---
title: "Dark Matter"
year: 2024
kind: "series"
canonical: "https://film.one/tv/dark-matter"
fi1m_id: "dark-matter"
imdb_id: "tt19231492"
tmdb_id: 196322
wikidata_id: "Q114554430"
fi1m_score: 61
critics_score: 64
critics_reviews: 11
published: "2026-09-22T20:59:16.361673+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-22T20:59:23.382677+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Dark Matter (2024)

Created by Blake Crouch · MPA TV-MA · Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama

## Identity

Dark Matter

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/dark-matter
- **Type:** Series
- **Fi1m ID:** dark-matter
- **IMDb ID:** tt19231492
- **TMDB ID:** 196322
- **Wikidata ID:** Q114554430
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19231492/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/196322, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q114554430

**Fi1m score: 61** · Critics 64 from 11 reviews

*In a sentence:* Every door in the multiverse opens onto Joel Edgerton looking worried

> Blake Crouch adapts his own novel into nine handsome, glum hours in which Joel Edgerton plays two versions of one man. The idea is good and the first two episodes grip; after that the series keeps opening doors onto rooms we have already seen.

## Synopsis

Chicago, the present day. Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) teaches physics at a small college, is married to Daniela (Jennifer Connelly), who gave up painting to raise their son Charlie (Oakes Fegley), and is mostly content. His old friend Ryan Holder (Jimmi Simpson) is celebrating a breakthrough Jason might once have made himself, and Jason goes out to toast him. Walking home he is forced into a van by a masked man and drugged. He wakes in a hangar where strangers applaud his return, and a psychiatrist, Dr. Amanda Lucas (Alice Braga), asks how the journey was. In this Chicago he never married Daniela. He built a box instead, a grey cube run by Leighton Vance (Dayo Okeniyi), and somebody who looks exactly like him has gone home to his wife.

## Review

Blake Crouch has adapted his own 2016 novel into a nine-episode series, and the question it asks is the old one: what if you had chosen differently. Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) teaches physics at a small Chicago college, is married to Daniela (Jennifer Connelly), who gave up painting, and has a teenage son, Charlie (Oakes Fegley). One night he is bundled into a van, and wakes in a hangar where strangers applaud him for coming back. In this world he never married and built a box instead. It is a good premise, and for two episodes the series treats it like one.

Edgerton plays both men and has the sense not to play them very differently. The Jason who went home is warm, distracted, a little soft in the shoulders; the one who built the box stands straighter and smiles a fraction late. Nothing else changes, which is the point. Connelly has the harder job, a woman who notices something wrong in her own kitchen without being able to say what, and she does it without a speech, in the way she watches her husband eat. The scenes between them, in either world, are the ones we believed.

Patricio M. Farrell’s box is the best thing in the series: a plain dark cube with a single door, and beyond the door a corridor that goes on further than the eye can follow, lined with identical doors. Jeffrey Greeley and John Lindley light the corridor flat and even, so nothing in it tells you where you are, and shoot the Chicago outside in cold, clean blues, all glass and wet pavement. Mac Quayle and Jason Hill’s score is a low electronic hum that sits under everything and never lifts. After four hours we wanted it to.

Nine hours is the trouble. The corridor is a fine image and the script knows one thing to do with it: open a door, find a Chicago that is ruined or a Chicago with one small difference, close the door, argue in the corridor. Alice Braga’s Amanda Lucas, the psychiatrist who comes along for the journey, is given the job of asking Jason what he is feeling roughly every twenty minutes, and Braga is far better than the job. Nobody in any world is glad to be alive. We were gripped by the first episode, the van and the hangar and the applause; by the sixth we were counting the doors and had stopped wondering what was behind them.

Jimmi Simpson’s Ryan Holder, the friend whose career went where Jason’s did not, is the one loose, likeable presence, and the series uses him less than it should. Dayo Okeniyi’s Leighton Vance runs the place that built the box and glowers on schedule. Ten directors and seven editors are credited across the season, Jakob Verbruggen and Alik Sakharov among the former, and the episodes have the smooth, matched look that comes of that. None of them has a signature, and none is allowed one.

The multiverse on television has mostly been an excuse for costumes. Crouch’s version is smaller and more honest: not a thousand selves but two, and one marriage. It sits nearer the old ghost story about the man shown the life he did not live than to anything with capes, and that is to its credit. Those stories are over in two hours, though, because the lesson is learned in two hours, and this one keeps reteaching it with a slightly different skyline.

Watch the first two episodes and see whether the corridor gets you. If it does, the middle is there, and the last hour rewards some patience. It carries a 15 certificate, first aired on 7 May 2024, and a second season of ten episodes followed.

