This is a short list of TV series in the cyberpunk genre, sorted by their initial release dates. Each title includes a set of relevant science fiction themes, a brief synopsis and what value the film may have for viewers. New entries will be added periodically.
Max Headroom | Date Released: 1987 | # of Episodes: 14 | Trailer
Themes: Corporatism, Technological Society, Dystopia, Satire
Synopsis: In a dystopian future, the world is ruled by television networks, enjoying more power than even the government. Their goal: making everyone watch TV. With the advance of supervision technology, televisions monitor the viewers physical movements and thoughts. Technology, which does not benefit televisions, is being destroyed. Only a single journalist tries to stand tall against big TV. After his untimely demise, the journalist’s mind is reconstructed in the form of Max Headroom, a snarky television narrator.
Wild Palms | Date released: 1993 | # of Episodes: 5 | Trailer
Themes: Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Deep State Conspiracy, Hyper Reality
Synopsis: Bruce Wagner’s highly compelling television mini-series that only got one season. Ahead of its time, cyberpunk Twin Peaks would be an apt description. The show is a soap opera mystery that is low on action but has a number of very powerful and graphic scenes to match the at times humorous dialogue and ominous political subtext. The plot revolves around the seemingly mundane existence of a California patent attorney named Harry, whose life begins to unravel when an old flame comes to him asking for help to find her missing son. The deeper Harry gets involved, the more it becomes obvious that his entire life was a fabrication. Virtual reality technology combined with pharmacological triggers are one of the pervasive cyberpunk themes in Wild Palms. William Gibson provides a cameo appearance early on in the series. For those who appreciate cyberpunk that makes them think, this is a must watch. After viewing, check out Wagner’s graphic novel of the same name which is much more comprehensive than the television show. Available on the public domain for download in numerous formats on archive.org.
VR.5 | Date Released: 1995 | # of Episodes: 13 | Trailer
Themes: Virtual Reality, Computer Crime
Synopsis: Bloom, whose father worked on VR but died in a car crash, discovers her fathers work accidently. By entering an advanced virtual reality, Bloom is able to interact with other people and affect the real world. Soon, she is approached by the Committee to do their bidding. The series emphasizes color effects by being filmed in black & white and then manually colored in post production.
Harsh Realm | Date Released: 1999 | # of Episodes: 9 | Trailer
Themes: Virtual Reality, Fascism, Dystopia
Synopsis: Another virtual reality-based show, Harsh Realm’s pilot was written by Chris Carter of The X-Files fame. The show was cut short after airing only 3 of its 9 episodes, with the 10th episode never produced and the storyline left unresolved. Interestingly, both The Matrix (1999) and Harsh Realm, which was shot in 1998, a year before it aired, feature similar scenes of a large number of unconscious victims connected en-masse to virtual reality systems. Somehow these two similar scenes appear to have developed simultaneously. I’ve not included the Harsh Realm comic book from 1994 in the comics list, for even though it’s first issue starts out in a much more futuristic and science fiction setting with a private detective lead, the remainder of its six issues are completely within a fantastical medieval world as the detective hunts down a boy lost in a virtual reality RPG. While the Harsh Realm TV show does mostly take place in its simulated reality, it frequently jumps back to actual reality, and has a sub-plot of the antagonist in the simulation attempting to destroy modern civilization in the real world. Some of the military scenes, particularly in the pilot are well shot, but overall the production quality is quite low and its directing and acting are not compelling viewing. The show’s saving grace is a relatively dark aesthetic, though not neo-noir, and competent costume design which is invariably remixes of dark post-70’s military surplus with distressed wear.
Total Recall 2070 | Date Released: 1999 | # of Episodes: 22 | Trailer
Themes: Artificial Intelligence, Surveillance States, Multiculturalism, Virtual Reality, Psionics
Synopsis: Despite the name, this series is not an episodic translation of Total Recall. Rather it is an amalgamation of a number of Phillip K. Dick’s works including Minority Report, We Can Remember it for you Wholesale and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. The protagonist is a detective in the Citizen’s Protection Bureau, and the main antagonists of the show are various agents of large mega-corporations, such as Uber Braun who make androids and Rekall who run the virtual reality holiday market. Aesthetically, it borrows much from Blade Runner 1982 including the dark neo-noir cinematography, and synthesizer score. There is even a Gaff character with a virtually identical costume. While the special effects are extremely dated, the interior sets are often well done and communicate a dark, gritty metropolis. An interesting twist on Blade Runner’s (1982) four year lifespan control mechanism is that rather than dying, androids simply lose their memories and reset to their birth state. Other novum include “pre-cog” psychics created by nuclear fallout in Eastern European wars and the use of virtual reality for crime. The quality of the show’s writing and production is parallel to sci-fi series such as Star Trek TNG, so for those wanting an episodic cyberpunk show of that calibre, then Total Recall 2070 is worth checking out.
