The Arnold Schwarzenegger Netflix Documentary Series Audiences Are Loving

ARnold Schwarzenegger's documentary series on Netflix is a massive critical and popular success.

By TeeJay Small | Published

After Arnold Schwarzenegger’s recent return to big-budget action thrillers with the Netflix original series FUBAR, many fans demanded to see more of the 75-year-old bodybuilder turned actor turned Governor. Netflix anticipated this fervor by producing a 3-part limited docuseries on the Terminator actor, aptly titled Arnold.

The series, which premiered on the streamer last month, has gotten rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, resulting in a staggering 96 percent certified fresh rating on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.

The docuseries follows Arnold Schwarzenegger through three of his greatest and most personal titles, with the three episodes being titled “Athlete,” “Actor,” and “American,” respectively.

A series of archive footage from Arnold’s career in both bodybuilding and screen acting, as well as public footage from his tenure as the Governor of California, combined with confessional footage of Schwarzenegger and his friends and colleagues provides a retrospective on the storied journey, the series paints a compelling picture of the man behind the iconic accent.

The series covers the highs and lows of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s life, with unflinching detail, including tales of his rise to fame in Austria and subsequent move to the United States, his acting career, which made him one of the most recognizable figures in all of pop culture for his many ubiquitous roles in action-packed Summer blockbusters, and his incredible run as the 38th Governor of California, holding office from 2003 to 2011.

During his tenure as the Governor of California, Schwarzenegger landed two placements on the 100 Most Influential people in the World list, published each year by Time Magazine and a litany of other incredible accolades, cementing the actor’s place in history.

The actor’s continued relationship with Netflix seems to be incredibly fruitful, as his recent outing with the series FUBAR has propelled Arnold Schwarzenegger back into the spotlight, preparing the public for an expected return to big-budget action films in the near future.

Arnold seems to be the cherry on top of this victory lap, which sees Schwarzenegger returning from a years-long acting hiatus. Additionally, the streamer recently announced a collaborative effort with Schwarzenegger, offering him the title of “Chief Action Officer” while promoting a number of Netflix originals.

In FUBAR, Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Luke Brunner, alongside Monica Barbaro’s Emma Brunner. The pair serve as a father-daughter team who, unbeknownst to one another, are both top agents for the CIA. After living a lie to each other for years, the pair are eventually forced to work together after a high-stakes mission goes horribly awry. The series opened to a huge #1 spot on Netflix, leading to a near-instant renewal from the streamer for future seasons.

Clearly, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s relationship with Netflix has just begun, though it has also served as a springboard for other major projects, such as the upcoming Outrider series set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video, in which the former Governor will portray a ruthless Federal Marshall tracking down and apprehending a wanted criminal.

Arnold Schwarzenegger in FUBAR

According to his IMDb, Schwarzenegger is also set to lead a legacy sequel to his iconic 1982 film Conan The Barbarian titled The Legend of Conan and an action thriller titled Breakout.

Despite previous announcements that Arnold Schwarzenegger would be reprising his role alongside Danny DeVito in an upcoming Twins legacy sequel as well, new information seems to confirm that the film is currently under halted production and likely will not hit the screen any time soon.

After the highly lauded release of Arnold, it seems that the future is quite bright for the action hero, though the television landscape could rapidly become difficult to navigate due to factors such as corporate mergers and the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.

The strike, which has put a halt to nearly every television and film production currently active, will, of course, push the timeline back exponentially for future seasons of FUBAR or future installments of Arnold if the streamer plans to produce any more.

The strike, which began at the start of May, has continued to rage on as streamers and corporate executives refuse to give in to writer’s demands to be paid fairly and given appropriate resources for their careers. Of course, if anyone is equipped to handle the shifting political landscape of Hollywood, it would be Arnold Schwarzenegger.