Altered Carbon somehow nails the sci-fi book-to-TV landing on Netflix

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Fans of the dystopian-noir novel Altered Carbon surely had to wonder what form it would take when turned into a TV series. Or, to borrow the 2002 book's lingo, what "sleeve" the show would slip into.

The result, whose entire first TV season debuted last week on Netflix, is a pretty surprising one: it's totally solid. The results walk a tricky tightrope between book-allegiant and TV-appropriate, and as a result, neither end of the viewer spectrum will come away 100 percent satisfied. This is not necessarily must-see TV-not quite the sci-fi world's version of Breaking Bad or The Wire. You can nitpick it enough to classify the show as good, not great.

But if you take even one glance at the show and think, "yeah, I might like this," then you'll be just fine. Its grand scope, well-rounded cast, consistency, and ambitious pacing make it a high-water mark among Netflix-exclusive action series. So long as you're over 18, at any rate.

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