For some reason, 2022 science-fiction mystery series The Peripheral is trending in the UK, years after release, and it’s not even been added to a new service. On Prime Video, where the show has been available since its release a few years back, it’s currently the ninth most-popular TV programme in the UK, and was as high as seventh place earlier in the week.
Airing across eight episodes, the show follows a skilled gamer who is asked to test a state-of-the-art VR headset.
But it turns out that the futuristic world she sees through the titular peripheral isn’t a game at all.
Kick-Ass and Oh. What. Fun.’s Chloë Grace Moretz plays lead character Flynne, while the cast also includes Years and Years’ T’Nia Miller, Arcane’s Katie Leung, Death in Paradise’s Gary Carr, and Midsommar’s Jack Reynor.
Although the show was initially greenlit for a second season, Amazon backtracked on that decision and cancelled the show. It cited the writers and actors’ strikes that took place in 2023 as the reason.
Prime Video
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On Rotten Tomatoes, The Peripheral has a solid score of 79% positive from 57 critic reviews.
“If you are a fan of cyberpunk crime drama anime like Ghost in the Shell or Psycho-Pass, or are looking for something to scratch that Westworld itch, The Peripheral is a joy to watch,” wrote The Wrap.
Lots of reviews actually compare the show to Westworld, with Common Sense Media writing that “this thrilling series seems to have learned from Westworld’s mistakes” while The Hollywood Reporter called it “less arduous” than Westworld to watch.
Prime Video
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“The Peripheral is entertaining, engaging, and interesting,” said YouTube film reviewer Austin Burke, while The Hindu called it “A smartly-written and visually-arresting show [that] gives credit to the viewers’ intelligence and keeps us wanting more.”
Viewers similarly enjoyed the series, with an 85% positive rating on the same site from over 1,000 user ratings.
The Peripheral is available to stream on Prime Video.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he’s covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I’m a Fish.