Entertainment

Amazon’s ‘Electric Dreams’ Has Enough Source Material To Run For A WHILE

by Drew Koch
Amazon

On Jan. 12, fans of shows like Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone will get another sci-fi anthology series to bravely watch between their fingers: Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams. The series, releasing to the U.S. through Amazon, is creating quite a bit of buzz. Will there be as Season 2 for Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams? Unfortunately, there’s no word yet on whether or not the series will be seeing a second season. However, that’s not to say that the series’ future is entirely shrouded in mystery.

Originally, Electric Dreams (director: Francesca Gregorini, one episode) aired in the UK on Channel 4. But, as Deadline reports, after an original deal with AMC fell through, Amazon scored the U.S. rights to the series. But, before the official announcement of the U.S. streaming rights, Radio Times noted that the release schedule in the UK was split. The first six episodes had all premiered by the end of October 2017 and the latter ones were slated for a release in 2018.

While Black Mirror and its various episodes were recently revealed to be part of a shared universe, it’s unclear whether or not Electric Dreams will employ that same kind of style. Io9 reported the producers shared at New York Comic-Con that there would be common themes across the episodes, although wouldn’t go as far as to say the episodes are connected. What is clear about the style is that it’ll be immersive and cinematic. Each of the episodes was written and directed by different people, each basing their stories on an already existing Dick story, but taking creative liberties, too. Executive Producer Michael Dinner added, “I don’t like to call it episodes, I like to call it a series of 10 movies.”

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Of course, the series wouldn’t have to change its theme for new episodes. After all, the inspiration for the series is an incredibly prolific writer. Before passing away in 1982, Dick wrote 44 novels and 141 short stories, meaning there’s plenty of stories to be adapted for the series to be several seasons long. Not only that, but one of the executive producers of the series is the author's daughter, Isa Dick Hackett. So, it’s clear she wants her father’s writing legacy continued.

One major factor in whether or not Electric Dreams will get a second season will be how audiences react to it. That’s something that won’t be known until after it releases more widely and people begin to talk about it. The other major factor, though, is how well it’s perceived critically. Luckily for the series, the reviews are, for the most part, incredibly positive. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has received a 79 percent fresh rating. That high score is certainly a positive sign for the future of the series.

It’s not as though fans of the series will be completely in the dark without a second season of the series: they have choices. They could just read the original works themselves. However, if you’re in need of some kind of visual adaptation, there’s another option. Dick has written several pretty well-known pieces that have already been adapted for the screen. A pretty sizable portion of his stories were adapted into films. Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, The Adjustment Bureau, and A Scanner Darkly, are just a few examples. But, those who prefer TV series are still in luck too, as Amazon's The Man In The High Castle is also based on a story of Dick’s.

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So, while fans of Electric Dreams may still be waiting for word one way or the other on a Season 2, there are still plenty of Philip K. Dick stories to experience. Whether fans rewatch the 10 episodes of the first season of Electric Dreams, start reading some of the original short stories, or maybe pull out the DVDs of some films inspired by his work, there are many ways to enjoy his cool and creepy sci-fi stories.