The Peripheral

lynne (Moretz) and her brother Burton (Reynor) carve out a meagre living in near-future America, running 'security' in cyberspace for online gamers.

A jargon-heavy sci-fi with not one but two future worlds to digest isn’t going to be to everyone’s tastes, and the occasionally lurid violence (episode one features a scene of ocular trauma that’s not for the faint-hearted) might further give pause. The end-result is a streamlined neo-noir that explores its bifurcated premise to great effect, ping-ponging between futures as Moretz’s Flynne gradually begins to redefine the boundaries of her accepted reality. [Chloë Grace Moretz](https://www.empireonline.com/people/chloe-moretz/) and [Jack Reynor](https://www.empireonline.com/people/jack-reynor/)’s siblings care for their sickly mother while scraping by with a side-hustle in online gaming (think [Winter’s Bone](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/winter-bone-review/) if Jennifer Lawrence had been a whizz at World Of Warcraft). The first fruits of their new creative partnership with cash-splashing streamer Prime Video, The Peripheral is a (rather loose) adaptation of [William Gibson](https://www.empireonline.com/people/william-gibson/)’s 2014 novel — the author’s return to the cyberpunk genre he pioneered, after a 15-year hiatus — adapted and overseen by [A Simple Plan](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/simple-plan-2-review/) writer Scott Smith. Hardcore Gibsonites will note that much of the author’s cutting social commentary and cultural projection has been sidelined, bringing the story’s central murder mystery to the fore. In one, we see a rural quarter of North America where jobs are scarce and the only thriving industry is that of the local meth-lord.

Taking place in a near-future where technology has altered society, the series stars Chloë Grace Moretz as Flynne Fisher, a young woman who discovers a secret ...

[Midsommar](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a28289822/midsommar-ending-explained-plot/)] did a really good job because he actually had to have the instrument in his eye. [The Peripheral](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a36079854/riverdale-eli-goree-chloe-grace-moretz-tv-series-peripheral/)'s gruesome eyeball scene is more significant than you realised. "But, yeah, it was pretty gruesome to watch. "Jack [Reynor of Some people totally latch onto them, and notice them, like yourself. I don’t want anything to happen, I want to keep all my limbs.

Sci-fi author William Gibson has never been properly adapted for the screen before. Lisa Joy and Vincenzo Natali explain what inspired them to turn his 2014 ...

I wanted very much to approach it almost in a subtractive way, where we just make very distinct changes — which, ironically, actually are more impactful than if you just threw a lot of stuff at the screen." There's a tendency in science fiction and fantasy to be very additive in design and to just fill the frame with stuff. "Not only for the performances to be interacting with the real, but for the effect on screen. "I feel like the world has grown into the book," says director Vincenzo Natali (Cube), who helmed the first episode. All is not what it seems with those simulations, but perhaps some of this set-up sounds familiar in a world where the "metaverse" gets mentioned more every day and life-saving drugs only get pricier. [Neuromancer](https://ew.com/article/1994/08/26/william-gibson-first-man-cyberspace/), or the entire subgenre of steampunk without The Difference Engine (which Gibson co-wrote with Bruce Sterling).

Science fiction has always existed to warn humans about the ramifications of their actions. But it seems like we are just getting a barrage of sci-fi shows.

