Netflix's 3-Part Time Travel Thriller Is Their Best Sci-Fi Show

1 week ago 8

Published Feb 2, 2026, 3:30 PM EST

Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies, television, culture, and politics online and in print since 2017. He worked as a Senior Editor in Adbusters Media Foundation from 2018-2019 and wrote for WhatCulture in early 2020. He has been a Senior Features Writer for ScreenRant since 2020.

While Dark might not be Netflix’s most famous sci-fi series ever, the show is the streaming service’s best foray into the genre. Netflix’s sci-fi anthology show Black Mirror reignited interest in the dormant format, inspiring Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams, 2020’s Amazing Stories, and 2019’s revival of The Twilight Zone.

Meanwhile, Netflix’s other sci-fi anthology show, Love, Death, & Robots, is one of the most consistently inventive and innovative animated shows on streaming. As such, any show that could be called Netflix’s best sci-fi series ever would need to be pretty impressive to beat these two formidable competitors.

Dark Is Netflix's Best Sci-Fi Show

Jonas in Dark, wearing a yellow coat, with the forest behind him

However, the German series Dark manages this feat with style to spare. A slow-burn sci-fi mystery set in a small town, Dark opens on its sprawling cast of characters coping with a child’s mysterious disappearance. While this might sound a lot like the plot of Netflix’s earlier hit Stranger Things, rest assured, Dark takes its story somewhere else entirely.

To say much more would be to give away entirely too much about the show’s true story, but suffice to say that Dark’s many characters are as intriguing and layered as the grounded, believable sci-fi situation they find themselves in. Although the show traffics in some genre elements that are notoriously tricky to get right, Dark only became more compelling with each season.

What Makes Dark Such A Special Series

The show’s ending was planned from before season 1’s debut, meaning Dark’s self-contained plot is deeply satisfying in an era when many sci-fi shows are canceled before they can wrap up their storylines properly. However, this limited runtime didn’t limit Dark’s ambition at all.

On the contrary, the German show told a generations-spanning story that rewarded repeat viewings, calling to mind offbeat genre classics like Donnie Darko and director Shane Carruth’s Primer. Focused on a complex conspiracy, Dark lived up to its title with its twisty, unpredictable plotting.

Dark Deserves To Be Seen Multiple Times

When it comes to small-town shows that blend character drama, mysterious conspiracies, sci-fi elements, and a touch of horror, there is no getting around the influence of David Lynch’s iconic ABC show Twin Peaks. Like Twin Peaks, Dark tells a satisfying three-season story that takes its time coming together.

Like Lynch and co-writer Mark Frost’s masterpiece, Dark also rewards repeat viewing with a plot that becomes clearer and more ingenious when revisited with a fresh set of eyes. Viewers who were shocked by twists the first time around will find themselves equally amazed by how thoroughly Dark quietly foreshadowed these revelations upon a second viewing.