Prime Video's The Peripheral was weighed down by one major mistake, but it looks like Apple TV's upcoming cyberpunk show will avoid going down the same route. Based on William Gibson's book of the same name, The Peripheral was one of the most ambitious sci-fi shows on Prime Video in recent years. The series also mostly earned positive reviews from viewers and critics, garnering a Rotten Tomatoes critics' score of 79%.
Unfortunately, despite showing early promise, The Peripheral was canceled after just one season. While many factors contributed to the show's cancellation, one primary reason was its approach towards adapting its source material. In hindsight, it is still hard not to see The Peripheral as a decent addition to the sci-fi genre. Its cancellation remains disappointing, but Apple TV's Neuromancer will seemingly make up for its failure.
Based on William Gibson's seminal cyberpunk novel of the same name, Neuromancer is one of Apple TV's most-anticipated upcoming sci-fi shows. While only time will tell how the series will turn out, a new update surrounding its development proves that it is not treading the same path as Prime Video's The Peripheral.
Neuromancer’s Adaptation Approach Promises To Not Repeat The Peripheral’s Mistake
Showrunner Scott B. Smith and executive producers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy heavily altered the original text from William Gibson's The Peripheral to make it more action-centric and digestible for the masses. Given how complex Gibson's prose can be, this creative decision made sense to some extent. However, it also undoubtedly harmed the show by making it seem a little too different from its source material.
In a lot of ways, the show simplified the original story and even tried to pivot it as a multi-season narrative, which seemingly backfired after its cancellation.
Fortunately, Apple TV's upcoming adaptation of William Gibson's Neuromancer is not treading the same path. In a recent interview (via Joe), Neuromancer star, Max Irons, assured that "it's got a real, real respect for the source material." Callum Turner, who plays the protagonist (Case) in the series, also hinted at something similar in an interview with ScreenRant's Liam Crowley by saying,
"We had William Gibson a part of the process, and it's his book. It's his vision."
With two leading cast members from Apple TV's Neuromancer confirming its loyalty to the source material, it is hard not to believe that the show will not take as many creative liberties as The Peripheral. Tuner also revealed that Gibson has been a major part of the show's development, which reassures that the Apple TV sci-fi show is on the right path.
The original author's direct involvement and the show's loyalty to its source material does not guarantee its success. However, Apple TV's Neuromancer already seems to have a lot going in its favor, and the streaming service's long history of delivering worthy sci-fi adaptations also spells hope.
Despite Its Creative Liberties, Prime Video’s The Peripheral Was A Decent William Gibson Adaptation
The Peripheral's creative liberties left a bad taste in the mouths of many William Gibson fans. However, that was not the reason why the series was canceled. As reports reveal, The Peripheral was renewed for season 2. However, the dual WGA (Writers Guild of America) and SAG-AFTRA strikes significantly delayed its production, leading to a massive increase in its budget.
When it eventually became financially unviable, Prime Video was forced to pull the plug on it before its season 2 could see the light of day. While The Peripheral was slightly underwhelming as an adaptation due to its divergence from its source material, it worked quite well as a visually ambitious sci-fi thriller.
Considering its cliffhanger ending, Prime Video's The Peripheral would likely have drifted further away from its original William Gibson book in season 2. However, the show managed to raise enough intrigue with its original storyline in season 1 to make one curious about its future beats. Unfortunately, we will never get to see what The Peripheral could have become.
Hopefully, unlike The Peripheral, Apple TV's Neuromancer will perform well enough to last longer than one season and get the opportunity to adapt William Gibson's follow-up books, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive.
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