Underrated Netflix series has 'phenomenal' first season as subscribers watch for 108 million hours
Fans and critics were at odds over the drama
Fans of a 'piece of art' Netflix sci-fi show reckon it's one of the greatest TV series of all time.
We all have that one series that, after watching for the first time, we believed was something truly special. And while we come away from our screens in awe, a quick scroll through social media reveals it's not as universally appreciated as we'd have thought.
Not because we have bad taste, of course, but rather that it's never racked up the attention it deserved. Well, that's also the case for this two-season Netflix show, which ran between 2018 and 2020.
Viewers reckon it had a 'phenomenal' first run of episodes, which have gone drastically under-appreciated. Even those who wouldn't usually choose to stick on a sci-fi are promised they'll enjoy the premise.
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Between January 2023 and June 2025, the cyberpunk noir was watched for approximately 108 million hours, according to FlixPatrol, but viewers still don't think it was given enough love.
Set more than 300 years in the future, the TV series explores a world transformed by a revolutionary technology that allows human consciousness to be digitally stored and transferred between bodies.
Death has become almost meaningless... for the rich, anyway, who can afford endless new bodies and backups of their minds.
The story follows Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman), a former soldier from a rebel group called the Envoys, who fought against this very system centuries ago. After spending hundreds of years in a digital prison, his consciousness is suddenly revived in a new body by one of the wealthiest men alive, Laurens Bancroft (James Purfoy).
He's hired to help solve Bancroft's own murder, and quickly discovers a dark conspiracy that sends him into existential crisis.
The series in question is called Altered Carbon, and both seasons are streaming now on Netflix.
Taking to Reddit, one user asked which Netflix shows people reckoned 'deserved way more attention.'
"I would love to hear your picks. Is there a show you watched on Netflix that surprised you and deserved more love? Something you wish had gotten more seasons or more people watching?" they wrote.
While people chipped in with answers like Mindhunter, The OA and Travelers, people were also big fans of Altered Carbon.
"I really enjoyed Altered Carbon, especially the first season," one person said.
"The first season was so damn good but then season 2 was like wtf? Such a huge drop in quality," a second weighed in.
A third swooped in to defend it, adding: "It wasn't terrible, but I know what you mean. It was still good. All the effects, the whole storyline and the world they created. I really enjoyed it. Very cool sci-fi."
The show's Rotten Tomatoes score not only backs this up, but tells a rather interesting story of fans and critics at odds.
Audience members awarded season one 91 per cent and season two a dismal 37 per cent. Critics, meanwhile, scored season one lower at 70 per cent, and season two higher at 81 per cent.
"Lost the mojo of the first series," one fan said of Altered Carbon season two. "Still watchable and sad was cancelled, but seemed to lose the discipline and narrative thread of the first. Major character cast change certainly didn't help."
"The first season was an amazing ride, immersing us in a gritty futuristic world with a very detective noir feel. I couldn't stop watching!" another said, adding that the second season was 'a let down.'
Others couldn't understand the negative reviews and loved the change-up in the second season.
Even if it's not perfect all the way through, Altered Carbon is undoubtedly still worth watching.
Both seasons are streaming now on Netflix.
Topics: Netflix, Rotten Tomatoes, Film and TV, Streaming, Science
Ellie Kemp