In recent years, Netflix has produced original series after original series after original series. With each original series, it seemed that Netflix was moving further away from being a service that held all of our favorite shows to a platform the solely produced their own. Until recently, I hadn’t watched many Netflix Originals. I didn’t want to be apart of the hype for shows like Stranger Things or Black Mirror or Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt; I could appreciate others opinion of them, but they just weren’t for me.
(Photo by Charles Deluvio)
Over the weekend, my friend suggest I watch Altered Carbon. I’ve never been a person who watches Sci-Fi shows or movies, but after watching episode 1—I was hooked. Season 1 is only 10 episodes long with each episode being about an hour. For a normal person, this would take a few days to watch. I watched the entire show within 36 hours, it was that good.
Shows like Altered Carbon are few and far between. The only show that I can really like it to is Scandal by Shonda Rhimes.
Altered Carbon is fast paced and there are more twists and turns then you would ever expect. The show starts off years into the future. Permanent death is thing of the past. Bodies, also known as “sleeves” may die, but the chip inserted in the back of the neck—called a stack—allows individuals to live forever. The main character has been brought back to life 250 years after he was “put on ice” for his crimes. He was hired by a “Meth,” a person who is extremely wealthy, to solve the Meth’s murder. Throughout the season, viewers are introduced to countless characters with backstories that are fascinating and complicated; however, no story is more interesting than that of the main character Takeshi Kovacs. With action, comedy, and extremely likable characters, Netflix may have just created something that could stick around for awhile. Since most people haven’t finished (or watched) the show, I’ll keep all spoilers to myself.
After finishing season one, I am desperate for more. Typically, Netflix waits a year between season releases which means I’ll be waiting awhile. If you’re looking for a new show to watch on Netflix, I highly recommend Altered Carbon!