Best Cyberpunk TV Shows To Watch Right Now

Cowboy Bebop is a live-action cyberpunk TV show based on the anime series of the same name, and is often regarded as one of the most influential anime series of its time. Both follow bounty hunters Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, and eventually Faye Valentine on the interplanetary spaceship the Bebop. As they endeavor to make a living collecting bounties and capturing criminals, each of them is also haunted by elements of their past. 

Cowboy Bebop is a cyberpunk series equally influenced by elements of science fiction, country westerns, and jazz music. Although even the original’s creator slammed the live-action remake, both are well worth a watch for fans of the genre. You can watch both on Netflix.

Apple TV+’s Incorporated may not yet be on all sci-fi lovers’ radars, but it should be. Set in the year 2074, the cyberpunk TV show imagines a world where corporations have taken over after a government collapse. A young executive must infiltrate this new world order in order to save the love of his life. 

Incorporated’s exploration of corporate greed and its negative impact on society is certainly an element prevalent in many cyberpunk TV shows and within the genre as a whole. The show’s sprawling corporate metropolis is pristine but highly contrasted with the dilapidated slums that surround it. 

Love, Death & Robots is another anthology series on Netflix, although this one consists of a collection of animated short films. Much like Black Mirror, it offers various directorial angles into how technology has impacted society, each highlighting some of the darker aspects of said impact.

One thing that stands out about Love, Death & Robots is how it really showcases the different directorial and art styles within each episode. Each episode delivers gorgeous animation in a totally new and engaging style different from the previous one. The anthology explores different aspects of the cyberpunk genre and is a TV show that animation fans won’t want to miss.

The dystopian, often cyberpunk TV show Black Mirror was one of the first sci-fi anthology series on Netflix and flexed the platform’s sci-fi muscles. As the title suggests, the series reflected some of the unsavory aspects of technology in discrete, stand-alone episodes.

Black Mirror has been a critical success, with many of its episodes being lauded for their thoughtful insights into the dangers of technology. The episodes explore many different themes, moods, and tones, but are connected by their unrelenting and critical eye on the impacts of technology on our society. Some notable guest stars include Miley Cyrus, Jon Hamm, Daniel Kaluuya, Anthony Mackie, Bryce Dallas Howard, and others.

For fans looking for a cyberpunk TV show that feels grounded in reality, Amazon Prime Video’s Mr. Robot may be a perfect choice. Mr. Robot follows a young cyber-security expert and programmer who leads a secret life as a hacker. Set in the present day, it focuses on today’s social issues, not tomorrow.

With the titular character played by the wonderful Rami Malek of Bohemian Rapsody fame, Mr. Robot ran for four seasons from 2015 to 2019. It explored prevalent issues like how technology impacts our day-to-day lives, mental health, and social anxiety. The series also features performances from some well-known figures like BD Wong, Christian Slater, Bobby Cannavale, Craig Robinson, and rapper Joey Bada$$.

Blade Runner was one of the most influential releases within the cyberpunk genre. With Blade Runner 2049 featuring Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford released in 2017, and an upcoming Blade Runner 2099 series, the franchise has gotten new life. Now, a new anime TV show called Blade Runner: Black Lotus is available on Crunchyroll.

The anime picks up in the years following the original Blade Runner film and takes place in Los Angeles in the year 2032. The series follows a replicant named Elle searching for answers about her mysterious past. The franchise explores issues of humanity and the origins of reality and has a beautifully-rendered art style.

Altered Carbon is a cyberpunk TV show from Netflix that follows the story of a former super-soldier reanimated in a new body in order to help solve a murder case. Set 300 years in the future, the series imagines a world where human consciousness can be programmed, digitized, and inserted into different host bodies. 

The series had many aspects that could are connected to the cyberpunk genre. Its visuals were both bright and futuristic, and dystopian, mirroring the impact of extreme differences in class and access to wealth in a future society where the rich can buy and sell bodies to reach a state of immortality. The series ran for two seasons on Netflix before being canceled.