painful Netflix cancelations I won't ever get over, but I still think that one change made to the source material was responsible for the show's eventual cancelation. Based on Richard K. Morgan's book trilogy, Netflix's adaptation began very faithful to the author's work. Unfortunately, Altered Carbon season 2 took only a handful of elements from Morgan's second novel when constructing its story. However, I believe that the show's underwhelming second outing could have weathered the storm if not an interesting deviation from the book in Altered Carbon season 1.

The show's first batch of episodes was led by Joel Kinnaman's Takeshi Kovacs, the last of the Envoys who is enlisted to solve the murder of a member of the planet's elite class. Even now, I think it's one of Netflix's best sci-fi shows. Kovacs establishes a base at the Raven Hotel, where the host AI adopts the form and mannerisms of author Edgar Allan Poe. In the book, the hotel goes by a different name - the Hendrix - with the in-house AI taking on the appearance of the late Jimi Hendrix. Unfortunately, I think the awesome change doomed the show.

Altered Carbon Season 2 Should Have Left Poe Behind (Despite Being Awesome)

Chris Conner's character making the leap into season 2 hurt the show

Watching Kinnaman's Kovacs team-up with Jimi Hendrix would have been a little too weird for a show like Altered Carbon, even if it does happen in the source material. Therefore, I'm glad Chris Conner's Poe stepped in as Kovacs' digital sidekick. Unfortunately, the dynamic between Kovacs and Poe was so brilliant that Netflix decided Conner's character needed to be carried over into Altered Carbon season 2. I liked the decision at first, despite the Hendrix AI not going beyond the events of the first book. In retrospect, bringing Poe into the next installment was a big mistake.

Morgan's book trilogy is built on the premise of its protagonist starting from scratch in of allies at the start of each adventure.

Morgan's book trilogy is built on the premise of its protagonist starting from scratch in of allies at the start of each adventure. Although they take place in chronological order, each novel is a standalone story, with Kovacs essentially being the only major connection. Altered Carbon season 2 bought into some of that formula by recasting Kovacs with Anthony Mackie. Although I missed Kinnaman, it wouldn't have made sense to keep him in the role given the resleeving of the franchise's main character between the books. Annoyingly, Netflix didn't commit to the hard reset and brought Poe back.

Conner's chemistry with Mackie wasn't quite as good as it was with Kinnaman, which made the extension of Poe's storyline seem even worse.

As a result, Altered Carbon season 2 felt undecided about what it wanted to be. Swapping Kinnaman out for Mackie showed respect for the source material, but Poe's return hinted at a desire to serialize Kovac's arc rather than limiting it to the semi-anthological approach that Morgan intended. While the second season fell very short of the quality of the first, leaving Poe behind would have forced Mackie's Kovacs to forge new allegiances with no one to initially rely on - which is what I loved so much about the source material.

Why Altered Carbon Season 2 Couldn't Live Up To Netflix's Season 1

Netflix stopped focusing on faithfully adapting Morgan's work

All the changes made to the book when making Altered Carbon season 1 were incredibly tasteful. The focus was on accuracy rather than anything else, with only alterations that would improve the adaptation. The result was an almost beat-for-beat onscreen recreation of the first book but with a few extra bells and whistles. I still watch the show's inaugural run now and despair when I think about the change in direction for Altered Carbon season 2.

Altered Carbon's showrunner(s) changed between seasons. Jeanne Kalogridis served as co-showrunner with Steve Blackman for season 1, and Alison Schapker took over for season 2.

The second run should really have been based on 2003's Broken Angels - the second book in the trilogy. Frustratingly, Altered Carbon season 2 took almost nothing of value from book two. Instead, an almost brand-new narrative was constructed that not only unnecessarily accommodated Poe's presence but also made Netflix feel more comfortable about adding to their version of the story. In short, disregarding the source material eventually became the show's biggest downfall.

What Altered Carbon Season 3 Would Have Looked Like

There is reportedly a script for a third season of Altered Carbon

Speaking with Inverse, season 2 showrunner Alison Schapker confirmed she had solid plans for Altered Carbon's future before the show was canceled. Confirming she, "Had a great season 3 written," Schapker stated she wished to continue Quellcrist Falconer's arc after she sets off to "Foment a revolution." While I didn't enjoy season 2 quite as much as season 1, I still find it devastating to hear that there's a script somewhere for another season of Altered Carbon that'll likely never be made. Nevertheless, Schapker also said she is, "Not going to give up," which gives me a glimmer of hope.

While the events of Altered Carbon season 2 would make adapting Broken Angels for season 3 a little unusual, it wouldn't have been completely out of place. That being said, 2005's Woken Furies - the final book in the trilogy - is pretty heavy on the Quellcirst Falconer content. So, even if Netflix had insisted on bringing Poe back again for Altered Carbon season 3, there still would have been plenty of source material to use as a reference.

Source: Inverse