Summary
Apple TV+‘sDark Matteris a mind-bending science-fiction series featuring a grounded approach to the multiverse. Adapted fromBlake Crouch’sDark Matternovel, the series sees Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) plucked out of his own universe and replaced by a version of himself from a different universe. Through the Box, this story’s means of traveling through the multiverse, Jason1 must find a way back to his own universe and to reunite with his family and save them from his identical impostor, Jason2, before it’s too late.
WhileDark Matterseason 1 has concluded with unanswered questions, and a potential season 2 remains unconfirmed, there are plenty of other television series to watch that deal with similar themes and sci-fi elements. Many of these series also explore the multiverse, a single alternate reality, or a world that includes multiple versions of the same individual. Other recommendations are featured because their approach to the science-fiction genre is just as ambitious as that ofDark Matter.
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2016-2022
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2013-2017
2017-2020
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Rick and Morty
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Dark Matter’s Multiverse Compared To Other Movies & TV Shows
Elements of Dark Matter reflect other multiverse stories told on TV and in movies, but the Apple TV+ adaptation also makes its own mark on the trope.
10Severance (2022-Present)
Ben Stiller Directs A Unique Sci-Fi Take On Capitalism
Apple TV+ has gained a reputation for its many stellar science-fiction series, withSeverancearguably being the best of them all.Severancefollows the life of an employee named Mark S. at a corporation called Lumon Industries, where he and other employees have undergone a medical procedure called"severance"that separates their work and non-work memories. As Mark’s two lives and separate sets of memories gradually begin to collide, it becomes clear that something deeply sinister is happening at Lumon.
LikeDark Matter,Severancehas an ambitious sci-fi premise, but it works because the story is largely grounded in everyday people and everyday occurrences. There are no superheroes or superpowers. Instead,Severanceadds drama and high stakes to the common absurdities and trivialities of corporate office culture, akin to the drama that exists inDark Matter’s impostor Jason2 trying to blend into and replace Jason1’s mundane and ordinary life.
Cast
Severance is a psychological thriller series featuring Adam Scott as Mark Scout, an employee at Lumon Industries who undergoes a “severance” procedure to separate his work and personal memories. However, as work and life personas mysteriously begin to collide, it quickly becomes clear that not all is as it seems. Created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle.
9Westworld (2016-2022)
An Engaging Sci-Fi Thriller That Focuses On Multiple Characters’ Timelines
HBO’sWestworldtakes place in a Wild West-themed park where guests can interact with and live out their fantasies with perfectly lifelike androids referred to as hosts. This status quo is upended when some of the hosts begin to question the nature of their reality. As the series progresses, multiple versions of different hosts are created, along with hosts modeled after and resembling certain human characters.
Westworldis based on a 1973 film of the same name, written and directed byJurassic Park’s Michael Crichton.
Even thoughWestworlddoesn’t feature a multiverse, the multiple versions of the same characters and questioning the nature of reality go hand-in-hand withDark Matter. Both series tell ambitious stories and use the science-fiction genre to examine complex philosophical questions about identity and autonomy.Westworldalso featuresDark Matteractor Jimmi Simpson, who earned an Emmy Award nomination for his performance in the HBO series.
Westworld
Westworld is a television series set in a futuristic Wild West-themed amusement park where advanced android hosts cater to human guests' desires. The series explores the themes of artificial consciousness and human morality as the lines between reality and artificiality begin to blur.
8Silo (2023-Present)
Dark Sci-Fi Starring Rebecca Ferguson and Tim Robbins
Silotells the story of a future where a community lives in a giant, 144-level underground silo, and venturing into the toxic world outside is a death sentence. Beyond being a dystopian science-fiction story,Silopresents a multi-genre narrativeas it is also a political thriller and contains many elements of a procedural mystery. One of the silo’s engineers, Juliette Nichols, is thrust into the investigation of several mysterious deaths and long-held secrets, leading her to unearth the alarming truth about the silo.
Dark Matteris a science-fiction series, above all else, but especially in its early episodes, it also contains a great deal of mystery as Jason1 tries to understand who kidnapped him, how he ended up in a different universe, how the Box works, and how he can return to his own universe. Both series are filled with mind-blowing and unpredictable plot twists. With Jason1 being an ordinary physics professor andSilo’s Juliette being an engineer who resides in the lowest levels of the silo, the protagonists are thrown into the midst of extraordinary circumstances they feel ill-equipped to navigate.