Because the best-case scenario is that she’s going to get better, and the worst-case scenario is that she’s going to die (which is better than the situation she’s in). But all the parties are making the mistake of thinking that Aelita and/or Flynne are the assets, whereas that headset is the key to some earth-shattering revelation. And both of these timelines are out to get Flynne because – and this is a massive guess – Aelita did manage to download some vital information into Flynne’s headset via Burton’s peripheral. As expected, Flynne does go in and get the lowdown from Wilf as he explains the whole-time travel aspect of this exchange. This is essentially a commentary on both the financial crisis and the healthcare crisis we are currently facing in real life, which is something that’s only going to increase as we go forward if we don’t take important steps to correct it. In the present, we see this employer, Lev Zubov, telling Wilf about the attack on Flynne and her family and how he needs to talk to her Peripheral when she enters it. As the narrative shifts to the Blue Ridge Mountains in 2032, it becomes clear that that’s a diorama of Flynne and Burton Fisher’s home. Anyway, Flynne laments about how she has this one life and this one world, and she has to deal with it. is directing her to seduce a character named Mariel, drug her while they are in the car, and take her to an undisclosed location. Before going to her workplace, Flynne not only accuses Burton of stealing their mother’s pills but also does a better job of playing the FPS multiplayer that Burton is apparently proficient at. [Exception](https://dmtalkies.com/exception-season-1-ending-explained-2022-netflix-animated-action-series/),” “ [Glitch](https://dmtalkies.com/glitch-season-1-review-2022-netflix-korean-drama-thriller-series-noh-duk/),” “ [Andor](https://dmtalkies.com/andor-episodes-1-2-3-recap-ending-explained-2022-star-wars-series/),” “Quantum Leap,” “ [Cyberpunk: Edgerunners](https://dmtalkies.com/cyberpunk-edgerunners-season-1-ending-explained-2022-netflix-series/),” “Pantheon,” “ [Resident Evil](https://dmtalkies.com/resident-evil-season-1-ending-explained-2022-capcom-netflix-series/),” “Spriggan,” “ [Paper Girls](https://dmtalkies.com/paper-girls-season-1-ending-explained-2022-series-stephany-folsom/),” “ [Night Sky](https://dmtalkies.com/night-sky-season-1-ending-explained-2022-series-holden-miller/),” “ [The Time Traveler’s Wife](https://dmtalkies.com/the-time-travelers-wife-season-1-ending-explained-2022-hbo-series/),” “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” “Interstellar Ranger Commence,” “ [Halo](https://dmtalkies.com/halo-season-1-ending-explained-master-chief-2022-paramount-series/),” “ [Shining Girls](https://dmtalkies.com/shining-girls-season-1-recap-ending-explained-2022-appletv-series/),” “ [The Man Who Fell to Earth](https://dmtalkies.com/the-man-who-fell-to-earth-season-1-ending-explained-2022-showtime-series/),” “ [Severance](https://dmtalkies.com/severance-season-1-world-and-concepts-explained-2022-series/),” “ [All of Us Are Dead](https://dmtalkies.com/all-of-us-are-dead-season-1-summary-ending-explained-2022-series/),” “The Orbital Children,” and there are many more on the way. But it seems like we are just getting a barrage of sci-fi shows while humanity and the planet continue to find new ways to destroy themselves.

In terms of Nolan brothers productions, "The Peripheral" appears to have been made for people who think "Tenet" and the fourth season of "Westworld" weren't ...

Granted, the criteria for success in streaming are often difficult to read, but for a show that explores two separate futures, it doesn’t feel like it has much of one. Television, like CNN, a unit of Warner Bros. (Props, though, for using the Clash’s “London Calling” over the premiere’s closing credits.) Adapting William Gibson’s sci-fi novel, this Amazon series again deals with themes of virtual reality and sort-of time travel, but in a grinding fashion that should push it to the periphery of one’s “watch” list, if not off it entirely. But the real problem is that the scenes as written by Scott B. Because of Flynne’s role in that future threats keep invading her present, which is every bit as confusing as that sounds.

The Peripheral stars Chloe Grace Moretz of Kick Ass and Let The Right One In fame as Flynne, a girl who lives with her mother and her brother Burton (Jack ...

As it turns out, the reveal is that this is not VR, but instead, 70 years in the future, technology has advanced to the point where human consciousness itself can time travel, transported as “data” through quantum tunneling. The Peripheral stars Chloe Grace Moretz of Kick Ass and Let The Right One In fame as Flynne, a girl who lives with her mother and her brother Burton (Jack Reynor). After Flynne is asked to test a new form of screenless, brain-controlled VR (think The Matrix) which transports her to a surreal, hyper futuristic version of London, she begins to wonder just what sort of company she’s gotten into bed with, despite the fact that the money is stellar. Gibson novel, of Neuromancer fame, and responsible in part for the “metaverse” craze currently going on in tech. If Rings of Power was Amazon’s stab at a massively popular fantasy series like Game of Thrones, than The Peripheral is their attempt to replicate HBO’s Westworld to a certain extent, using many of the same people involved. Amazon is committed to the show for the long haul, so it will be back soon enough, but in the meantime, they’re attempting to fill the void.

