Cyberpunk is always a weird genre to describe. There are lots of various aspects that could make something cyberpunk and often they’re completely independent of the other aspects that can make something cyberpunk. For example, there’s the “neon-lit rainy streets at night with a hard-boiled detective” cyberpunk and there’s the “cyberspace” version of cyberpunk. The Tron franchise has always been a “cyberspace” franchise, so it gets called cyberpunk. I won’t argue that here though (or at least, I’ll try not to go on that tangent).

The short-lived animated series Tron: Uprising is a prequel for Tron: Legacy and uses Legacy’s visual style. Well, a lot of the architecture and suits come from Tron: Legacy. The character models look more like Aeon Flux with their weird proportions:

Anyway, Tron: Uprising takes place solely in The Grid. The real world isn’t a factor here. And the plot is actually about the beginnings of a rebellion under an oppressive regime. Typically I wouldn’t call a rebellion story cyberpunk, especially if it’s against a government and not a corporation (otherwise Hunger Games would be cyberpunk). I feel like the nihilism of corporations being too big to be brought down is a major aspect of cyberpunk. See, I keep going on this tangent. I’ll stop.

If you enjoyed the visuals of Tron: Legacy, Tron: Uprising gives you more of that. As a way to spend more time in The Grid, this show is a lot of fun. Aside from my nit-picking whether or not Tron: Uprising qualifies as cyberpunk, the show is enjoyable. And the visuals are great.

Here’s a trailer. You can watch it on Disney+.