Altered Carbon may be one of Netflix’s most expensive shows yet, but is it any good?

In that show, Flynn’s prized possession was a 1984 Oldsmobile Hurst. This time around she plays the glamorous, Grecian-robed, socialite wife of one of the richest men in the world who has an island of clones at her disposal, allowing her to live like an immortal.

“It was a tremendous opportunity to inhabit another woman that was completely unlike any character I had played,” Lehman says in an interview. “I was really intrigued and challenged by this, and I really loved the chance to play something truly different.”

The Vancouver-shot Altered Carbon is Netflix’s attempt at a prestige genre show to compete with the likes of HBO’s Game of Thrones or Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle. While the streaming service has done well with high-end dramas such as The Crown or House of Cards, they have been lacking in adult-oriented, sci-fi spectacle, apart from the more child-friendly Stranger Things.

Altered Carbon, based on Richard K. Morgan’s 2002 book, is set in a 25th-century world where the very rich can afford to transfer their consciousness to another body or “sleeve” when the old one wears out.

Netflix wasn’t taking chances with the series, hiring Emmy-winning Games of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik, alongside creator Laeta Kalogridis — someone not unfamiliar with the genre epic as an executive producer for the films Avatar and Terminator Genisys.

The visuals are rich and lavish, as to be expected from a series reported as among the streaming service’s most expensive to date. Comparisons to Blade Runner will be inevitable, although designers managed to produce a world that is distinct and not completely derivative.

However, the violence and nudity are considerable, including scenes with the scene-stealing Bancroft, who wields her sexuality as a weapon.

“People are fascinated with sex and nudity, and I saw that it had merit in telling this story. I probably wouldn’t have chosen to do it if it didn’t,” says Lehman. “She has commodified her sexuality and I was interested in exploring that side of the character.”

Lehman says her background as a dancer helped her to inhabit the character of Bancroft.

“It was a guide post for me. I’m glad that I have a physical knowledge in terms of how to use my body. But when I think about Miriam I think about entitlement; to play her as entitled, but as carefree as possible. She has this physicality where she knows she is going to live forever. She holds all the power.”

Still, despite a female showrunner, viewers are treated to a heavy, gratuitous dose of misogynistic violence, including the ultra-wealthy Laurens Bancroft (James Purefoy), who likes to beat and strangle prostitutes for pleasure with the promise of a new sleeve in the future if they die. The series is also effectively a straight up whodunit, despite a twist here or there, paying homage to the noir of Mickey Spillane and Raymond Chandler.

“I think people will always be interested in crimes of passion. And I don’t think you can do a genre-heavy show and not be influenced by successful, beautiful stories that have gone before,” says Lehman. “But my hope is that viewers will be entertained in a lavish way. The show is full of incredibly committed performances that I think will transport them to another place and time.”

Lehman says she found the concept of the series intriguing, although if she were ever to choose a new “sleeve” she would be torn between returning to life as an athlete who was in Ironman shape or a dog.

“It would be great having all that stamina and physical prowess. But I go back and forth between that and being a dog in a good loving home,” says Lehman.

The show, in between the generous helpings of boobs and blood, attempts to tackle big questions of race, class, the 1 per cent and the influx of technology.

One thing Lehman is not big on is the concept of artificial intelligence taking the place of humans, as depicted in the series. Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking have already raised questions about the dangers of AI.

“My question is less fear-based,” says Lehman. “My question is why do we need this? Why are we doing this when the risks outweigh the benefits to humanity?”

The risks in viewing Altered Carbon are less severe. It is not the home run that Netflix may have been hoping for. But it is an elaborate, although formulaic diversion, into the genre pool.

Altered Carbon’s 10 episodes start streaming on Friday.