Netflix reveals Cowboy Bebop release date and first full look at John Cho’s Spike

Cowboy Bebop Netflix series
(Image credit: Netflix)

Three, two, one… let’s jam: Netflix has revealed the first look at its Cowboy Bebop live-action series and announced a release date.

Cowboy Bebop will be available to watch on Netflix from November 19 and, as you can see in the gallery below, John Cho’s version of Spike is incredibly faithful to the original, while Faye (Daniella Pineda) gets what we’ll call a slightly more restrained look from the anime. The ‘90s were a different time, after all. Mustafa Shakir’s Jet Black looks suitably done-with-this-shit too, which is very on-brand.

Click through the below gallery for more Cowboy Bebop images.

That batch of images, which also feature good boy Ein, might also tip us off to which parts of the anime the first season might cover.

One image that stands out is the intense shot of Spike, gun in hand, at a church. Bebop diehards will recognize a version of this scene immediately: it’s one of Spike’s few showdowns with series villain Vicious and ranks as one of the original show’s most iconic scenes.

If you’re not familiar with the original anime – nor Netflix’s fresh take on it – the new synopsis is also here to bring you up to speed.

"Cowboy Bebop is an action-packed space Western about three bounty hunters, aka 'cowboys,' all trying to outrun the past. As different as they are deadly, Spike Spiegel (John Cho), Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), and Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda) form a scrappy, snarky crew ready to hunt down the solar system’s most dangerous criminals — for the right price. But they can only kick and quip their way out of so many scuffles before their pasts finally catch up with them."

All the pieces are finally coming together. Netflix had previously announced that series composer Yoko Konno will be returning to pen some new pieces. Given how instrumental her music was to the original’s success, it’s a great capture for the  live-action series.

For more from the streamer, check out the best Netflix shows you should be watching right now.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.