Scott B. Smith began writing the Amazon Prime Video sci-fi series The Peripheral three weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic put much of the world into ...

The creator of [Lost](https://time.com/collection-post/3103624/lost/), [The Leftovers](https://time.com/4137890/the-leftovers-season-2-finale/), and [The Watchmen](https://time.com/5700888/watchmen-hbo-graphic-novel/) has an “uncanny ability for creating quirky, unusual characters that fans love,” Scott says. “That human quality,” Scott says, “is what persists through whatever techno dystopia might be happening on screen or off.” The Peripheral wants to be a friendly reminder of that fact. Often he and his writers room would share links to stories about [Elon Musk](https://time.com/person-of-the-year-2021-elon-musk/)’s forays into “ [brain chips](https://time.com/6191973/big-tech-freedom-of-thought/)” and [Humanoid robot assistants](https://www.theverge.com/2022/9/30/23374729/tesla-bot-ai-day-robot-elon-musk-prototype-optimus-humanoid). “He is so prescient, so known for his [ability to get the future right](https://time.com/3731977/science-fiction-future-wrong/), it obscures some of his astonishing capacity as a novelist.” Smith was told that Flynne and Burton’s hometown of Clanton “bears some emotional resonance with Gibson,” who grew up in a small Virginia town in the Appalachians. But it was one he was willing to take thanks to a piece of advice his producers, Nolan and Joy, gave him early in the writing process: “Keep it simple, it’s easier to convey and it’s always enough.” In other words, the viewer’s imagination is more than capable of filling in the blanks—so why not let them? (In the show, Burton describes it as “two souls becoming one” and this connection can often feel a lot like love.) But Gibson doesn’t reveal what the haptics are until later in the novel and he doesn’t do it all at once. [Chloë Grace Moretz](https://time.com/4387638/chloe-grace-moretz-twitter-trolls/)), a struggling gamer-for-hire who lives in the rural American South of the not-so-distant future. “I allowed for a certain degree of confusion and trusted that other people involved in the elaborate production would speak up if anything was incomprehensible,” Scott says. A global pandemic plays a pivotal role in the series based on [William Gibson’s 2014 novel](https://time.com/collection/must-read-books-2020/5904425/agency/) of the same name, making the experience of adapting the work “almost like watching the book unfold in real time as we’re trying to write,” Smith tells TIME ahead of the show’s Oct. Gibson, who [coined the term “cyberspace”](https://time.com/5770124/author-william-gibson-new-book-interview/) in his 1982 short story Burning Chrome, is regarded as a visionary among sci-fi authors, known for an ability to predict the future. The twisty sci-fi noir looks at a future in which reality and virtual reality are one in the same, but, in real life, the now 74-year-old Gibson is actually quite averse to technology.

VR gamer Flynne Fisher (Chloë Grace Moretz) tries to make sense of what's going on in “The Peripheral.” (Sophie Mutevelian / Prime Video).

And they reside in a brilliant depiction of a near-future America, where there’s finally broadband in town and trailer and where big business fleeces the working class in the discomfort of their own homes under the guise of connectivity and modernism. Bright spots in “The Peripheral” include excellent performances by Moretz and Eli Goree as Conner Penske, a struggling, demoralized vet who finds purpose in the battle. Forcibly having an eye removed during anesthesia-free surgery — and, yes, because it’s disgusting and hard to watch the series spends an inordinate amount of a time on the operation. Drones, hackers, invisible cars and all manner of digital surveillance are deployed to win the fight. Connecting all these places and spaces is a new VR “game” so advanced that it blurs the line between the physical realm and the simulated experience, leaving players — and viewers of the show — incredibly confused. Skilled VR gamers Flynne Fisher (Chloë Grace Moretz) and her brother Burton (Jack Reynor) are small-town mountain folk making a meager living playing games for wealthy benefactors, using their earnings to take care of their sick mother.