Silo
In a dystopian future, men and women reside in a vast underground silo governed by strict regulations, believed to shield them from the hazardous world above. The series delves into the complex social order within the silo and the mysteries surrounding their subterranean existence.
Silo Season 1 Ending Explained
Apple TV+’s Silo season 1 introduces many mysteries and nagging questions in its dystopian drama and waits till its ending moments to resolve them.
7For All Mankind (2019-Present)
A Sci-Fi Show That Rewrites American History
For All Mankinddoesn’t feature multiple alternate realities, but instead explores a single alternate reality over the course of the series. This timeline follows analternate history where the Soviet Union lands with a crew on the moonbefore the United Statesand the global space race continues. Each season takes place a decade later in the timeline, allowing the series to explore the progression of this world in depth.
Dark Matterpresents many fascinating and visually captivating universes, including worlds plagued by natural disasters and infestations that wiped out most of the human population, seemingly utopian worlds, and worlds that only contain minor differences from Jason1’s universe. The series doesn’t stay in most of these universes for long, as Jason1 is focused on returning to his universe where his family still resides.For All Mankindis an opportunity to see what happens in an alternate universe over the course of several decades.
For All Mankind
Imagine a world where the global space race never ended - For All Mankind is a thrilling “what if” take on history that explores what would have happened in the race to the moon between the Soviet Union and the United States, as well as the space programs and the race’s effects on the astronauts and their families in the aftermath. The Apple TV+ series hails from Ronald D. Moore and stars Joel Kinnaman as a NASA astronaut. For All Mankind also features historical astronauts like Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong.
6Orphan Black (2013-2017)
An Acting Master Class From Tatiana Maslany
Orphan Blackfollows a clone named Sarah Manning and other clones identical to her, all of whom are played by Tatiana Maslany. One of the best parts ofOrphan Blackisexperiencing the acting masterclass Maslany puts onthrough her various performances. Similarly, one of the best parts ofDark Matteris seeing Edgerton play multiple versions of Jason.
Edgerton makes each version of Jason feel both distinct and similar to Jason1, as do Simpson, Jennifer Connelly, and the otherDark Mattercast members who play multiple versions of their characters. BothOrphan BlackandDark Matterare also interested in examining the ethical implications of their science-fiction premises and how they impact identity. Ultimately, the best science-fiction stories are often moral explorations of identity.
5Dark (2017-2020)
A Deep Adventure Through Time
Dark Matteris arguably themost mind-boggling show sinceDark, which makes the Netflix series an ideal show to watch next. Whether it be Jason1 getting kidnapped inDark Matteror two children going missing inDark, both series take seemingly straightforward incidents and use them as the launchpad to explore complex scientific concepts. InDark Matter’s case, it’s the multiverse, and inDark’s case, it’s time travel and alternate timelines, with many shifts occurring between the various universes and timelines.
As the characters in the respective series venture deeper through alternate timelines or through the multiverse, the consequences only become steeper and more complex, which inevitably raises the stakes further. Thematically, bothDark MatterandDarkare greatly interested in their characters experiencing regret, the different choices they could’ve made in life, and"the road not taken.“This leads to intriguing questions about free will in stories that can get tonally grim, but deeply compelling.
Dark
Dark is a German science fiction thriller focusing on four families in a small town impacted by the disappearance of a child. As they search for answers, they uncover a web of interconnected secrets, revealing complex temporal and familial relationships spanning multiple generations.
4What If…? (2021-Present)
A Marvel Series That Explores The Multiverse Of What Could Be And What Could Have Been
Dark Matterdistinguishes itself by being a multiverse story devoid of superheroes, supervillains, and superpowers, but for those interested in a multiverse that features these elements, Marvel’sWhat If…?is the perfect show to watch. Some episodes focus on a conflict that only affects a single universe, while others deal with far-reaching consequences that can impact the entire multiverse. Each episode is narrated by the all-seeing Uatu the Watcher, who is also a character in the show.
