Altered Carbon: Netflix's Forgotten Sci-Fi Gem Deserves a Second Look

In November 2025, a Netflix sci-fi series that aired from 2018 to 2020 is gaining renewed attention. Altered Carbon, a gripping and thought-provoking show, has been praised by fans as one of the greatest television series of all time.

The show's premise is set more than 300 years in the future, where human consciousness can be digitized, stored, and transferred between bodies. This has created a society where the wealthy can essentially live forever by transferring their minds to new bodies, while the poor struggle with the class divide created by this technological advancement.

At the center of the story is Takeshi Kovacs, a former rebel soldier who is hired by one of the world's wealthiest men to solve his own murder. The first season, starring Joel Kinnaman, was a critical success, with fans rating it a towering 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the second season, which featured a new lead actor, divided the audience, with fans rating it much lower at 37%.

Despite the show's unique concept and strong fan following, Altered Carbon never found the mass audience it seemed built for. As one fan noted, "I don't understand why Netflix decided to interfere so damn much on season 2. Genuinely one of the worst single seasons of television I've ever seen." Another fan lamented the show's cancellation, saying, "Netflix is getting too comfortable with cancelling shows. Season two of Altered Carbon wasn't the greatest but it was still good. Shame they won't get a third season."

Both seasons of Altered Carbon remain available on Netflix, waiting for new viewers to discover the show's gripping sci-fi world and for old fans to revisit what they still consider one of the greatest series on the platform.