated offering. Unlike The Sarah Connor Chronicles, the Netflix show was fully intended to be a solid jumping-on point for new fans. It was set in the same world as previous movies and shows, but functioned very well as a self-contained narrative.
The Sarah Connor Chronicles & Terminator Zero Were Miles Better Than The Last 4 Movies
The Terminator movies haven’t been great since Judgment Day
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was the beginning of a run of four movies within the series that pretty much got progressively worse. Parts of all of them had merit, but they tried too hard to make themselves realign with the “main” canon while also shoehorning Arnold Schwarzenegger into every movie. Of course, he has long been the face of the franchise, so I understand the temptation to keep him around. Unfortunately, it was very obvious that he was often being included just so the studio could use his name on the movie posters.
Terminator Zero being of such high quality also begs the question of why the feature-length projects haven’t hit that standard in decades.
After Terminator Salvation in 2009, both Terminator Genisys (2015) and Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) also fell short of Cameron’s franchise starters. The brightest spark during that period was The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and not because it was just the best of a bad bunch. It was a genuinely excellent show, which makes it all the more frustrating that the movies weren’t able to pull off something similar. Terminator Zero being of such high quality also begs the question of why the feature-length projects haven’t hit that standard in decades. Hopefully, Cameron’s return for Terminator 7 changes that.
Future Terminator Movies Should Learn A Few Things From The Terminator Shows
The Terminator franchise can become a force on the big screen again by building on the success of its TV shows
Terminator is traditionally a franchise made for the movie theater, with cinematic fight scenes and high-budget special effects. The Sarah Connor Chronicles was good, but it lacked both of those things, and Terminator Zero‘s unique efforts to replicate the formula still didn’t hit quite the same as the movies. So, Terminator 7 needs to be a mᴀssive improvement on all the post-Judgment Day movies, and it can do so by analyzing what worked so well in the TV shows and adapting those elements for use on the big screen, where there will be a much bigger budget to work with.
Interestingly, Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t in either show. Instead, the writers focused on writing solid storylines that didn’t use a mᴀssive movie star as a safety net. So, it would probably be a good idea for the actor not to appear in Terminator 7. This way, the TV shows’ approach can influence the feature-length efforts and restore them to where they need to be. That being said, Cameron coming back to the franchise may make Schwarzenegger’s appearance more likely, but hopefully, the director knows how to use him in Terminator 7 in a way that doesn’t feel like an obligation.
Terminator
- Movie(s)
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The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator Salvation (2009), Terminator Genisys (2015), Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
- Created by
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James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd
- First Film
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The Terminator
- Latest Film
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Terminator: Dark Fate
- First TV Show
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Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Summary
The Terminator franchise is a landmark in science fiction, featuring a battle between humanity and artificially intelligent machines led by Skynet. The story primarily revolves around the Terminator robots, particularly the T-800 model, and the resistance led by John Connor. The series explores themes of fate, artificial intelligence, and the moral implications of technological advancement.
