What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedDark Matter
Blake Crouch · Book · 2016
If you loved Dark Matter, start with Dark Matter (Joseph Mallozzi, 2015) — a series from the same story. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Dark Matter across media.
What hooked you in Dark Matter is the harrowing realization that a single life path can splinter into infinite, haunting possibilities.
Start with the source
The source
Dark Matter
Joseph Mallozzi · Series · 2015
Films on the same thread
Dark City
Alex Proyas · Film · 1998
Shares 2 threads with Dark Matter: Existentialism, Identity Crisis.
Like Dark Matter, this film traps its protagonist in a shifting, artificial reality where the fundamental struggle is reclaiming a lost identity and the memories of a life left behind.
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch
David Slade · Film · 2018
Shares a thread with Dark Matter: Psychological Thriller.
If the branching paths of Dark Matter kept you awake, you will appreciate this interactive experience that forces you to confront how choices determine your ultimate, often devastating, fate.
Oblivion
Joseph Kosinski · Film · 2013
Explores: Existential Crisis, Memory Manipulation, Questioning Reality.
This story mirrors the existential isolation found in Dark Matter, following a man who must question the very foundation of his reality and the truth behind his own history.
The Butterfly Effect
Eric Bress · Film · 2004
Shares 3 threads with Dark Matter: Regret, Psychological Thriller, Time Travel Fiction.
The regret that drives Jason in Dark Matter is the central engine here, as a man tries to rewrite his past only to discover the dangerous consequences of altering time.
Series on the same thread
Counterpart
Justin Marks · Series · 2017
Shares 3 threads with Dark Matter: Parallel Universes, Regret, Existentialism.
Fans of the parallel universe mechanics in Dark Matter will find a perfect match in this series, which explores how a single choice creates two drastically different, intersecting lives.
Black Mirror
Charlie Brooker · Series · 2011
Explores: Technological Dystopia, Social Commentary, Unintended Consequences.
Much like Dark Matter, this series excels at placing ordinary people into high-stakes, speculative scenarios that challenge their morality and force them to confront their deepest, most personal anxieties.
Severance
Dan Erickson · Series · 2022
Shares 3 threads with Dark Matter: Identity Crisis, Existentialism, Psychological Thriller.
This series captures the same disorienting identity crisis explored in Dark Matter, focusing on characters whose fragmented memories make them strangers to their own lives and their past choices.
His Dark Materials
Jack Thorne · Series · 2019
Explores: Orphan Protagonist, Moral Ambiguity, Interdimensional Travel.
The interdimensional stakes in Dark Matter are reflected here, as the protagonist navigates a complex multiverse where the boundaries between worlds are thin and the consequences are deeply personal.
Podcasts on the same thread
CounterClock
Audiochuck · Podcast · 2025
Explores: unsolved homicide, seeking justice, historical mystery.
While this is a true crime investigation, it shares the obsession with turning back time found in Dark Matter, using cold cases to examine how past events define our present.
Hidden Brain
Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam · Podcast · 2026
Explores: cognitive bias, human behavior, interpersonal dynamics.
If the psychological exploration of Dark Matter resonated with you, this podcast provides the scientific and behavioral context behind the existential questions Jason asks about his own mind and choices.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Dark Matter a book or a TV show?
Dark Matter exists as both a 2016 novel written by Blake Crouch and a television series adaptation released in 2015. Both versions explore the story of Jason, a physics professor navigating an impossible reality where his life and family are not what he remembers.
What is the plot of Dark Matter?
Dark Matter follows Jason, a college physics professor who wakes up in an alternate reality. In this world, his son was never born and his wife is not his wife. He must determine which reality is his true home and attempt to return to the life he remembers.
Should I read the Dark Matter book before watching the TV show?
You can experience the story through either format. The Dark Matter novel by Blake Crouch provides a detailed look at Jason's journey through alternate realities, while the 2015 television adaptation offers a visual interpretation of his struggle to return to his original life and family.
Is the Dark Matter TV show based on the book?
Yes, the 2015 TV show is an adaptation of the 2016 novel Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. Both versions center on the same core narrative regarding a physicist who finds himself in a reality where his professional achievements and personal life have completely changed.