The cyberpunk comic book adaptation struggled to gain following big enough to cover the enormous costs of the production. Netflix withdrew from the series, leaving plenty fans in dismal.

Cyberpunk might be in its prime as a whole, with the new Cyberpunk 2077 game premiering later this year. But that stop Netflix from cutting the power off from Altered Carbon.

The series, adapted from a comic book by Richard K. Morgan, was supposed to be Netflix’s big entrance to the world of sci fi shows. Budget per episode oscillated around $6-7 million, however Netflix struggled to gain enough viewers. Critics also chipped in, leaving many unfavorable reviews and calling the series lousy and often style-over-substance. I belonged to the minority who viewed Altered Carbon’s first season as a great intro to a great sci fi series. Thanks to Joel Kinnaman’s charismatic leading role as Takeshi Kovacs, and great supporting performances, the first season really landed for me.

Things got messy in the second season though. The role of Takeshi Kovacs was taken over by Anthony Mackie. Although the series received more praise critically, the viewership plummeted and so Netflix decided to cancel the show after only two seasons.

The decision, as reported by The Deadline, is not related to COVID-19 situation, but the ROI (return on investment) that didn’t satisfy the stakeholders.