*Fi1m score 61, published 22 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics come away favourably disposed, if not excited. The praise gathers around Joel Edgerton, who plays two versions of the same man and, the reviews agree, keeps them distinct without fuss; Jennifer Connelly and Alice Braga are named as steadying presences alongside him. There is also approval for how the series uses its parallel-worlds premise: for regret and roads not taken rather than for spectacle, with a love story underneath the physics. Several reviews call it accessible, and one or two find it satisfying by the finale.

The reservations cluster almost entirely on length. Nine episodes is too many for most of the critics, who complain of padding, wheel-spinning and long stretches of explanation, and note the source novel is tighter. The spread is wide. /Film puts it ahead of anything the genre has managed in years; The Hollywood Reporter finds only one tone, a glum one, and IndieWire calls it handsome but shallow.

## Straight answers

**Is Dark Matter worth watching?**

*Dark Matter* is worth watching for anyone who likes a what-if premise and has patience for a slow middle, and we scored it 61. The first two episodes grip, Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly are good in every world, and the box itself is a fine image. After that the series keeps opening doors onto rooms we have already seen.

**How long is Dark Matter, and what is it rated?**

*Dark Matter* is rated TV-MA by the MPA in the US. It is a sci-fi & fantasy and drama series.

**Where can I watch Dark Matter in the US?**

*Dark Matter* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and The Roku Channel in the US. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Dark Matter, and is it suitable for children?**

*Dark Matter* carries a UK 15 certificate, so it is not for children, though older teenagers should be fine. The first episode has a man forced into a van and drugged, and later hours visit ruined versions of Chicago, but the mood is glum and adult rather than gory or frightening. Nobody in any world is glad to be alive.

**How does Dark Matter compare to The Double Life of Véronique?**

*Dark Matter* and [*The Double Life of Véronique*](https://film.one/film/the-double-life-of-veronique) both ask what a second version of one life might look like, but Kieślowski's film is the finer work by some distance. It tells its story in two hours with two women and no machinery, and it is quietly moving where the series is merely glum. Choose the series if you want a plotted sci-fi thriller; choose the film if you want to feel something.

**Is Dark Matter based on a true story or a book?**

*Dark Matter* is based on Blake Crouch's 2016 novel of the same name, adapted for television by Crouch himself, and it is not a true story. The series explains its own premise clearly in the first two episodes, so you do not need to have read the book. We cannot say how closely it follows the novel.

**What should I watch after Dark Matter?**

After *Dark Matter*, try [*The Double Life of Véronique*](https://film.one/film/the-double-life-of-veronique) (1991, Fi1m 86): Kieślowski’s two women, one in Poland and one in France, and no box required. Then [*Devs*](https://film.one/tv/devs) (2020, Fi1m 68): Alex Garland’s quiet, frightening series about a machine that watches every possible past.

