How Netflix's Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Revived a Dormant Genre—and Rescued a Faltering Franchise

If you love sci-fi that’s a little grimy, a little neon, and a lot obsessed with hacking your own body, then you already know: cyberpunk is where the genre gets weird and visionary. But here’s the awkward truth—most of the genre’s screen classics, from 'Blade Runner' (both versions) to 'Ghost in the Shell' and 'Akira', flopped when they hit theaters, or only made waves with hardcore anime fans. Even Netflix’s 'Altered Carbon'—which had an incredible first season—sort of disappeared quietly after a messy follow-up.

So, with most cyberpunk on-screen stories struggling to connect with more than a cult audience, it was a genuine surprise when, in 2022, 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' dropped on Netflix and basically shocked the whole genre back to life. Not only did it put some actual adrenaline back into a struggling franchise (more on that in a second), it might just be the best cyberpunk TV ever made—and that’s not hyperbole.

Welcome to Night City (Where Your Dreams Get Hacked)

'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' is set in the radioactive, LED-oversaturated world of the video game 'Cyberpunk 2077'. The story follows David, a street-level kid who stumbles into a bit of black-market body tech that sends his already-messy life into total chaos. With his new hardware, he gets sucked into Night City's gangland underbelly and becomes an edgerunner—a kind of mercenary/cyber-criminal for hire. The trade-off? The more hardware he stacks into his body, the closer he veers toward full-blown cyberpsychosis. Spoiler: It’s bad for him and everyone who cares about him.

The big hook is how the show nails the character stuff while delivering some seriously bonkers action sequences. Even if you’ve never picked up a controller, Night City feels like a real place—dangerous, alive, and powered by the sort of vibe 'Blade Runner' fans have been missing for decades. Warning: This series doubles as a sneaky ad for the game itself, because once you finish it, you’ll at least think about finally trying 'Cyberpunk 2077'.

Yes, This Show Resuscitated a Dying Game Franchise

Quick rewind to 2020. 'Cyberpunk 2077' the game showed up after years of hype, only to immediately crash and burn. People called it unplayable on consoles, bugs everywhere, missing features, and CD Projekt Red (the developer) went from public darling to gaming’s villain of the year. The company spent years putting out patches and updates, but not a lot could fix that first impression—players had pretty much abandoned the project.

Then Studio Trigger ('Kill la Kill', for animation nerds) came along with 'Edgerunners', and something wild happened: the show was so good, it revived interest in the actual video game. Gamers came back in droves, numbers spiked, and suddenly everyone was talking about both the show and the game in a way they hadn’t since launch. Rotten Tomatoes? 'Edgerunners' sits at a perfect 100% from critics, and 95% from the ever-fickle public. That is, frankly, unheard of for either cyberpunk or video game adaptations.

So, Is There Going to Be a Season 2?

This is where things get a little complicated. The original plan was that 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' would be a one-season run—David’s story wraps up in a pretty definitive way, and the creators didn’t leave themselves a lot of loose ends to chase. But, since the show turned out to be both a critical and commercial hit, CD Projekt Red decided to keep the Edgerunners vibe going. In 2025, they’re rolling out more stories (with new characters; David’s arc is done) that expand on what 'Edgerunners' built. Details? Still locked down. Don’t hold your breath for an immediate follow-up, but something new is definitely in the works.

'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' Core Cast

• David (the protagonist with a penchant for body mods)
• Main (merc leader and local legend)
• Lucy (netrunner, i.e. hacker, and the show’s top emotional anchor)
• Dorio, Kiwi, Pilar, Rebecca (the extended criminal crew)
• Faraday (scheming fixer, voiced by Giancarlo Esposito in English—yes, from 'Breaking Bad')

'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' is the best animated show I have ever seen. —Just about every reviewer, and probably accurate.

If you ever thought cyberpunk was more of an aesthetic than a living, breathing genre, 'Edgerunners' makes the case that there’s still room for fresh, electrifying stories. And in this case, it even saved a troubled video game along the way. Not bad for a ten-episode anime nobody originally asked for.