Paper Girls was a delightful mix of time-traveling science fiction and a deeply moving coming-of-age story, but it was poorly marketed, so its audience was limited, and it was canceled after just one season. And it’s not the only one-season wonder in Prime’s library. The Peripheral arrived as an exciting new sci-fi vision in late 2022, but it never made it to season 2.
The Peripheral Is An Underrated Cyberpunk Gem
Loosely based on the 2014 book of the same name by Neuromancer author William Gibson, the godfather of the cyberpunk genre, The Peripheral is split between a dystopian near-future in the year 2032 and a post-apocalyptic wasteland in the year 2099. Chloë Grace Moretz stars as a gamer who finds herself transported into an alternate reality, which reveals her own dark future.
The series was created by Scott B. Smith, best known for writing the novels A Simple Plan and The Ruins (and also writing the screenplays for their movie adaptations). It was executive-produced by Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, and it’s exactly as mind-bending as you’d expect from the makers of that trippy HBO sci-fi epic.
A lot of TV shows with a high-concept sci-fi premise like this will use all the worldbuilding as a way to set up a typical drama following an ensemble of characters. But The Peripheral is all-in on its lofty ideas. It’s just as focused on the complexity of its world and the timeliness of its futuristic commentary as it is on the dramatic essentials of story and character.
The writing is smart, the visuals are stunning, and the core premise is a great hook. Moretz gives a wonderful performance, as usual, and she has strong support from Midsommar’s Jack Reynor. The dual-timeline structure, flitting between two very different futures, gives this show a format like no other, and a great jumping-off point for a sprawling sci-fi saga.
The first season wasn’t perfect, but it showed the promise of what could be a great show. All the pieces are there for this to develop into a compelling narrative, with more coherent storytelling and more fleshed-out characters. But, sadly, that wasn’t meant to be. Amazon initially seemed enthusiastic about continuing the series, but it ultimately chose to cancel it after season 1.
Why The Peripheral Was Canceled
A few months after The Peripheral premiered on Prime Video, Amazon renewed it for a second season. However, a few months after that, the streamer reversed that decision and canceled the show before season 2 got off the ground. This was an unfortunate consequence of the 2023 Hollywood strikes. Amazon renewed the show in February 2023, but by August, the entire industry was on strike.
As the writers’ strike kept going, and the actors’ strike joined their picket lines, the studios decided to slash jobs instead of just making a fair deal. There were many movies and TV shows impacted by these strikes, and The Peripheral was one of them. Amazon reversed its season 2 renewal and left the show hanging with just one season under its belt.
It’s a shame, but it’s not uncommon in the streaming age. If The Peripheral had continued into season 2 and beyond, then it could’ve accrued the viewership and popularity to join the ranks of The Boys and Fallout and Reacher as one of Amazon’s biggest shows. Unfortunately, as it stands, the series seems to be dead in the water, destined to remain a cult classic.