Summary

• The Sarah Connor Chronicles takes place after Terminator 2 and ignores Terminator 3, creating a different route for the story.
• The show is not acknowledged or referenced in any of the Terminator movies that followed its release, allowing both the show and the movies to exist separately.
• The Sarah Connor Chronicles can be enjoyed as its own story without the need to watch the first two Terminator movies.

poorly received Terminator sequels.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles ran for two seasons, starting in 2008, and was canceled just over a year later in 2009. Following James Cameron's departure from the Terminator franchise after 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day, further movies continued to be released that were deemed canon at the time. However, The Sarah Connor Chronicles alters the course of the timeline of the Terminator universe, and the changes are partly due to Cameron cutting ties with the franchise.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles Takes Place After T2 (& It Ignores Terminator 3)

The second Terminator movie marked the final installment with Cameron in the director's seat. For some, this is where their journey with the franchise ends. For those choosing to continue the story, The Sarah Connor Chronicles offers a route that differs from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Terminator 2 ends in 1994, with the third movie picking up events 10 years later in 2004.

Seeing how Rise of the Machines essentially retcons the previous movie, The Sarah Connor Chronicles had to restore the original timeline for the relevant threats to remain in place — and for the plot to make any sense. As a result, the show acts as a continuation of Terminator 2 and completely disregards the alternate future presented in Rise of the Machines. The Sarah Connor Chronicles is just one example of how complex the Terminator timeline can become if it's taken at face value.

The Terminator Movies Never Acknowledged The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Due to a sci-fi quirk, Terminator 3 and The Sarah Connor Chronicles completely ignoring one another makes it possible for both properties to co-exist. However, it isn't just the third film that refuses to acknowledge the Terminator spinoff show, as all following movies followed the same trend. Terminator Salvation was released the same year as The Sarah Connor Chronicles' cancellation, and there isn't a single mention of the events from the show in the movie.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles ended in 2009, six years after the release of Terminator 3. As a result, the show would have had the opportunity to incorporate events from the third movie into its own narrative. However, Terminator 3 would have established the fallout of the actions of Sarah and her son if the events of both stories intersected. As a result, it would have been exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, for the show to convincingly connect its versions of the characters from The Sarah Connor Chronicles with the movies.

There are six movies in the Terminator franchise, and various pieces of advice exist regarding the "correct" order in which to watch them. There's also debated over which are canon.

Why The Sarah Connor Chronicles Is Better Perceived As Its Own Thing

Although the show is intended as a follow-up to Terminator 2: Judgment Day, there is no need to watch the first two Terminator movies in order to follow the story of The Sarah Conner Chronicles. The show functions very well without the ing framework of the surrounding franchise, replicating many of the plot devices from Cameron's original two films.

The show frequently tips its hat to the first two films as well. Therefore, those watching The Sarah Connor Chronicles before any other of the entries in the franchise won't miss out on the themes and action sequences that gave Terminator its reputation. The series has similar history-altering and future-changing implications, but it also reuses specific story points, like John sending a Terminator back to protect his younger self. The end goal of preventing Cyberdyne from developing Skynet also remains the primary objective in the show, as it does in the films.

Part of the appeal of the Terminator franchise is the ongoing battle between humanity and Cyberdyne Systems, with the tide of the war turning in various directions depending on the use of time travel and advanced machinery. After a while, it becomes unclear which timeline in the Terminator universe is the "real" one, and so the victor is up for debate. As a result, the appeal becomes never really knowing who comes out on top. So, even though Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles ends on a cliffhanger, it fits right in with the rest of the franchise. As a result, it can be watched without knowledge of its parent property.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is available to stream on AppleTV+ and Prime Video.