### Reviews we read (11)

- **Radio Times**, Louise Griffin (4/5): Apple TV+’s Dark Matter is a gloriously faithful and thrilling adaptation that carves out eight hours worth watching immediately. Edgerton’s performance as multiple versions of Jason Dessen is standout, making each distinct while the story’s heart as a love story elevates the parallel-worlds concept. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/dark-matter-review-apple-tv/)
- **Empire**, James Dyer (75/100, inferred): The series is an engaging, accessible trans-dimensional thriller that maintains Apple’s status as the home of thoughtful sci-fi. It balances high-concept science fiction, introspective drama and quantum physics exploration, though the nine-episode length occasionally shows some bloat. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/dark-matter/)
- **The Guardian** (71/100, inferred): The critic finds the multiverse premise fascinating and praises the distinct yet related performances by Joel Edgerton as the two Jasons, along with the domestic thriller and sci-fi elements. They complain that the nine-episode length stretches the story with wheelspinning and longueurs, making it feel too long. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/may/08/dark-matter-review-joel-edgerton-abducts-himself-in-fun-multiverse-thriller)
- **The AV Club**, Tom Philip (B-): The series delivers a strong cast and intriguing high-concept sci-fi ideas that help overcome early storytelling flaws and repetitive elements, ultimately landing a satisfying finale despite some clunky exposition. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/dark-matter-review-apple-tv-plus-joel-edgerton-sci-fi-1851453186)
- **The Telegraph** (3/5): The critic calls the series baggy but intriguing sci-fi with a head-scratching multiverse premise full of dramatic possibility. They single out the nine episodes as suffering from multiple episode syndrome, feeling too many and turning the plot into a game of Whac-a-Mole. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2024/05/08/dark-matter-apple-tv-review-joel-edgerton-jennifer-connelly/)
- **Variety**, Aramide Tinubu (60/100, inferred): The series is a massive intricate puzzle that is shocking and unsettling but doesn’t quite satisfy in the end. Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly keep the overly elaborate sci-fi thriller from collapsing, though it could have been more thrilling with less extensive explanation. [Read](https://variety.com/2024/tv/reviews/dark-matter-review-joel-edgerton-1235995052/)
- **IndieWire**, Ben Travers (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the Apple TV+ series handsome but ultimately shallow, with scenic Chicago locations and a solemn Joel Edgerton performance unable to fully salvage the adaptation of Blake Crouch's novel about a father reconsidering his life choices. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/dark-matter-review-apple-tv-series-bad-sad-dad-1235001576/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Daniel Fienberg (40/100, inferred): Apple TV+’s relentlessly glum take offers lots of ideas but only one tone, turning a concept like It’s a Wonderful Life into dejection and self-seriousness. It lacks tonal variation despite ingenuity in the later hours, ultimately feeling like an unrelenting dirge. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/dark-matter-review-joel-edgerton-jennifer-connelly-apple-tv-1235888892/)
- **/Film**, Jeremy Mathai (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the series as the best sci-fi in years for its fresh take on multiverse themes, focusing on existential regrets and paths not taken rather than superhero tropes. It singles out the strong handling of fundamental appeals like righting past wrongs without talking down to audiences. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1614678/apple-dark-matter-best-sci-fi-series/)
- **Collider**, Chase Hutchinson (7/10): The critic calls it a solid but occasionally padded adaptation that shines in its multiverse exploration and thematic depth about life's diverging paths, with strong performances from Edgerton and Braga. It notes some additions and effects drag it down compared to the tighter source novel but still delivers thoughtful ideas. [Read](https://collider.com/dark-matter-apple-tv-review/)
- **Den of Geek**, Sam Stone (3/5): Dark Matter stands out for its brisk pacing, strong ensemble performances especially Joel Edgerton's dual role, and accessible thriller approach to the parallel-universe premise, though it remains somewhat familiar within Apple TV+'s lineup of sci-fi thrillers. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/dark-matter-review-apple-tvs-next-constellation/)

## Details

- **Created by:** Blake Crouch
- **Creator:** Blake Crouch
- **Director:** Alik Sakharov, Jakob Verbruggen, Celine Held, Amit Gupta, Charlotte Sieling, Nick Murphy, Logan George, Roxann Dawson, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Guillermo Navarro
- **Writer:** Blake Crouch, Jacquelyn Ben-Zekry, Megan McDonnell, Ihuoma Ofordire
- **Novel:** Blake Crouch
- **Cinematography:** John Lindley, Jeffrey Greeley
- **Editor:** Joe Leonard, Timothy J. Feeley, Jordan Goldman, David Blackburn, Adam Neely, John Petaja, Bridget Case
- **Music:** Mac Quayle, Jason Hill
- **Production design:** Patricio M. Farrell
- **Costume design:** Roland Sanchez, Stephani Lewis
- **Producer:** Dustin Bernard, Jeffrey MacVittie, Jake Brown
- **Cast:** Joel Edgerton as Jason Dessen / Jason2; Jennifer Connelly as Daniela Dessen; Alice Braga as Dr. Amanda Lucas; Jimmi Simpson as Ryan Holder; Dayo Okeniyi as Leighton Vance; Oakes Fegley as Charlie Dessen; Amanda Brugel as Butterscotch / Blair Caplan; Aina Brei'Yon as Dawn Lawrence
- **Certificate (MPA):** TV-MA
- **Release (the US):** 7 May 2024
- **Genres:** Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6ucGt_Xp14

## Where to watch in the US

- Amazon Prime Video: streaming, uhd
- Apple TV: streaming, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: free, uhd
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-22.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, SE, SG, TH, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Coherence* (2013): Eight friends, one dinner party and a comet; the same idea for a fraction of the money
- *Counterpart* (2017): J. K. Simmons meets himself across a Cold War border and both of them are excellent
- *The Double Life of Véronique* (1991), Fi1m 86: Kieślowski’s two women, one in Poland and one in France, and no box required — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-double-life-of-veronique.md)
- *Another Earth* (2011): A second planet in the sky and a guilt that does not need one to explain it
- *Devs* (2020), Fi1m 68: Alex Garland’s quiet, frightening series about a machine that watches every possible past — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/devs.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/dark-matter