Cybersix (1999)—A Forgotten Show that Deserves a Reboot

Back when I was a kid, one of my favorite hobbies was staying up late watching TV. Why? Because that’s when all the good stuff was on, such as The Batman Animated Series and Batman Beyond. But while I enjoyed these shows, I’d occasionally stumble across something more obscure. Something that would’ve flown under most people’s radar. And one of those shows was an animated series known as Cybersix, which spanned for a total of thirteen episodes. Each episode was around twenty minutes long and aired in Canada on the network Teletoon.

By day, Adrian Seidelman (voiced by Cathy Weseluck) is an unassuming high school English literature teacher who has a crush on fellow science teacher Lucas Amato (voiced by Michael Dobson). But by night, he—or rather she—is known as Cybersix, an artificially enhanced being who fights the evil Dr. Von Reichter (voiced by Terry Klassen). Being one of the escaped creations of Von Reichter, Cybersix swears to take down her creator as he aims at taking over the city of Meridiana. Along her quest for justice, she encounters many allies, including her thought-to-be deceased brother Data-7 whose brain is in the body of a jaguar. As she nears her goal, Lucas becomes increasingly enamored with Cybersix and comes closer to discovering her secret identity.

It’s funny how often we come across things by sheer luck. Since discovering Cybersix, I was quickly enamoured by its premise, characters, art style and theme song. I loved it so much that I was even caught doodling the characters in my math workbook! But after I moved to the U.S., I lost access to the show. I forgot about it over time, but remnants of it would still linger in the back of my mind. Fast forward twenty years later, I rediscovered it just from recollecting the title character’s aesthetic. After finding the show on Tubi, I fell in love with the series all over again if only for the nostalgia. But I’m no longer a kid, I have a college degree (which I’m using to help me review movies. Yep, thanks college). So you know what that means: it’s research time!

Cybersix originated as a series of Argentinian comics that centered on the “Cyber series”, a biologically engineered super soldiers created by a former Nazi scientist, Dr. Von Reichter. Nearly all 5,000 of them failed, with the exception of Cybersix and Data-7. She fled to South America where she assumed the identity of a male English literature teacher named Adrian Seidelman. And funnily enough, her disguise consists of a slicked back hair, glasses and a suit and tie. This was not only a nod to Superman, but was also one of the few times a woman would disguise themselves as a man in a kids’ show. Compared to the societal norms in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Cybersix is one of the most progressive childhood shows I’ve revisited.

The comics were a massive success in both Argentina and Italy. So much so that a live action series was developed. It was made on a low budget and only had a total of eight episodes before it was cancelled due to negative ratings. Today, the series is considered lost media and only six of the original eight have been found. And since I’m a bit of an internet sleuth with too much time on my hands, I’ve actually managed to get ahold of a few episodes. Although they have a certain charm to them, they are poorly acted, written, have a piss-poor wardrobe and somehow even worse special effects. I mean, the costumes for the fixed ideas were literally just football shoulder pads and hockey helmets! Not to mention that Cybersix combs her hair in front of her face as Adrian, something that would very obviously give away her identity! I’m so glad we got the much more successful animated series.

Unlike the comics, the show never delves into the same depths as its source material. There is no mention of the Nazis and the Cyber series’ experimentation is heavily toned down. I understand that Teletoon wanted to make a kid’s show, but it really detracts from the storytelling. It would be almost as if Superman: The Animated Series glossed over his Kryptonian heritage. Without the full utilization of its source material, Cybersix feels hollow. For example, Dr. Von Reichter is not stated to be a Nazi, yet his henchmen all goose step. Why? Did they just like how the Nazis marched? But if you thought that was bad enough, the writing really didn’t do the series any justice. The dialogue feels really dated and even hokey at times. Just take a look at Episode 2.

Due to lower ratings outside of Canada and increasing budget costs, the animated show was cancelled after only one season. This is sad, as the series had a beautiful art style, an interesting premise and so much potential to be explored. I really wished we could’ve seen more of Von Reichter’s creations and the relationship between Lucas and Adrian/Cybersix. To add salt to the wound, the season finale even ended on a cliffhanger. I hope that Netflix decides to pick up Cybersix for a remake and delve deeper into the darker lore from the comics. It could have the same animation as their Castlevania series while following a crime thriller tone akin to that of the Daredevil series. With Netflix’s recent track record of animated shows, I fully believe that they could make a stellar reboot of this forgotten cartoon.

By the end of the day, Cybersix was one of those shows along with Aeon Flux that were not only entertaining with badass female leads, but also added a unique spin on classic superhero and comic book tropes. Even though the show only lasted for a single season, it had a profound impact on my childhood. So much so that I still think of it even as an adult. In an era where comic book films have oversaturated both cinemas and streaming services, Cybersix truly does bring a fresh breath of air to the genre. And in a time where forgotten media is being remade to great success, maybe the Cybersix franchise should experience a revitalization.