The Netflix Sci-Fi Thriller Series Unravels A Mind-Blowing Mystery
Netflix has been ramping up its extensive library with a number of foreign projects in the past year, partially due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, which plagued much of 2023. This isn’t new territory for the streamer, however, as many of Netflix’ greatest and most underrated projects come from foreign markets outside of Hollywood. One such example is Dark, a Netflix original series from Germany that examines a fascinating mystery surrounding a missing child.
Dark ran on Netflix for three seasons, all of which are currently still available to stream on the platform. The series was co-created by filmmaking husband and wife duo Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese. The pair previously collaborated on the independent German film The Silence, and have since co-created another series for Netflix titled 1899.
Though Dark stars a number of German actors who may not be instantly recognizable to American Netflix subscribers, the ensemble cast contains heaps of massive talent, with Louis Hofmann, Karoline Eichhorn, Lisa Vicari, Maja Schöne, and Jördis Triebel taking top-billed positions in the series. The show has been largely praised by critics for its inventive writing, innovative direction, and complex narrative. Dark was listed among the greatest television series of the 21st century by the BBC in 2021, just a year after the show had concluded its illustrious three-season run.
Dark was the first ever German-language original show for Netflix, which had previously produced a host of English-language originals such as Orange Is The New Black, Lilyhammer, and Bojack Horseman. The show centers on a fictional German town called Winden, where a number of children begin mysteriously vanishing. As people begin to panic throughout the town, the secret pasts and dark double lives of several families begin to become uncovered, resulting in an examination of generational trauma that left audiences’ minds blown.
The show’s first season takes place between several timelines, including 2019, 1986, and 1953, and utilizes a time travel device to allow the main characters the ability to interact with their ancestors. The Nielsen, Tiedemann, Doppler, and Kahnwald families specifically make use of a wormhole discovered in a dark cave system in the Netflix series. The second season introduces new storylines that reach into the future and even further into the past as the four families take trips to 2053 and 1921.
Somehow, the dark, twisted secrets of the families in this Netflix original results in a countdown toward the apocalypse, transfixing the residents of Winden in an alternate universe tethered to their original world. The series, known for taking innovative, creative risks, managed to do multiverse tales long before they became a trend in massive film franchises such as the MCU and DCU. The third season’s thrilling conclusion serves as a satisfying wrap-up for the whole show, providing fans with a rare sense of closure.
Dark struck a chord with Netflix audiences, as proven by the show’s terrific scores on Rotten Tomatoes. The series touts a whopping 94 percent audience score alongside a 95 percent certified fresh critical score on the review aggregate site. If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of catching the thrilling mystery, Dark is available to stream on Netflix today.
