Fringe remains one of the most ambitious and influential additions to the sci-fi genre on the small screen, and many viewers miss the JJ Abrams series even to this day. Fortunately, fans of the show can now check out a compelling Apple TV sci-fi book adaptation that perfectly fills the void Fringe left behind.
In its early moments, Fringe takes an intriguing mystery-of-the-week approach and gives viewers a taste of its vision by dropping one bizarre and often unsettling case after another. However, after grounding its drama in procedural familiarity, Fringe grows into a fascinatingly addictive exploration of everything from parallel universes to alternate timelines.
Although Fringe can never truly be replaced, an ongoing Apple TV sci-fi show eases the pain of its absence.
Apple TV’s Dark Matter Is The Perfect Show For Fans Of Fringe
Audiences still obsessed with JJ Abrams’ Fringe, especially its “Over There” episodes, must watch Apple TV’s Dark Matter, which adapts Blake Crouch’s book of the same name.
Similar to Fringe, Apple TV’s Dark Matter takes complex theoretical concepts like quantum entanglement and observer’s effect and spins them into a more grounded and understandable yarn. Like Fringe, there are times when Dark Matter stretches the suspension of disbelief with its portrayal of “fringe” science. However, it never loses sight of human stories that anchor its hard sci-fi.
In both shows, characters end up hopping from one world to another, encountering dual versions of themselves and realizing that they only belong in their original universes. Their encounters in their alternate worlds also help them realize how one single choice ripples into the future and completely alters it.
Although Fringe is arguably more expansive in its vision and came out during a time when multiverses were not commonly portrayed in movies and TV shows, Dark Matter scratches the hard-sci-fi itch in a way that feels more introspective.
Given how Dark Matter is also set to return on Apple TV with another season, it is the perfect time for Fringe fans to check it out.
Dark Matter Is An Overlooked Sci-Fi Gem On Apple TV
Dark Matter managed to be successful enough to land another installment. However, compared to most other mainstream Apple TV sci-fi shows, like Silo, Severance, Pluribus, and Foundation, it remains relatively underappreciated. Its biggest strength over most Apple TV sci-fi adaptations is that its source material’s author is its creator.
The Apple TV sci-fi show is also driven by the brilliant performances of Joel Edgerton, Alice Braga, and Jennifer Connelly in season 1, who are all set to return in the next installment.
There are times when Dark Matter feels a little too derivative, especially because we have seen so many multiverse narratives on the big and small screen. However, it still manages to keep its world-jumping twists fresh and creative while immersing audiences into its relatable familial drama.
If you enjoyed Fringe and still miss it after all these years, Apple TV’s Dark Matter might be the perfect show for you.
