You heard it here first (assuming you could make it to the site amidst the server problems our hosting service has been experiencing). I reported last month that all evidence was pointing to Netflix having quietly cancelled its Anime series Terminator: Zero, and the show’s creator has now confirmed that as reported by Bloody Disgusting. Mattson Tomlin put a post on Xwitter (that seems to have since been taken down) saying the following:
It was cancelled. 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 season’s 2 and 3, but I’m also very happy with how it feels contained as is.
Terminator: Zero did not make it into the Nielsen streaming rankings during its first season run, nor did it make it into the Netflix To 10, apparently not driving enough subscribers to the service (though the streamer to little to promote the show). Tomlin has said that he would consider telling the story in another format:
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.
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.
Tomlin had nothing bad to say about Netflix over the cancellation and claimed that they did give him the opportunity to wrap the show up:
Netflix was really great about supporting the show and giving me tremendous creative freedom to do what I wanted to do. The show was expensive and very time consuming. The only way they could justify it was if the audience showed up for it, and they just didn’t.
I’ll also say they offered to let me do 2, maybe 3 episodes more to wrap up the story, which I declined. I felt the story I wanted to tell was much longer, and the finale of season one actually left things in a good place. But they didn’t have to offer that. Good partners here.
I already moved this one to cancelled status last month, and it counts back on the 2024-25 season. I also moved the Anime entry Leviathan to ended status which brings the score for that season to 24 cancelled and ending sci fi and fantasy entries (36% of shows tracked) vs. 35 renewed (53%) with six shows still waiting for word on their fate. You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons on our Cancellation Watch Page.
Terminator: Zero focuses on scientist Malcolm Lee who is developing an advanced AI called Kokoro, intended to rival Skynet. The day before Judgment Day, Lee and his three children are targeted by a Terminator assassin, and a soldier from 2022 is sent back in time to protect them and stop the AI’s launch. The voice cast includes André Holland, Sonoya Mizuno, Sumalee Montano, Armani Jackson, Rosario Dawson, and Timothy Olyphant.
We are into 2026, and there are still several shows from the prior year awaiting word on their fates as well as quite a number from the 2025-26 season. Be sure to stay tuned to CancelledSciFi.com and our social media sites for updates and breaking news.
Keep up with the status of all the current sci fi and fantasy shows as well as news and updates on new and upcoming shows at CancelledSciFi.com.
Cancellation Watch: Status updates and breaking news on renewals and cancellations
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