A continuous Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell culture process comprised of a highly proliferative N‐1 perfusion bioreactor utilizing a hydrocyclone as a cell retention device linked to a production continuous‐flow stirred tank reactor (CSTR) is presented. The overflow stream from the hydrocyclone, which is only partially depleted of cells, provides a continuous source of high viability cells from the N‐1 perfusion bioreactor to the 5–20 times larger CSTR. Under steady‐state conditions, this linked‐bioreactor system achieved a peak volumetric productivity of 0.96 g/L/day, twofold higher than the optimized fed‐batch process. The linked bioreactor system using a hydrocyclone was also shown to be 1.8–3.1 times more productive than a dual, cascading CSTR system without cell retention.