Dark Angel | Date Released: 2000 | # of Episodes: 43 | Trailer
Themes: Transhumanism, Dystopia, Gothic, Terrorism, Genetic Modification
Synopsis: The genetically modified supersoldier Max escapes from a secret military facility. Shortly after, terrorists detonate an EMP bomb and throw the country into chaos. During the aftermath, society collapses In the following years, Max tries to find her siblings from the military facility while simultaneously hiding from the agents who are hunting her.
Almost Human | Date released: 2013 | # of Episodes: 13 | Trailer
Themes: Transhumanism, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence
Synopsis: An episodic detective show set in 2048 with cyberpunk themes where androids are commonplace. Like Total Recall 2070, this features a buddy cop dynamic between a human cop and an android. The protagonist has memory issues and has a cybernetic leg after being attacked and left for dead by terrorists. Each episode introduces new technologies and attempts to address the social and criminal impacts these may have on a future America. The feel, look and pacing of this show is very similar to CSI; so if you are a fan of that genre of television and want something new with a cyberpunk spin on each of the episodes, this is for you.
Orphan Black | Date released: 2013 | # of Episodes: 50 | Trailer
Themes: Cloning, Corporatism
Synopsis: A five season long series that deals with a woman who finds out she is one of many clones propagated by a powerful Biotech corporation. The protagonist becomes caught in a long running battle between a religious group that is attempting to exterminate the clones and a group that wants to use genetic science to further the evolution of the human species. There isn’t much of a futurist aesthetic to this series however it provides significant world building and deals with human cloning and the motivations and oppositions surrounding the practice which may be of interest to cyberpunk fans.
Mr Robot | Date Released: 2015 | # of Episodes: 45 | Trailer
Themes: Virtual Reality, Technological Society, Corporatism
Synopsis: A four season series set in a current day or very near future centred around the exploits of a vigilante hacker. The show heavily relies on the “unreliable narrator” trope and is more drama than sci-fi, but there are enough technological genre elements to keep cyberpunk fans interested.
Westworld | Date Released: 2016 | # of Episodes: 36 | Trailer
Themes: Cybernetics, AI, Robotics, Corporatism
Synopsis: Based on the 1973 film of the same name, West World’s first season presented more as a science fiction show with similarities to the Holo-Deck episodes from Star Trek. However by Season 4 (2022), the show has branched out considerably into a wealth of futurist and dystopic settings with themes and imagery that should appeal to most cyberpunk fans. With average viewership of the fourth season not even 1/6th of its popular first season, the show seems to now be complete.
Electric Dreams | Date Released: 2017 | # of Episodes: 10 | Trailer
Themes: Dystopia, Robotics, Hyper Reality
Synopsis: Electric Dreams is a limited-run anthology series based off the works of Phillip K Dick. Produced by Bryan Cranston for Amazon studios, the show features high production re-imaginings of several PKD short stories, mostly lesser known pieces than those that would become major film and TV adaptations such as Blade Runner (1982) and Total Recall (1990). While none of the episodes adhere very closely to Dick’s original writing, as always his concepts are well thought out and worth exploring. Episodes with a more “cyberpunk” slant include: E01 – The Hood Maker, about a dystopian future in which telepathic humans are employed by an oppressive government to police and hunt rebellious citizens; E04 – Crazy Diamond, in which an employee of a synthetic human manufacturer is involved in a conspiracy to steal company resources; E08 – Autofac, describing a small town struggling against a robotic force bent on overtaking the entire planet; and E10 – Kill All Others, the story of a man who notices subliminal messaging in global video broadcasts, and struggles to convince others he is not delusional.
Altered Carbon | Date Released: 2018 | # of Episodes: 18 | Trailer
Themes: Transhumanism, Cybernetics
Synopsis: Based on Richard K. Morgan’s novel, this series is set 300 years in the future and deals primarily with an alien technology that allows an individual to “re-sleeve” their consciousness, or “stacks”, into a new body. A Netflix series, Altered Carbon is big on action and while not up to a Hollywood standard of production, Cyberpunk fans should enjoy the sets, technological novum and musical score. If you enjoyed Mute (2018), then this should not disappoint.
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