Not only are both shows airing on different networks (The Peripheral on Amazon Prime Video, Westworld on HBO), but Michael Crichton's original Westworld movie ...

[Westworld's fictional timeline](https://screenrant.com/westworld-season-4-ending-explained/), 2032 marks the early years of the WestWorld park, and it's plausible this could happen in conjunction with Flynne and Burton Fisher's present timeline in The Peripheral. [The Peripheral](https://screenrant.com/tag/the-peripheral/) and [Westworld](https://screenrant.com/tag/westworld/) take place in the same universe? Even if The Peripheral and Westworld don't officially share a world, is it canonically possible? It doesn't take an AI super-brain to see the parallels between Amazon's The Peripheral and [HBO's Westworld TV show](https://screenrant.com/westworld-season-5-end-show-plan-good/). The similarity is more obvious on TV than in the source material. There's no overt indication whatsoever that The Peripheral and Westworld are narratively connected, although you might say they're spiritual cousins, given the mirroring of the themes at play in each.

The first two episodes of the sci-fi show "The Peripheral" are now streaming. The show is related to the concept of VR (virtual reality) and time travel.

And the second episode of "The Peripheral" moves further in this context. The views expressed here are that of the respective authors/ entities and do not represent the views of Economic Times (ET). The game's condition was straightforward, the longer he survives, the more money he will earn. Here are some facts about the new road. She lives an everyday life while working and caring for her ailing mother, [Ella Fisher](/topic/ella-fisher). Billy tries to convince

The new Prime Video show, which stars Jack Reynor and Chloë Grace Moretz, is polarizing opinion.

[Detroit News' Tom Long](https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/television/2022/10/20/review-the-peripheral-future-set-sci-fi-series-amazon-prime/69577508007/) (opens in new tab). [Forbes' Paul Tassi](https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2022/10/21/amazons-rings-of-power-replacement-the-peripheral-is-worth-your-time/?sh=4ff6d22593ec) (opens in new tab) was just as much of a fan, claiming: "The story is interesting, the tech is cool and Chloe Moretz is stellar here. If sci-fi's not your thing, have a peruse of our guide to the She went on to state that it's clearly "told with confidence by people I suspect will keep the plotting tight and the internal logic – whatever that may be – consistent." As it stands, the outing has a 65% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while the audience score is slightly higher at 75%. Based on the 2014 novel of the same name by William Gibson, The Peripheral was adapted to screen by Scott B.

The highly-anticipated show stars Chloë Grace Moretz as a young woman who gets away from her daily troubles by playing advanced and dangerous virtual ...

on Amazon Prime Video](https://www.amazon.com/Peripheral-Season-Teaser-Trailer/dp/B0B8THR762). [](https://www.directv.com/) To watch the series, tune in to [Amazon Prime Video](https://www.amazon.com/Peripheral-Season-Teaser-Trailer/dp/B0B8THR762). [How to watch DAZN on your TV: What is it, what does it cost and include? After your free trial is over, you can sign up for Prime Video for $14.99/month. [The Peripheral](https://www.amazon.com/Peripheral-Season-Teaser-Trailer/dp/B0B8THR762) premieres [tonight, Friday, October 21 at 9 p.m. [watch The Peripheral for FREE with Amazon Prime Video](https://www.amazon.com/Peripheral-Season-Teaser-Trailer/dp/B0B8THR762) (free trial). Boxing fights, MMA and more](https://www.oregonlive.com/sports/2021/02/how-to-watch-dazn-on-your-tv-what-is-it-what-does-it-cost-and-include-boxing-fights-mma-and-more.html) [How to watch ESPN+ on TV: What is it, what does it cost and include?](https://www.oregonlive.com/sports/2019/09/how-to-watch-espn-plus-on-your-tv-what-is-it-what-does-it-cost-and-what-does-it-include.html) The cheapest live TV streaming service: Cost, what it includes](https://www.oregonlive.com/entertainment/2021/04/how-to-watch-philo-tv-what-does-it-cost-what-channels-does-it-have-free-trial-info-and-why-its-cheaper-than-sling-other-streaming-services.html) [Full cast and credits.](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8291284/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm) [Verizon Fios](https://www.verizon.com/home/fiostv/), [ AT&T U-verse](https://www.att.com/tv/u-verse.html), [ Comcast / Xfinity](https://www.xfinity.com/), [Spectrum/Charter](https://www.spectrum.com/), [ Optimum/Altice](https://www.optimum.com/alticeone), [Cox](https://www.cox.com/residential/tv.html), [DIRECTV](https://www.att.com/directv/), [ Dish](https://www.dish.com/).

