Altered Carbonseason 3 is one of thepainful Netflix cancelationsI won’t ever get over, but I still think that one change made to the source material was responsible for the show’s eventual cancelation. Based on Richard K. Morgan’s book trilogy, Netflix’s adaptation began very faithful to the author’s work. Unfortunately,Altered Carbonseason 2 took only a handful of elements from Morgan’s second novelwhen constructing its story. However, I believe that the show’s underwhelming second outing could have weathered the storm if not an interesting deviation from the book inAltered Carbonseason 1.
The show’s first batch of episodes was led by Joel Kinnaman’s Takeshi Kovacs, the last of the Envoys who is enlisted to solve the murder of a member of the planet’s elite class. Even now, I think it’s one ofNetflix’s best sci-fi shows.Kovacs establishes a base at the Raven Hotel, where the host AI adopts the form and mannerisms of author Edgar Allan Poe. In the book, the hotel goes by a different name - the Hendrix - with the in-house AI taking on the appearance of the late Jimi Hendrix. Unfortunately, I think the awesome change doomed the show.
Altered Carbon Season 2 Should Have Left Poe Behind (Despite Being Awesome)
Chris Conner’s character making the leap into season 2 hurt the show
Watching Kinnaman’s Kovacs team-up with Jimi Hendrix would have been a little too weird for a show likeAltered Carbon, even if it does happen in the source material. Therefore, I’m glad Chris Conner’s Poe stepped in as Kovacs' digital sidekick. Unfortunately, the dynamic between Kovacs and Poe was so brilliant thatNetflix decided Conner’s character needed to be carried over intoAltered Carbonseason 2. I liked the decision at first, despite the Hendrix AI not going beyond the events of the first book. In retrospect, bringing Poe into the next installment was a big mistake.
Morgan’s book trilogy is built on the premise of its protagonist starting from scratch in terms of allies at the start of each adventure.
Morgan’s book trilogy is built on the premise of its protagonist starting from scratch in terms of allies at the start of each adventure. Although they take place in chronological order, each novel is a standalone story, with Kovacs essentially being the only major connection.Altered Carbonseason 2 bought into some of that formula by recasting Kovacs with Anthony Mackie. Although I missed Kinnaman, it wouldn’t have made sense to keep him in the role given the resleeving of the franchise’s main character between the books. Annoyingly,Netflix didn’t commit to the hard reset and brought Poe back.
Conner’s chemistry with Mackie wasn’t quite as good as it was with Kinnaman, which made the extension of Poe’s storyline seem even worse.
As a result,Altered Carbonseason 2 felt undecided about what it wanted to be. Swapping Kinnaman out for Mackie showed respect for the source material, butPoe’s return hinted at a desire to serialize Kovac’s arcrather than limiting it to the semi-anthological approach that Morgan intended. While the second season fell very short of the quality of the first,leaving Poe behind would have forced Mackie’s Kovacs to forge new allegianceswith no one to initially rely on - which is what I loved so much about the source material.
Why Altered Carbon Season 2 Couldn’t Live Up To Netflix’s Season 1
Netflix stopped focusing on faithfully adapting Morgan’s work
All the changes made to the book when makingAltered Carbonseason 1 were incredibly tasteful. The focus was on accuracy rather than anything else, with only alterations that would improve the adaptation. The result was an almost beat-for-beat onscreen recreation of the first book but with a few extra bells and whistles. I still watch the show’s inaugural run now and despair when I think about the change in direction forAltered Carbonseason 2.
Altered Carbon’s showrunner(s) changed between seasons. Jeanne Kalogridis served as co-showrunner with Steve Blackman for season 1, and Alison Schapker took over for season 2.
The second run should really have been based on 2003’sBroken Angels- the second book in the trilogy. Frustratingly,Altered Carbonseason 2 took almost nothing of value from book two. Instead, an almost brand-new narrative was constructed that not only unnecessarily accommodated Poe’s presence but also made Netflix feel more comfortable about adding to their version of the story. In short, disregarding the source material eventually became the show’s biggest downfall.
What Altered Carbon Season 3 Would Have Looked Like
There is reportedly a script for a third season of Altered Carbon
Speaking withInverse, season 2 showrunner Alison Schapker confirmed she had solid plans forAltered Carbon’s future before the show was canceled. Confirming she, “Had a great season 3 written,“Schapker stated she wished to continue Quellcrist Falconer’s arc after she sets off to “Foment a revolution.“While I didn’t enjoy season 2 quite as much as season 1, I still find it devastating to hear that there’s a script somewhere for another season ofAltered Carbonthat’ll likely never be made. Nevertheless, Schapker also said she is, “Not going to give up,” which gives me a glimmer of hope.
4 Years Later, I’m Glad Netflix Canceled My Favorite Sci-Fi Show
I’m usually disappointed when one of my favorites gets canceled, but Netflix unknowingly did me a huge favor in 2020 when it axed a sci-fi show.
Whilethe events ofAltered Carbonseason 2 would make adaptingBroken Angelsfor season 3 a little unusual, it wouldn’t have been completely out of place. That being said, 2005’sWoken Furies- the final book in the trilogy - is pretty heavy on the Quellcirst Falconer content. So, even if Netflix had insisted on bringing Poe back again forAltered Carbonseason 3, there still would have been plenty of source material to use as a reference.
Altered Carbon
Cast
Altered Carbon is set in the far future, at a time when a human’s consciousness can be stored in a device called a Stack and transferred into different bodies, allowing people who have the means to become functionally immortal. Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman and Anthony Mackie), the former member of a rebellion against Stack technology, is awakened and released from prison so that he can be employed by a wealthy man to solve the man’s own murder. The Netflix original series is based on the 2002 novel of the same name by Richard K. Morgan.
