10 Flop TV Shows That Made ONE Huge Mistake

When it launched in 2018, sci-fi series Altered Carbon was Netflix's most expensive production to date, and despite the show's flaws, it was at least clear where all that money went.

And while many fans complained that season two noticeably scaled back the budget, resulting in its world feeling smaller and looking less dazzling, that isn't really the reason why it was cancelled shortly after its second season was released.

The show's nature, whereby protagonist Takeshi Kovacs can be played by numerous different actors inhabiting various "sleeves" (aka host bodies), means that original lead Joel Kinnaman was replaced at the start of season two, with Anthony Mackie portraying Kovacs in his new sleeve.

Mackie's a plenty likeable actor, but the big problem is that he never once felt like he was playing the same character as Kinnaman. 

Kinnaman nailed the hard-boiled detective vibe in season one, but Mackie's interpretation of Kovacs is so different that he basically feels like an entirely new person.

And so, the audience lost their connection to Kovacs and general interest in the series divebombed, resulting in Netflix deciding it wasn't worth producing a third season, which likely would've seen Will Yun Lee take over the lead role as the original "prime" version of Kovacs.