The third and final series of Dark recently aired on Netflix, and it has left us devastated and confused in equal measure. Dark is one of the best shows on Netflix, but it demands your full concentration. It’s a German series that picks up after a child’s disappearance in the small town of Winden.
The unfortunate event brings together four estranged families as they uncover a time travel conspiracy spanning many generations. Dark’s narrative is as complicated as it is engaging. Unfortunately, we won’t get another season of the show, and you might be looking for alternatives.
We have compiled a list of shows similar to Dark that will leave you glued to the screen.
Stranger Things (2016- )
As soon as the first season of Dark dropped, people started comparing it to Netflix’s Stranger Things. The first similarity about both shows was that they picked up after a child’s disappearance.
In Stranger Things, the child’s disappearance led to the discovery of a secret government base that conducted experiments on extraterrestrial creatures and an alternate dimension known as the Upside Down.
Dark is more complicated than Stranger Things, but the shows share many similarities. They are bound to get more similar as there is a possibility that time travel will be included in season four of Stranger Things.
Counterpart (2017-2019)
Have you ever wondered how versions of yourself are faring in alternate universes? Howard Silk found the means to find out when he uncovered a gateway to a parallel earth underneath his workplace building. The possibility that Silk’s wife is alive draws him towards this new earth.
Silk ends up meeting his likeness from the parallel universe, who ends up being nothing like him because of the different decisions the pair makes during their lifetimes. This underrated show on Amazon Prime definitely deserves your time.
The OA (2016-2019)
You would be quite excited after one of your friends reappears after seven years. However, you would also have your fair share of questions when the previously blind friend appears with perfect eyesight, a new identity, and scars on her back. The above situation describes Prairie Johnson after she suddenly reappears, calling herself The OA (Original Angel).
Prairie refuses to tell her parents where she has been for the past seven years and how she regained her eyesight. Instead, she assembles a team consisting of a group of friends to help her open a portal to another dimension, which she claims will help rescue others like her. The OA is available on Netflix.
12 Monkeys (2015-2018)
12 Monkeys is an American SyFy series loosely based on the 1995 film of the same name. It features a scavenger known as James Cole, who is tasked with traveling from 2043 to 2015 to stop the release of an apocalyptic virus by an organization known as the ‘Army of the 12 Monkeys.’
In Cole’s timeline, the virus killed seven billion humans in 2017. After going back in time, Cole links up with virologist Dr. Cassandra Railly to try and identify the leader of the Army of the 12 Monkeys. 12 Monkeys is available on Hulu.
Continuum (2012-2015)
Continuum starts as the world prepares for the execution of a terrorist group known as Liber8. However, Liber8 successfully executes a plan to time travel to 2012 to escape execution. Unfortunately, they also bring back a brilliant law enforcement officer known as Kiera Cameron.
She teams up with Alec Sadler to stop Liber8 from changing the future. Kiera also plans to get back to husband and young son. As the series progresses, we see how Kiera and Liber8 actions affect the future.
Wayward Pines (2015-2016)
There is perhaps no show that is as complicated as Dark, but Wayward Pines comes quite close. There is no time travel in Wayward Pines, but it is one hell of a mysterious show. Ethan Burke regains consciousness after a car accident in the town of Wayward Pines, Idaho.
Burke had traveled to Wayward Pines to investigate the disappearance of two secrets service agents. He discovers that one of the agents is dead, and the other agent and Ethan’s former lover has settled in the town.
Wayward Pines seems to be a beautiful place to live until Ethan discovers that he can’t contact the outside world and isn’t allowed to leave. The town’s Sheriff executes anyone who attempts to flee Wayward Pines.
Travelers (2016-2018)
Travelers is about a group of special operatives from the future who plan to go back to the past to alter a series of events that led up to an apocalypse. The operatives import their consciousness to host bodies of past individuals who are close to death.
Travelers have strict protocols that they must adhere to for the mission to become a success. Unfortunately, they find out that adhering to those protocols won’t be as easy as they thought. Travelers is available on Netflix.
Twin Peaks (1990-1991)
Twin Peaks ran for only two seasons in the early 1990s, but it is considered one of the greatest television shows of all time. It followed special agent Dale Cooper and Sheriff Harry Truman as they endeavored to solve the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer in the fictional town of Twin Peaks.
As Dale and Harry investigated, they uncovered more than they had bargained for. They discovered that the sleepy town of Twin Peaks hid some dark, supernatural secrets. Twin Peaks is available on Netflix.
Castle Rock (2018- )
Stephen King has inspired several hit shows and films, including Hulu’s hit series Castle Rock. The series is set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine. Henry Deaver visits Castle Rock after a mysterious and enigmatic inmate requests for him by name.
However, it turns out that Henry is a Castle Rock native who fled after people suspected him of killing his adoptive father. Henry’s return rocks the town as he battles demons from his past.