"The Peripheral" stars Amber Rose Revah speak to StyleCaster about Amazon Prime Video's new show and the dangers of technology.

My mom would always say to me, “Don’t be sad.” And I work every day to not be sad and to think of how grateful I am for every moment that I had with my mom. Those are the things that you may not think are significant, but they turn out to be very significant. But I prefer to have the show or movie as the event. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission from the sale. Here’s [how to watch it for free](https://stylecaster.com/how-to-watch-the-peripheral/). I think we’re actually at that teetering point of going, ‘Well, how do we deal with this?’ So much of The Peripheral deals with those questions in a kind of parallel manner. But that day was sweltering hot, one of the hottest days of the year. Indeed, the biggest question that The Peripheral poses is where do we as a society draw a line with how far technology can take us? Much like Westworld, I find there are scenes you watch that you kind of brush off without realizing how significant they are later on. [Amber Rose Revah](https://stylecaster.com/how-to-watch-the-peripheral/) has a bit of a raspy voice. of the same name. It’s a loyal adaptation of [William Gibson’s 2014 dystopian novel](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0425276236?tag=stylecaster0d-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1&language=en_US&asc_source=web&asc_campaign=web&asc_refurl=https%3A%2F%2Fstylecaster.com%2Fthe-peripheral-amber-rose-revah%2F)

Here's how to watch "The Peripheral" online for free and where to stream the sci-fi show starring Chloe Grace Moretz without a television.

[Amazon Prime Video](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/offers/?tag=scprimevideo-20&asc_source=web&asc_campaign=web&asc_refurl=https%3A%2F%2Fstylecaster.com%2Fhow-to-watch-the-peripheral%2F)‘s [free trials](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/offers/?tag=scprimevideo-20&asc_source=web&asc_campaign=web&asc_refurl=https%3A%2F%2Fstylecaster.com%2Fhow-to-watch-the-peripheral%2F) and what else to know about the show. [Amazon Prime Video](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/offers/?tag=scprimevideo-20&asc_source=web&asc_campaign=web&asc_refurl=https%3A%2F%2Fstylecaster.com%2Fhow-to-watch-the-peripheral%2F). [Watch The Peripheral With Amazon Prime Video’s Free Trial](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/offers/?tag=scprimevideo-20&asc_source=web&asc_campaign=web&asc_refurl=https%3A%2F%2Fstylecaster.com%2Fhow-to-watch-the-peripheral%2F) [Amazon Prime Video’s free trial](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/offers/?tag=scprimevideo-20&asc_source=web&asc_campaign=web&asc_refurl=https%3A%2F%2Fstylecaster.com%2Fhow-to-watch-the-peripheral%2F) is four times longer than most other streaming services. Here’s [how to watch it for free](https://stylecaster.com/amazon-prime-video-free-trial/). Amazon Prime costs [$14.99 per month](https://www.amazon.com/amazonprime?tag=scprimevideo-20&asc_source=web&asc_campaign=web&asc_refurl=https%3A%2F%2Fstylecaster.com%2Fhow-to-watch-the-peripheral%2F) or [$139 per year](https://www.amazon.com/amazonprime?tag=scprimevideo-20&asc_source=web&asc_campaign=web&asc_refurl=https%3A%2F%2Fstylecaster.com%2Fhow-to-watch-the-peripheral%2F), which saves subscribers about $36 from the monthly subscription. [Amazon Prime Video](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/offers/?tag=scprimevideo-20&asc_source=web&asc_campaign=web&asc_refurl=https%3A%2F%2Fstylecaster.com%2Fhow-to-watch-the-peripheral%2F) costs [$8.99 per month](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/offers/?tag=scprimevideo-20&asc_source=web&asc_campaign=web&asc_refurl=https%3A%2F%2Fstylecaster.com%2Fhow-to-watch-the-peripheral%2F) for non-Prime members. Amazon Prime Video costs [$8.99 per month](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/offers/?tag=scprimevideo-20&asc_source=web&asc_campaign=web&asc_refurl=https%3A%2F%2Fstylecaster.com%2Fhow-to-watch-the-peripheral%2F) for non-Amazon Prime members. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale. The Peripheral cast includes Chloë Grace Moretz as the main character, Flynne Fisher, a woman who witnesses a murder after she takes the place of her brother, Burton Fisher, a veteran of United States Marine Corps’ Haptic Recon force, in his cyberspace security job. But perhaps the best part about [Amazon Prime Video’s free trial](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/offers/?tag=scprimevideo-20&asc_source=web&asc_campaign=web&asc_refurl=https%3A%2F%2Fstylecaster.com%2Fhow-to-watch-the-peripheral%2F) is that customers can sign up for it multiple times. According to Amazon, users can sign up for [Amazon Prime Video’s free trial](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/offers/?tag=scprimevideo-20&asc_source=web&asc_campaign=web&asc_refurl=https%3A%2F%2Fstylecaster.com%2Fhow-to-watch-the-peripheral%2F) over and over again as long as it isn’t within the same 12 months. [how to watch The Peripheral](https://stylecaster.com/amazon-prime-shows/) online for free to see the wild series from start to finish.

