Published Sep 23, 2026, 7:52 PM EDT
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Carolyn Jenkins is a voracious consumer of film and television. She graduated from Long Island University with an MFA in Screenwriting and Producing where she learned the art of character, plot, and structure. The best teacher is absorbing media and she spends her time reading about different worlds from teen angst to the universe of Stephen King.
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There was a time when Netflix was the definition of prestige television, and that time came and went with one perfect sci-fi series. Debuting in 2017, Dark is the German-language moody time-travel series that bent the minds of anyone who watched it. For three seasons, it took viewers through plot turns that no one saw coming and a time travel system that established itself as far better than anything else that tried.
Dark is a masterpiece, and it came and went in a flash. Only lasting three seasons, the series proved that there is such a thing as a concise and speedy series that needs no IP to encourage fan fervor. Clocking in at only 26 episodes, Dark goes by in a breeze, but also motivates fans to see it again and again.
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There are many schools of thought when it comes to time travel, and sometimes they’re not flawless. Back to the Future kept it easy by establishing the sci-fi rules that the future can be changed. Lost went in an entirely different direction, hammering home the concept of fate. Even when the survivors go back in time, it was always meant to happen. Whatever happened, happened, as they say. Dark bests all these concepts, making a series that begs viewers to watch it over and over.
The Netflix sci-fi mystery takes place in the town of Winden, which seems to be cursed with tragedy. Secrets and pain guard this town, and it seems that every 33 years, something catastrophic occurs. High schooler Jonas (Louis Hofmann) finds himself at the center of it when a young boy, Mikkel (Daan Lennard Liebranz), goes missing. Gone without a trace, it seems that his kidnapping was the perfect crime.
Of course, not everything in Winden is as it seems, and when dead bodies from the ‘80s start materializing without any sign of wear or aging, it seems that the only natural conclusion is time travel. Sure enough, Jonas finds in the Winden Caves a time loop that recurs every few decades. Dark takes viewers through Jonas’ realization as well as the trials of all the characters born and raised in the town who can never be freed of this misery.
Whether they know it or not, everyone is affected by the time loop, most importantly, Jonas. Mikkel wasn’t actually kidnapped but sucked into one of these portals with no way of getting home. Dark doesn’t just leave the drama of the series in the hands of time travel, however.
The real compelling elements of the narrative are the characters at the center of everything. Every single one is complicated and fleshed out in their own way. As the mystery starts to unravel, viewers come to understand why these people act the way they do. Dark also accomplishes something that no other time travel adventure can.
The Netflix show increases the stakes every season while adding to the ever-more complicated lore. While stories can get convoluted when this happens, in this case, it just makes the show more compelling. Dark never falters for a second, and the intricate timelines make it an obvious choice to watch over and over again.
Science Fiction
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2017 - 2020-00-00
Marc O. Seng, Martin Behnke, Ronny Schalk