What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Philadelphia Experiment
Stewart Raffill · Film · 1984
If you loved The Philadelphia Experiment, start with Stranger Things (Ross Duffer, 2016) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Philadelphia Experiment across media.
What hooked you in The Philadelphia Experiment was the way government-sanctioned scientific anomalies force ordinary people into impossible, displaced realities.
Books on the same thread
The Far Side of the World
Patrick O'Brian · Book · 1994
Explores: Naval Warfare, Friendship, Exploration.
If you enjoyed the naval setting and military stakes of The Philadelphia Experiment, you will appreciate how this nautical epic captures the tension and camaraderie of life at sea.
Timescape
Gregory Benford · Book · 1981
Explores: Ecological Disaster, Scientific Discovery, Communication Across Time.
This novel echoes the core premise of The Philadelphia Experiment by using a high-concept scientific experiment to bridge disparate timelines, creating a gripping narrative about communication across the years.
The Hunt for Red October
Tom Clancy · Book · 1985
Explores: Submarine Warfare, Defection, Cold War Tension.
The Philadelphia Experiment relies on military intrigue and technological mystery, themes that are masterfully executed in this thriller about the high-stakes pursuit of a top-secret, game-changing naval vessel.
The Shrinking Man
Richard Matheson · Book · 2014
Explores: Existentialism, Isolation, Loss of Identity.
Like the protagonists in The Philadelphia Experiment who find themselves fundamentally altered by an experiment, this story follows a man grappling with the terrifying, irreversible consequences of a scientific anomaly.
Series on the same thread
Stranger Things
Ross Duffer · Series · 2016
Explores: Government Experiments, Telekinesis, Monsters.
Those who loved the government conspiracy and supernatural mystery in The Philadelphia Experiment will find themselves drawn to this series, which centers on secret experiments and missing persons.
Quantum Leap
Donald P. Bellisario · Series · 1989
Shares 2 threads with The Philadelphia Experiment: Fish Out of Water, Time Travel.
This series mirrors the fish-out-of-water experience found in The Philadelphia Experiment, focusing on a man displaced from his own time who must navigate unfamiliar eras to fix historical wrongs.
Star Trek: Voyager
Jeri Taylor · Series · 1995
Explores: Stranded, Survival, Hope.
The Philadelphia Experiment captures the feeling of being stranded far from home, a theme central to this series as a crew struggles to return after being displaced by technology.
Battlestar Galactica
Glen A. Larson · Series · 2004
Shares a thread with The Philadelphia Experiment: Military Science Fiction.
Fans of the military and survival aspects of The Philadelphia Experiment will connect with this story of a fleet surviving an existential threat following a catastrophic technological failure.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Realignment
The Realignment · Podcast · 2026
Explores: institutional change, populism, technological disruption.
If the government conspiracy elements of The Philadelphia Experiment captured your interest, this analysis of shifting national security and technological disruption offers a real-world look at those very themes.
Phil Edwards
Podcast
Explores: entrepreneurship, technology, American Civil War.
This podcast explores the intersection of history and technology, appealing to the curiosity about past experiments that initially drew you to the premise of The Philadelphia Experiment.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Philadelphia Experiment based on a real event?
The Philadelphia Experiment is based on an actual event that reportedly took place in 1943. The film dramatizes the disappearance of a US Navy Destroyer Escort from the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and the subsequent time travel of two crew members to the year 1984.
What time period does The Philadelphia Experiment take place in?
The Philadelphia Experiment follows two men who are transported from the year 1943 to the year 1984. The narrative centers on the consequences of this forty-year jump for the sailors involved in the incident at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.
Who directed The Philadelphia Experiment?
The Philadelphia Experiment was directed by Stewart Raffill. Released in 1984, the film depicts a science fiction scenario involving a US Navy Destroyer Escort that vanishes during a military experiment and sends two men through time.
What is the premise of The Philadelphia Experiment?
The Philadelphia Experiment tells the story of a 1943 US Navy Destroyer Escort that disappears from the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. During the event, two men are sent forty years into the future, arriving in 1984 as a result of the mysterious experiment.