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Terminator: Why The Sarah Connor Chronicles Was Canceled So Quickly
Despite widespread critical and fan acclaim, FOX canceled Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles after only two seasons and 31 episodes. Terminator is one of the most famous film franchises in history, but that's despite the fact that it hasn't been at the top of its game for nearly 30 years. 1984's The Terminator and 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day, directed by James Cameron, are both all time classics, but the Terminator movies since have ranged from pretty good to dreadful, with nothing coming close to that initial glory.
Three straight times now, with 2009's Terminator Salvation, 2015's Terminator Genisys, and 2019's Terminator: Dark Fate, the franchise's producers have tried to kickstart a new Terminator trilogy, only to stumble and fall as if Lucy had just pulled the football out from in front of them. Salvation and Genisys were critical and commercial flops, and Dark Fate earned quite a few positive reviews, only to flatline at the box office anyway. For now, it would appear that the interest in Terminator movies has waned.
With that in mind, maybe it's time Terminator heads back to the small screen, as the last time it did so, things turned out well. That's when it comes to quality at least. Sadly, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles became yet another sci-fi show to meet an early demise at FOX.
Terminator: Why Sarah Connor Chronicles Was Canceled So Quickly
As kind as critics generally were to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and as much as its loyal fans dug it, the reasoning behind its cancellation was fairly simple: the ratings were low. Just to show how much a difference a decade makes, the numbers Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles drew, especially in season 1, are numbers most shows would kill for now. But in 2008 and 2009, streaming had yet to thin out the live TV audience to the point it's currently at, and Sarah Connor Chronicles' ratings were seen as disappointing by FOX, especially because they consistently went downward as the series progressed.
Additionally, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was a sci-fi/action series full of special effects, meaning that each episode cost a lot more to produce than the average drama or comedy at that time. While visually complex sci-fi and horror programs now dominate the programming landscape, a show like Sarah Connor Chronicles wasn't nearly as common back then. A third factor was that Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was produced by Warner Bros TV., and licensed for airing by FOX. Shows owned by the network itself are always more attractive to keep around, as the end product will then remain available for the network's studio arm to sell forever on home video, to streaming services, and in syndication.
