After just one season, the latest Terminator series has been canceled by Netflix. Terminator Zero is an anime series set in the Terminator universe that released in 2024, but it won't be seeing any new seasons. Creator and showrunner Mattson Tomlin confirmed the series' termination on X after a user asked for an update on the show's status.
Although Netflix did offer Tomlin the chance to create two or three additional episodes to wrap up Terminator Zero, Tomlin declined. The future is in no one's hands now that Netflix has officially cancelled Terminator Zero.
Why Netflix Cancelled Terminator Zero After Just One Season
Tomlin had big plans for the Terminator Zero anime. The series was supposed to run for five seasons. Tomlin had most of the second season written, and the third season was close to fully outlined.
"I felt the story I wanted to tell was much longer, and the finale of season one actually left things in a good place," Tomlin posted on X. "They didn’t have to offer that. Good partners here."
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Tomlin could continue Terminator Zero's story in another form in the future. He mentioned possibly putting a book together on X, and that there are a few story ideas he needs to tell that would only work as novels. "Maybe I will return to that world in a different form."
The overarching Terminator fanbase skews older, while many anime fans today are from a younger demographic. Even with Netflix's strong marketing team for Terminator Zero, the audience wasn't big enough to justify the show's costly budget.
"At the end of the day, you can’t reach everyone," Tomlin posted on X. "We did big, in-person premiere events in NY and LA, a pretty robust press junket for an animated series, and it lived on the front page of Netflix for 2+ weeks. I feel like NF did right by the series…"
Terminator Zero Season 1 Review – An Interesting System Update For The Franchise
With a focus on a set of Japanese characters and Malcolm Lee, the architect of another super AI, Zero is an interesting installment in the franchise.
Though Tomlin is heartbroken about the series' cancellation, he's still on great terms with the team at Netflix. He's even real-life friends with Netflix executive Dylan Thomas.
"[Dylan Thomas] worked so hard to protect my vision and help me make the show great. He was gutted that it was canceled. We were all in it together."
Terminator Zero Season 1 is streaming on Netflix.
- Showrunner
- Mattson Tomlin
- Directors
- Masashi Kudo
- Writers
- Mattson Tomlin
- Franchise(s)
- Terminator
- Creator(s)
- Mattson Tomlin