Some characters fromWhat If…?have made the transition to the live-action MCU, like Captain Carter inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
What If…?doesn’t shy away from the dauntingly infinite nature of the multiverseand the endless possibilities it presents. Neither doesDark Matter, which visually communicates this with the never-ending hallways of the Box lined with doors, each of them leading to a different universe. WhileWhat If…?is more humorous and fantastical thanDark Matter, its take on the multiverse can still be bleak and terrifying, especially when Doctor Strange gets involved.
What If…?
What If… ? is an animated anthology series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe which features fan-favorite characters, including Peggy Carter, T’Challa, Doctor Strange, Killmonger, Thor, and more. The new series, directed by Bryan Andrews with AC Bradley as head writer, features signature MCU action with a curious twist. The show sees Uatu the Watcher, an omnipotent being that observes the events of multiple universes from afar as they unfold, unable to interfere. However, things shift when an entity peers beyond the veil, jeopardizing the multiverse.
33 Body Problem (2024-Present)
The Netflix Series Has An Expansive, Infinite Universe
3 Body Problemis an expansive story in which the events of the Chinese Cultural Revolution led to an alien species being contacted. Instead of telling yet another tale of humanity fighting off an alien invasion,3 Body Problem’s aliens won’t arrive on Earth for approximately another 400 years. This enables the series to focus more on its human characters, and their response to the San-Ti’s arrival, and the danger the San-Ti have already placed them in.
With a story spanning centuries and a universe in which it will take centuries for the San-Ti to reach Earth,3 Body Problem’s universe feels infinite.Dark Matter’s multiverse is literally infinite, as it spans endless universes.3 Body ProblemandDark Matterare science-fiction series unafraid to take on tremendous scope and world-building, which works because all these elements are grounded in relatable and nuanced characters.
3 Body Problem
3 Body Problem is a Netflix original series from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, along with Alexander Woo. Based on the novel of the same name by Liu Cixin, 3 Body Problem centers on a detective who joins forces with a group of scientists after an unknown force begins killing scientists around the world.
2Rick and Morty (2013-Present)
Rick and Mortymay seem too absurd and juvenile in its humor and tone to be anything likeDark Matter.Nevertheless, there are parallels between the series, the most obvious being their reliance on the multiverse. Many of the other parallels are between Rick and Jason2, withboth characters not living in their original universe, but instead primarily living in a different universewhere they try to make it seem like they fit in and have always been there.
Jason2 and Rick are also both brilliant scientists. Jason2 successfully created the Box that made multiverse travel possible, while for Jason1, it was only ever a theory that he never pursued or tried to make a reality. Rick’s scientific genius is used to create many groundbreaking innovations throughout the series, including the portal gun, the neutrino bomb, and most fittingly, the formula on how to create concentrated dark matter.
Rick and Morty is an animated science fiction series that follows the eccentric scientist Rick Sanchez and his impressionable grandson Morty Smith as they embark on perilous adventures across space and alternate dimensions. The show explores the impact of these exploits on Morty’s tumultuous family life and personal challenges.
1From (2022-Present)
Stephen King-Esque Sci-Fi
StarringLost’s Harold Perrineau,Fromtells the story of a small town that keeps its denizens trapped and that is plagued by flesh-eating monstersthat emerge every night after sunset. The science-fiction horror series contains a great deal of mystery as the characters seek to understand how they ended up in the town in the first place, how to protect themselves against the town’s many dangers, and most importantly, how to escape and find a way home. The mysteries only deepen as threats even greater than the monsters begin to reveal themselves.
A similar sense of mysterious dread and tension hangs overDark Matteras Jason1 traverses the multiverse and as Jason2 takes Jason1’s life as his own. Both series contain mysteries to solve and a feeling of trapped desperation, whether it’s Jason1 feeling trapped in the Box, orFrom’s characters trapped in the town. As grim as both series get, at the heart of the stories is the relatable desire to return home and be reunited with loved ones again.
From
From is a series revolving around a mysterious American town that ensnares newcomers, forcing its inhabitants to maintain order and find an escape amidst nighttime perils from the surrounding forest. The residents face threats from terrifying creatures emerging after sunset, complicating their struggle for survival.
Dark Matter
Dark Matter (2024): Jason Dessen is thrust into an alternate reality where he must confront an ominous version of himself. His quest to return to his original life leads him on a challenging journey to reunite with his family, navigating the complexities of parallel existences.
