While Apple TV’s new cyberpunk series sounds promising, it’s difficult to feel confident about its chances given Prime Video’s recent decision to cancel a popular sci-fi show.
Apple TV+ had a strong year for science fiction in 2025 with popular shows like Severance, Foundation, and Pluribus. They’re planning to continue that success in 2026 with several exciting new programs, including a series based on William Gibson’s classic cyberpunk novel, Neuromancer.
Given Apple TV’s track record with science fiction, the upcoming Neuromancer series appears to be in capable hands. Still, the recent, early cancellation of a similar show on Amazon Prime Video does raise some concerns about its longevity.
Apple TV’s Neuromancer Seems Risky After The Peripheral’s Prime Video Cancellation
Although William Gibson is a hugely important science fiction author, it took a long time for his books to be adapted into major TV shows. In 2022, Prime Video’s The Peripheral became the first significant television adaptation of his work. The show did a fantastic job of translating Gibson’s intricate writing style and ambitious ideas for a visual medium.
Despite being well-received by both audiences and critics, The Peripheral wasn’t renewed for another season.
The first season of the show ended with a lot of unanswered questions, and a second season was initially promised. However, Prime Video unexpectedly canceled season 2 because of the 2023 strikes by both the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild of America.
Prime Video spent $175 million on the first season of The Peripheral, so it was unexpected when the show was cancelled. This cancellation raises questions about the future of their planned adaptation of Neuromancer.
Both Neuromancer and The Peripheral are based on novels by William Gibson. Neuromancer is considered the book that really launched the cyberpunk genre, and its television adaptation is a significant moment for science fiction on TV.
Similar to The Peripheral, this adaptation faces the danger of being evaluated on immediate success rather than its overall story arc. William Gibson’s Sprawl trilogy – consisting of Neuromancer, Count Zero, and Mona Lisa Overdrive – contains enough material for three full seasons of television. However, if Neuromancer can’t even sustain a single season, it seems unlikely to ever cover the entire trilogy.
Neuromancer Still Has A Major Advantage Over The Peripheral
One of the biggest advantages for the upcoming Neuromancer series is that it’s coming to Apple TV. While Apple TV has cancelled some good shows, like Sunny and Constellation, it has a strong track record with science fiction adaptations – more so than most other streaming platforms. Several of its most popular shows, including Silo, Murderbot, and Foundation, are based on well-regarded science fiction novels.
Because of this, it seems likely that Apple TV will also find success with its adaptation of Neuromancer.
Apple TV is known for giving its shows plenty of time to develop. This is encouraging for the upcoming Neuromancer series, as it suggests the show will have the space and creative control it needs, even if it doesn’t become an instant hit. Hopefully, it will find success similar to The Peripheral on Prime Video.
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2026-01-07 06:28