James Cameron only made the first two Terminator movies before stepping away, and while they spawned more sequels that allowed Arnold Schwarzenegger to return, one lesser-known project without the iconic actor is better than them all. The Terminator movies have been pretty divisive since the franchise-starting writer/director made his exit after Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Aspects of the canon like Terminator‘s time travel rules have been retconned and rewritten countless times, resulting in almost everything post-Judgment Day approaching the description of a nonsensical mess. However, a brilliant sequel from 2008 does exist outside the film series.
Until Netflix added Terminator Zero to the main canon in 2024, fans of the franchise had been waiting patiently for a story that lived up to the brilliance of Cameron’s Terminator movies. Thankfully, the anime is finally delivering the long-overdue goods and fulfilling the need for a rewarding Terminator project. However, Zero isn’t technically a sequel, as it’s happening in 1997 alongside established events from the movies – namely, the launch of Skynet. So, Terminator‘s other TV show from 16 years ago holds onto its unique title as the best Judgment Day sequel.
The Sarah Connor Chronicles Remains The Most Underrated Terminator Property
The Judgment Day follow-up was canceled far too soon
Some people may not even know it exists, but The Sarah Connor Chronicles lasted two seasons between 2008 and 2009. Unfortunately, the show ended after just 31 episodes. It was heavily praised by those who watched it, but it ultimately didn’t attract enough viewers to viably continue. It acted as a sequel to Judgment Day, ignoring the events of 2003’s Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Similarly, subsequent movie sequels didn’t acknowledge what happened in the show.
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Frustratingly, The Sarah Connor Chronicles season 2’s cliffhanger ending will likely never be resolved. Although the show lacked the same standard of special effects and other advantages of the franchise’s high-budget feature films, it was incredibly underrated and was brought to an end that was not only incomplete but also arrived much sooner than it should have done. Of course, it was made so long after Judgment Day that all the characters had to be recast, but the decision-making in that regard was also excellent.
The Sarah Connor Chronicles Was A Better Sequel To T2 Than Rise Of The Machines
Rise of the Machines was the start of a bad streak of Terminator movies
The Sarah Connor Chronicles was intended as a replacement for Rise of the Machines, and it’s far superior to the movie in almost every way. The show doesn’t change anything about Judgment Day‘s ending but instead attempts to continue the very same story. Rise of the Machine‘s massive retcon of the second movie’s finale just didn’t work – nor did the story of the three other movies that followed it. In short, The Sarah Connor Chronicles may now be an ill-treated footnote in the history of the Terminator franchise, but that doesn’t stop it being excellent.