Creator Scott Smith talks to io9 about his William Gibson adaptation, the first episode of which is now streaming on Prime Video.

Pulling Flynne toward the center, making her sort of the proxy for the viewer and the doorway into into the world—it’s there in the book, but we knew that had to be heightened to some degree. That was the kind of the ball that we took from him and went running with. Speaker 1: A lot of that was Vincenzo Natali, one of our directors, [and was in] the book, and [also the input of producers] Lisa [Joy] and Jonah [Nolan]. That was always what drew me along with—in terms of the future world—the noir element. io9: I haven’t read the book yet unfortunately, but I get the sense that your take on The Peripheral is pretty similar, although there are some key divergences that you made. io9: So that’s good, that you have confidence in the audience being able to to keep up. Smith: That was the network. io9: The show encompasses a variety of themes; obviously there is a big emphasis on technology but also how important human relationships are. io9: In that respect, the show it most reminded me of was Westworld, appropriately enough. You have to watch how the characters use the terms and you gradually pick it up through that. We wanted that to be similar to the viewing experience—but at the same time, we knew that we couldn’t go too far with that without people just giving up in confusion. I think one thing I’ve always loved about Gibson’s work is that it’s not very accessible, and he draws on the reader’s intelligence to build the world.

In the premiere of Amazon's 'The Peripheral,' a young woman becomes a target after dabbling with some scary new tech — read our recap.

Flynne comes out of the sim and she’s on a high, that is, until she gets dizzy and needs to sit down. The voice directs her to Buckingham Palace and tells her to walk inside. A company party is taking place, and she’s told to approach a woman named Marielle and convince her to take her home. When she heads back to see her brother, Flynne sees that he’s crippled over in pain; his back is adorned with glowing spots and pulsating veins. They arrive at a building and with the new eye, Flynne is granted access. He calls the mystery woman “Aelita,” and takes her down with a sonic boom device thingamajig. “Burton” takes a sonic boom to the head, and when that happens, Flynne wakes up and vomits. Conner, an amputee, comes to her defense, and by the way he talks, he’s not one to be messed with. He says she saved his life; she says she’s going to save the world (but not “our world”). Her brother Burton lives in a trailer outside and is strapped into a diesel gaming chair, VR goggles and all. In Prime Video’s latest sci-fi soirée (the premiere is now available to stream, with new episodes dropping on Fridays), a small-town young woman named Flynne Fisher (Chloe Grace Moretz) gets her hands on a futuristic gaming headset that ultimately puts her and her family in danger. In London 2099, a guy named Wilf is sitting on a park bench watching the city around him, as a young girl named Aelita (who seems to be an avatar?) sits down.

