"I like to alternate between the different streaming services."
How clever. I stick with Netflix and Amazon cos they have so much, with Netflix way out in front, but your strategy is sound financially.
"Altered Carbon" is a great show for sci-fi geeks, though oddly "Westworld," which deals with similar themes, yet is infinitely more difficult to follow, given it's makers' perverse need to confound viewers, seems to have made more of a cultural imprint. Maybe that's just the kudos HBO earned with genre aficionados by pumping so much money into "Game of Thrones." I mean, they even bought Anthony Hopkins' participation for a TV show, which no doubt cost as much as the entire budget of "Altered Carbon."
One fear I have about "Altered Carbon," given it's lower cultural cachet, is that they will sack all their actors, and just resleeve all the characters to save money lol!
Still, Season1 rocks as a standalone, whatever happens. :)
Resleeving the characters is a definite possibility, and I can definitely imagine them resleeving the main character.
However, I find it highly unlikely that they would get rid of either the AI character or the very attractive female cop.... I have a feeling people are already quite sold on the concept of continuing to watch her.
One thing HBO does that Netflix doesn't do is make sure that the opening theme is awesome.
Altered carbon's very short theme is perfectly fine, Westworld's theme is just amazing.
Game of Thrones, Band of Brothers, the Pacific.... HBO has set it up where as soon as you hear the theme you recognize it immediately and you will run into the room from wherever you are to start watching the show.
Personally I like Altered Carbon a bit more than Westworld but neither of them are anywhere close to Game of Thrones.
"One thing HBO does that Netflix doesn't do is make sure that the opening theme is awesome."
That is such an astute observation. It is obviously a winning and deliberate HBO gameplan, as those titles must cost a FORTUNE.
Both Game of Thrones and Westworld title themes are not only brilliantly catchy compositions, but the images sum up concisely and imaginatively everything those series are about, and they last a long time. The overall effect is escalated anticipation, as well as a sense of occasion.
I am with you on "Game of Thrones," though I adore "Stranger Things" as well, and since GOT is ending in 6 episodes, you gotta look elsewhere for exciting ongoing narratives.