Editing Linda Hamilton (section)

=== 2019–present: Return to mainstream projects ===
Hamilton returned once more to the ''Terminator'' franchise and the character of Sarah Connor when she headlined the [[Tim Miller (director)|Tim Miller]]-directed ''[[Terminator: Dark Fate]]'', set 25 years after the events of ''T2''. She admitted to being reluctant to sign on to the project, having spent the previous few years away from the spotlight: "I love my alone time like no one you've ever met … That was my hesitation: Do I want to trade this lovely, authentic life [that I've built] for that? I didn't want my neighbours looking at me differently. We're neighbors because of who we are, not what we do, and I don't want that to creep into my life again".<ref name=FledHollywood>{{cite news|last=Buchanan|first=Kyle|date=September 3, 2019|title=Linda Hamilton Fled Hollywood, but 'Terminator' Still Found Her|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/03/movies/linda-hamilton-terminator.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=June 3, 2020|archive-date=September 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904170445/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/03/movies/linda-hamilton-terminator.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Linda Hamilton (48355081587).jpg|right|thumb|Hamilton at [[San Diego Comic Con]], 2019]]

Filming on ''Dark Fate'' took place in Hungary, Spain and the U.S. between May and November 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://imdb.com/title/tt6450804/locations/#flmg_dates|title=Terminator: Dark Fate (Filming & Production)|website=IMDb|access-date=July 5, 2023|archive-date=July 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705063051/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6450804/locations/#flmg_dates|url-status=live}}</ref> Though a financial disappointment,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a29754980/terminator-dark-fate-box-office-flop-reasons/|title=Why Terminator: Dark Fate flopped at the box office|work=Digital Spy|first=Ian|last=Sandwell|date=December 27, 2020|access-date=July 4, 2023|archive-date=July 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704213348/https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a29754980/terminator-dark-fate-box-office-flop-reasons/|url-status=live}}</ref>  it received generally positive reviews upon its 2019 release, particularly for Hamilton's performance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/terminator-dark-fate-review-1202183832/|title='Terminator: Dark Fate' Review: This Isn't the Worst 'Terminator' Movie, but It Should Definitely Be the Last One|work=IndieWire|first=David|last=Ehrlich|date=October 22, 2019|access-date=July 4, 2023|archive-date=July 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704192604/https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/terminator-dark-fate-review-1202183832/|url-status=live}}</ref> Writing for ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', David Fear felt that she provided the film's "sinew, heart, and soul", and said of her introduction:

{{blockquote|A truck pulls up, we see boots hit the ground, and there she is: Sarah Connor 1.0, sunglasses on, stoic and iconic as fuck, gunning down a sprinting shape-shifter and employing a rocket launcher for a finishing move. It's the sort of movie entrance that the character (and the actor) deserves, the kind that prompts spontaneous, uncontrollable cheering in theaters … Her weathered survivor will charitably share the screen with newcomers and old co-stars alike, but from this moment on, ''Dark Fate'' is Hamilton's property. She calmly slips the superior sequel into the back pocket of her faded work pants and walks away with it. Everyone else is acting in ''her'' movie.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/terminator-dark-fate-movie-review-linda-hamilton-904537/|title='Terminator: Dark Fate' Review: Sarah Connor Saves the World (and the Franchise)|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|first=David|last=Fear|date=October 31, 2019|access-date=July 4, 2023|archive-date=July 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704192604/https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/terminator-dark-fate-movie-review-linda-hamilton-904537/|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

Later that year, Hamilton was named Best Actress at the Los Angeles Crime and Horror Film Festival for her portrayal of "King George"—a ruthless crime boss—in ''[[Easy Does It (2019 film)|Easy Does It]]'',<ref name="lacrimehorror">{{cite web|url=https://lacrimehorror.com/filmfestival/awards-3rd|title=3rd LA Crime & Horror Film Festival - Best of Festival Awards|work=LACHFF|access-date=July 5, 2023|archive-date=July 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705074012/https://lacrimehorror.com/filmfestival/awards-3rd|url-status=live}}</ref> which ''[[Film Threat]]'' described as "excellent … a throwback to grindhouse adventure films [and westerns]".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://filmthreat.com/reviews/easy-does-it/|title=Easy Does It|work=Film Threat|first=Josiah|last=Teal|date=July 17, 2020|access-date=July 5, 2023|archive-date=July 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705071112/https://filmthreat.com/reviews/easy-does-it/|url-status=live}}</ref> She began appearing as General McCallister on Syfy's ''[[Resident Alien (TV series)|Resident Alien]]'' in 2021, which ''[[IndieWire]]'' called a  "genre-bending … spry half-hour comedy [series]".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/resident-alien-review-alan-tudyk-syfy-show-1234612187/|title='Resident Alien' Review: Alan Tudyk Cuts Through the Clutter In a Comedy Searching for Its Home|work=IndieWire|first=Steve|last=Greene|date=January 27, 2021|access-date=July 5, 2023|archive-date=July 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705110025/https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/resident-alien-review-alan-tudyk-syfy-show-1234612187/|url-status=live}}</ref> Also that year, she guest-starred as a hippie life coach in six episodes of the [[TNT (American TV network)|TNT]] dark comedy ''[[Claws (TV series)|Claws]]'' during its final season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/claws-eventful-yet-somewhat-uneven-final-season-puts-1848233588|title=Claws' eventful, yet somewhat uneven final season puts relationships to the test|work=AV Club|first=Shannon|last=Miller|date=December 17, 2021|access-date=July 5, 2023|archive-date=July 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705120324/https://www.avclub.com/claws-eventful-yet-somewhat-uneven-final-season-puts-1848233588|url-status=live}}</ref>

It was announced in June 2023 that Hamilton would join the ensemble of the [[Netflix]] mystery-horror series ''[[Stranger Things]]'' for its fifth and final season—due to air in 2025—as an unspecified character.<ref name=MashableStranger>{{cite web|url=https://mashable.com/video/linda-hamilton-netflix-stranger-things-season-5|title='Stranger Things' welcomes another 80s icon as Linda Hamilton joins Season 5|work=Mashable|first=Chase|last=DiBenedetto|date=June 18, 2023|access-date=July 4, 2023|archive-date=July 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704192605/https://mashable.com/video/linda-hamilton-netflix-stranger-things-season-5|url-status=live}}</ref> A self-proclaimed fan of the show, she said of her casting, "I don't know how to be a fangirl and an actress at the same time. I'm going to work on that".<ref name=MashableStranger/>