After only one season, Prime Video abruptly canceled an ambitious cyberpunk sci-fi show that deserved much better treatment.

The streaming era has been around for quite some time now. Owing to this, most viewers have become accustomed to unreasonable cancellations, especially from the larger streaming services. Yet, even today, some cancellations sting far more than others and make one wonder how incredible an axed show could have become if it were given a second chance.

One such show was a near-future cyberpunk sci-fi series on Prime Video that almost returned before being canceled.

Prime Video Canceled The Peripheral Too Soon

The Peripheral had a fairly strong start and did an incredible job of establishing the foundation of the lore from the William Gibson book it adapts. As reports reveal, The Peripheral also performed well commercially, and Prime Video was all set to renew it for another season. In February 2023, the streaming service had even confirmed its return.

However, things took a tragic turn almost six months later when the show’s new installment was scrapped due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.

After season 1, The Peripheral season 2 had many unresolved questions that it would eventually have answered. Unfortunately, just when the show was starting to gain narrative momentum and becoming more interesting, it was canceled.

The Peripheral Showed Immense Potential In Season 1

Despite dividing its runtime between two distinct timelines (2032 Blue Ridge Mountains and 2100 London), the show did an excellent job of making both equally compelling. Even its portrayal of time travel had a unique edge after it introduced the concept of Stubs, which highlighted how the future was only using time travel to harvest data from the past by experimenting on it.

The action scenes in the series also did not fit the typical sci-fi mold, as the show introduced “haptic” combat and tech that allowed for a unique style of tactical “hive-mind” battles.

The show also maintained high stakes and ensured that it did not try to simplify William Gibson’s novel. After The Peripheral season 1’s ending, it was hard not to be heavily invested in how the prophetic disaster, the Jackpot, would unfold or be prevented. Despite having a lot going for it in season 1 and perfectly paving the way for a new installment, though, The Peripheral never returned.

Apple TV’s William Gibson Adaptation Will Hopefully Get A Better Future Than Peripheral

The Peripheral was the first major TV adaptation of William Gibson’s work. This is surprising given how Gibson is often touted as the Father of Cyberpunk because of his influence on the genre. The second major small-screen adaptation of his work will be Apple TV’s Neuromancer, which is considered one of the most seminal works in sci-fi.

The book played a crucial role in shaping the cyberpunk subgenre and has served as a key influence for many popular franchises like The Matrix.

Hopefully, unlike Prime Video‘s The Peripheral, Apple TV’s Neuromancer will get the chance to explore the full scope of the ideas from Gibson’s book instead of being canceled too soon.