The Peripheral

Stuck in a small Appalachian town, a young woman’s only escape from the daily grind is playing advanced video games. She is such a good player that a company sends her a new video game system to test…but it has a surprise in store. It unlocks all of her dreams of finding a purpose, romance, and glamour in what seems like a game…but it also puts her and her family in real danger.

The Peripheral (2022) is an American science fiction series created by Scott B. Smith and produced for Prime Video. Chloë Grace Moretz plays Flynne Fisher, a young gamer stuck in a small Appalachian town, whose only escape is advanced video games. When a company sends her a new gaming system to test, it unlocks a connection to a futuristic world that promises purpose, romance, and glamour, but also puts her and her family in real danger. Gary Carr and Jack Reynor co-star as Wilf Netherton and Burton Fisher, with T'Nia Miller as Cherise Nuland among the principal cast. The series runs for a single season of eight episodes, and it is a cyberpunk thriller that moves between a rural American present and a near future shaped by corporate power, artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Each episode alternates between the emotional stakes of family and survival and the escalating intrigue of an unfamiliar timeline. Its tone is tense and atmospheric, mixing a grounded working-class drama with futuristic spectacle. Viewers who enjoy Altered Carbon, Black Mirror and Dark will find resonance in its blend of speculative technology, time-bending mystery and human stakes.

Audience reception is positive, with viewers praising the visuals and the story while the single season is judged solidly good.

• Altered Carboncyberpunk near-future tech intrigue, time-bending alternate timelines, working-class protagonist pulled into a high-stakes digital world
• Black Mirrorgamer protagonist drawn into a virtual reality with real-world consequences, sci-fi thriller tone
• Darktime travel and alternate future conflict, bleak futuristic tension with a grounded human core
• Westworldspeculative future with a contained mystery, intimate human stakes against corporate and technological power

Created by

Scott B. Smith

Release Date

2022-10-20

Episode runtime

61 min

Rating

7.5 / 10 (1412)

What is The Peripheral about?

A gamer stuck in a dead-end Appalachian town discovers that a test console links her to a future where a dangerous game has real consequences.

What is The Peripheral like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Peripheral as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.

Is The Peripheral violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Peripheral as moderate.

What did critics think of The Peripheral?

Audience reception is positive, with viewers praising the visuals and the story while the single season is judged solidly good.

Which shows are like The Peripheral?

Shows with a similar feel include Altered Carbon, Black Mirror, Dark, and Westworld.

How long is The Peripheral?

The Peripheral: 1 season, 8 episodes.

Is The Peripheral still running?

No, The Peripheral was canceled.

Where can I watch The Peripheral?

In United States, The Peripheral streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.