Altered Carbon Cancelled After Season 2 At Netflix

[Nergal]

Netflix has canceled its cyberpunk series Altered Carbon after two seasons. The show, which starred Joel Kinnaman and Anthony Mackie, premiered on February 2, 2018, with 10 episodes while its second season premiered earlier this year with eight episodes. Netflix also released a spin-off anime film, Resleeved, that expanded the Altered Carbon universe. While both the first and second season received generally positive reviews, the reception to the anime film was more negative to mixed.

The show, created by Laeta Kalogridis, is based on the Richard K. Morgan novel of the same name. It takes place over 200 years in the future, where people have the ability to be copied and placed into other bodies. Kinnaman's character, Takeshi Kovacs, began the series in a new body and was approached by a wealthy man who asks Takeshi to solve the man's own murder. In season 2, Mackie replaces Kinnaman as a new host body, although, Kinnaman still appears throughout the season in flashbacks.

Five months after the release of the second season, Netflix has announced that they will not bring back Altered Carbon for a third season. According to Deadline, the reasoning behind the cancellation does not have to do with the coronavirus pandemic, but rather, has to do with the show's viewership. Heavy on elaborate set design and graphic effects to match the show's futuristic look, Altered Carbon was Netflix's most expensive show. While the series has been praised for its effects, going on to have even received two Creative Arts Emmy nominations for main title design and special visual effects, the show's viewership simply did not match its huge cost, pushing Netflix to end the show.

 

 

 

Altered Carbon joins a slew of Netflix shows that have recently been canceled, including I Am Not Okay With This, The Society, and Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj. The former two's cancellations were said to be due to COVID-19 concerns while the latter's reasoning behind its cancellation is unclear. Since the beginning of 2020, the streaming platform has axed 15 of its original programming, contributing to Netflix's tradition of canceling shows with few seasons under their belts.

As Netflix continues to cancel shows with smaller but strong followings, many online have attempted to save their favorites. After the surprising cancellation of the teen drama The Society after only one season, fans have created numerous petitions to save the show. These fan efforts can hold weight at times. In 2019, Netflix canceled the sitcom One Day at a Time and was met with severe fan outcry. This led to the show being picked up by Pop TV, marking the first time a traditional broadcast network renewed a Netflix show. If fans of Altered Carbon show enough outrage, it's possible that the sci-fi series may live on in another network's body.