The Live-Action Cyberpunk Show to Replace Altered Carbon
The upcoming TV show Blade Runner 2099 is exciting in its own right, but it’s also a chance to replace an underrated cyberpunk series from Netflix. Blade Runner essentially created (or at least popularized) the cyberpunk sub-genre of science fiction. Since Ridley Scott’s 1982 movie, Blade Runner has continued to be a staple of the genre, and the upcoming series Blade Runner 2099 should continue that.
While cyberpunk has always had Blade Runner to fall back on, the genre has been lacking in live-action recently. There are plenty of great cyberpunk anime shows and video games, but live-action cyberpunk movies and shows haven’t gotten as much attention. Blade Runner 2099 should change that, and it could be the first time cyberpunk has had a great live-action installment since 2020.
Blade Runner 2099 Should Have The Best Cyberpunk Vibes Since Altered Carbon Was Canceled
When Blade Runner 2099 releases in 2026, it could easily become the best live-action cyberpunk show since Altered Carbon. Back in 2018, Altered Carbon was the prime example of how to put cyberpunk into a live-action serialized format. The show’s atmosphere and world, its plot, futuristic tech, philosophical questions, and everything else all combined to make a great cyberpunk story.
Unfortunately, Altered Carbon was canceled after its second season in 2020. While there was an admitted decline in quality in the second season, Altered Carbon‘s cancellation meant that we haven’t had a great live-action cyberpunk show for over half a decade. There have been great science fiction shows in that time, but none of them captured the essence of cyberpunk like Altered Carbon did.
Fortunately, Blade Runner 2099 is a chance to change that. As previously mentioned, Blade Runner basically pioneered cyberpunk. We don’t know much about 2099 yet, but I almost guarantee that a Blade Runner show is going to nail the neon lights, rainy cityscapes, and general gloom of its cyberpunk setting. No matter what else, Blade Runner 2099 is going to have great cyberpunk vibes.
Blade Runner 2099 Will Almost Be Like A Do-Over Of Altered Carbon Season 2
Blade Runner 2099 has a chance to not only replace Altered Carbon as the best live-action cyberpunk show on the air, but to actually surpass it. Altered Carbon season 2 is widely regarded as a lackluster outing after the show’s amazing debut season. It made Altered Carbon go out with a whimper instead of the massive bang that was season 1, and it’s not the legacy the show should have.
Blade Runner 2099, however, will basically be a do-over of Altered Carbon season 2. Altered Carbon season 1 introduced us to a stunning, fully-realized cyberpunk world in a live-action streaming show, only for season 2 to lose those qualities. Blade Runner 2099 can remind viewers of the live-action cyberpunk spectacle Altered Carbon season 1 had, and that season 2 lacked.
Both Blade Runner and Altered Carbon are also based on acclaimed science fiction novels. Blade Runner was inspired by “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” while Altered Carbon is a loose adaptation of Richard K. Morgan’s Takeshi Kovacs trilogy.
The similarities between Blade Runner 2099 and Altered Carbon also make the former feel like a spiritual successor to the latter. They have a very similar cyberpunk setting, but both shows also tackle questions of identity and how technology can affect humanity. Even though they’re set in different universes, Blade Runner 2099 will feel more like Altered Carbon than anything else we’ve seen recently.
