Terminator Zero Won’t Return for Another Season on Netflix, According to Creator
Netflix has announced the cancellation of Terminator Zero, the animated reboot of the iconic franchise. This decision comes after the series completed its first season, as confirmed by series creator Mattson Tomlin on X.
Tomlin addressed the show’s reception, stating, “The critical and audience reception to it was tremendous, but at the end of the day not nearly enough people watched it. I would’ve loved to deliver on the Future War I had planned in seasons 2 and 3, but I’m also very happy with how it feels contained as is.”
Set directly after the events of 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the narrative unfolds across two timelines. It introduces a dystopian future in 2022, where a prolonged war rages between the few remaining human survivors and a relentless army of machines, alongside the origins of the AI Skynet in 1997, when it gained self-awareness.
At the center of this conflict is a soldier (voiced by Sonoya Mizuno) sent back in time to alter humanity’s destiny. Her mission leads her to 1997, where she must protect scientist Malcolm Lee (André Holland), who is developing a new AI system (Rosario Dawson) to counter Skynet’s threat. The story examines the ethical dilemmas surrounding technological advancement as Malcolm faces pursuit by an unyielding assassin from the future, ultimately reshaping the lives of his three children, according to Netflix’s synopsis.
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Tomlin took on multiple roles for the series, serving as creator, writer, showrunner, and executive producer alongside David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger from Skydance. The animation was directed by Masashi Kudo, with Production IG handling the animation studio duties.
In a reflective note, Tomlin mentioned, “Maybe someday I’ll do a big thread about the plans I had for the full five-season run. The series finale was special and it was part of my pitch to get the job. I’ve written all of the season two scripts and outlined pretty much all of season three… Maybe I will return to that world in a different form. I really do love it, and it was extremely gratifying to see so many people connect with it the way they did.”
