Netflix quietly scraps show after just one season, creator reveals

Netflix has canceled one of its shows after the first season, leading the creator of the series to share the news on X.

Mattson Tomlin shared a post on social media announcing that Terminator Zero was axed by the streamer due to low viewing numbers, despite the series being well-received by critics.

“It was cancelled,” Tomlin wrote in a post on X, responding to a fan question about the status of season two of the series. “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.

“Maybe someday I’ll do a big thread about the plans I had for the full five season run,” he continued. “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.”

The show’s creator also explained that he had no ill will toward Netflix and were “good partners” to work with based on the amount of creative freedom they let him have. The streaming platform also offered him the option to make a final two or three episodes to properly wrap the series, which he 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,” he wrote. “But they didn’t have to offer that. Good partners here.”

The show was a science-fiction anime series set in the Terminator universe originally created by James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd. It followed the story of Malcolm Lee, who was developing an AI system in 1997. However, as he deals with the system’s creation, Lee is also being hunted by an assassin from the future who is after his three children.

The news of Terminator Zero’s cancellation comes as Netflix recently revealed the new films and TV series arriving every day throughout the month of February.

Among the new original releases are the return of smash hit series The Night Agent, the next show from Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee (How to Get to Heaven from Belfast) and the concluding chapter of Bridgerton season four. There will also be documentaries about Gordon Ramsay, Lucy Letby and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder (Matter of Time).

But the biggest addition is the long-running medical drama ER, which has seen a resurgence thanks to the Emmy-winning success of The Pitt, both starring Noah Wyle.