The Peripheral, starring Chloë Grace Moretz and produced by the creators of Westworld, imagines a dark, plausible future in a world not too far removed from ...

(The 1995 film Johnny Mnemonic remains the best-known adaptation to date.) This particular novel provides a fine base for a slow-boiling TV series in both of its settings, but particularly in the scenes set in 2032. [Lisa Joy](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/lisa-joy/3000525274/) and [Jonathan Nolan](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jonathan-nolan/3000397883/), best known for their work on HBO's [Westworld](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/westworld/1000067930/). [Louis Herthum](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/louis-herthum/3030321043/)), a local crime boss whose viciousness gives him a competitive edge and gentle manners give him an air of refinement. On another front, the series slowly reveals both Wilf's origin story, the political divisions of his world, and the reasons he's enlisted Flynne to search for a missing woman named Aelita ( [Charlotte Riley](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/charlotte-riley/3030575280/)). Subsequent episodes reveal bits of Flynne and Burton's past and sidetrack to depict the backgrounds of increasingly consequential supporting characters like Corbell ( [The Peripheral](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/the-peripheral/1060185796/) expands the notion of what "the street" means. Some, like Burton and his multiple-amputee friend and former squad mate Conner ( [Eli Goree](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/eli-goree/3000564573/)) suffer PTSD from serving in a recent war, a feeling enhanced by some of the technology used to make them a stronger fighting unit. [Chloë Grace Moretz](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/chloe-grace-moretz/3030116018/), nicely mixing sunniness and toughness) splits her time working for a small-time 3D printing shop and helping her brother Burton ( [Jack Reynor](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jack-reynor/3000761308/)) make a living as a kind of a VR sherpa for rich-but-unskilled gamers. But Gibson's novel and the guidance of creator [Scott Smith](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/scott-smith/3000499158/) (a novelist in his own right, responsible for A Simple Plan and The Ruins) give it a stiffer spine. The Fishers are granted an unexpected windfall, however, with the arrival of what seems to be a cutting edge VR from a Colombian company interested in using Burton's gaming skills to test the tech (unaware that Flynne is the better gamer and the source of much of Burton's reputation). (In the same story, Gibson coins the term "cyberspace." "The street finds its own uses for things," William Gibson wrote in his 1982 short story "Burning Chrome," one of the foundational texts of science fiction's cyberpunk branch.

New dramas starring Zoe Saldaña and Chloë Grace Moretz, the season finale of Los Espookys, and more.

Club’s review](https://www.avclub.com/raymond-ray-movie-review-ewan-mcgregor-ethan-hawke-1849675291): [Rodrigo García’s dramedy](https://www.avclub.com/film/reviews/raymond-ray-2022). [Westworld](https://www.avclub.com/tv/reviews/westworld), [The Peripheral](https://www.avclub.com/tv/reviews/the-peripheral-2022) is set in the distant future. Club’s review of season two here](https://www.avclub.com/los-espookys-season-2-review-hbo-tv-show-1849547041). [Los Espookys](https://www.avclub.com/tv/reviews/los-espookys-2018)’ excellent second season is already ending. [Acapulco](https://www.avclub.com/apple-tv-plus-delivers-another-winning-comedy-with-acap-1847821811), one of [Apple TV+’s best originals](https://www.avclub.com/what-to-watch-on-apple-tv-best-shows-streaming-now-1849185167), is back for its second season. Club’s review](https://www.avclub.com/from-scratch-netflix-tv-review-zoe-saldana-eugenio-mast-1849672961): However, one of the players is a plant meant to sabotage the entire group’s chances, a.k.a. In the show, contestants team up to pull off various missions to earn cash. The Spanish- and English-language comedy follows Máximo Gallardo (Eugenio Derbez), who narrates the story of how he toiled to achieve his dreams while in his twenties as a cabana boy at a popular resort—but quickly realized the job was far too complicated. [the show](https://www.avclub.com/tv/reviews/From-Scratch-2022) centers on Amy, who travels from Texas to Italy to study—and falls in love. Perhaps it’s best to understand it as the comfort food of a television show that only sometimes feels algorithmically created.”