Dark: Season 1

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 366 Ratings

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8.4

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8.4	Your Score
8.4	User Score Universal acclaim based on 366 Ratings

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Dark

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Season Details & Credits

Netflix | Season Premiere Date: December 1, 2017

Summary: The disappearance of two children in a German town leads to secrets of four families and a link to something supernatural in 1986 in this mystery thriller written by Jantje Friese and directed by Baran bo Odar.

Genre(s): Drama, Suspense

Season 1 Episodes

9.4
S1:E10. Alpha and Omega
Air Date: December 1, 2017
9.1
S1:E9. Everything Is Now
Air Date: December 1, 2017
9.2
S1:E8. As You Sow, so You Shall Reap
Air Date: December 1, 2017

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

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Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

Mike Hale

Dec 5, 2017

Jonas’s search for answers offers the pleasures of puzzle-solving, if not profound drama, and if you give Dark a few episodes you may find yourself hooked. Read full review

Nick Schager

Dec 4, 2017

A consistently engaging genre effort in its own right, employing unsettling production values and an enormous cast of well-drawn characters for a narratively splintered investigation into questions of fate and free will. ... Come for the surface similarities to Stranger Things, stay for the unique time-travel insanity. Read full review

IndieWire Steve Greene

Nov 16, 2017

Even when Dark is clinical in its set-up of these interweaving story threads, there’s still an incredible amount of energy coursing through the show. Read full review

Dan Fienberg

Nov 30, 2017

I grew initially frustrated at how little Dark was showing me about its characters and how little investment I was feeling in them, though the middle of the season produced some sympathy that I can't explain without spoiling the twists. Read full review

Jen Chaney

Dec 1, 2017

Like other shows that invite the viewer to try to solve them, Dark suffers a bit in the humanity department. With so many characters, and such attention on how their identities and actions fit into the plot, there isn’t much room to truly get to know these people on a deeper level, at least not in the six episodes that I watched out of the ten total. Read full review

Glenn Garvin

Dec 2, 2017

Where Stranger Things is deft, Dark is heavy-handed; where Stranger Things is well-paced, Dark moves at the speed of a dump truck lost in a bog; where Stranger Things' kids are likeable and funny, Dark's are sullen and sour. Read full review

Chris Cabin

Dec 1, 2017

Dark feels strangely one-note, elevated purely by the increasing eccentricity of the plot, which eventually tip-toes into the science-fiction realm when time travel becomes a major element of the story. The less said about that the better. Read full review

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User Score

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8.4

User Reviews

Bojack_Horseman

Dec 2, 2017

I don't get why critics do not like this gem of a series; it is written wonderfully and I like that it enters more of a science-fiction realm than a supernatural one.

22 of 28 users found this helpful226

MasteroMustache

Feb 17, 2018

I'm absolutely stunned at the critic score for this show, which is truly one of the finest I've *ever* seen. It is Lost at its peak, a more serious and dark Stranger Things, and a less strange Twin Peaks. This is seriously peak TV that should not be missed. Tip: don't watch the dubbedI'm absolutely stunned at the critic score for this show, which is truly one of the finest I've *ever* seen. It is Lost at its peak, a more serious and dark Stranger Things, and a less strange Twin Peaks. This is seriously peak TV that should not be missed. Tip: don't watch the dubbed version, just read the subtitles. The acting is too good to be ruined by poor dubbing.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Mercejoe

Feb 26, 2018

THIS IS NOT stranger things. starting from that point this is in the top 3 netflix can offer nowadays.
when you finish the season you are going to consider watching first chapters again or maybe the whole season to understand some things. MASTERPIECE

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

Jes1310

Mar 12, 2018

review after 4 episodes - There are similarities til Stranger Things, but no where like a copy or rip off. The mood is dark and sinister. Story interesting, scary and surprising.
Many characters so you need to stay alert or you might miss something. But so far it Works very well.
Thereview after 4 episodes - There are similarities til Stranger Things, but no where like a copy or rip off. The mood is dark and sinister. Story interesting, scary and surprising.
Many characters so you need to stay alert or you might miss something. But so far it Works very well.
The soundtrack/score is very well used and fits the darkness very well.
Highly recommend seeing it.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

tage01

Dec 6, 2017

Despite slow pace at start Dark has a deeply engaging mystery. It's beautifully shot, music is haunting. It's a solid sci-fi mystery with no need to feed off nostalgia unlike Stranger Things.

4 of 5 users found this helpful41

TheQuietGamer

Feb 18, 2018

An endless spiral of mysteries where each new reveal leads to more questions. Never before has time travel been so complex. Let's get this out of the way right now, the Stranger Things comparisons make sense in the first few episodes, but quickly you begin to realize how the little the twoAn endless spiral of mysteries where each new reveal leads to more questions. Never before has time travel been so complex. Let's get this out of the way right now, the Stranger Things comparisons make sense in the first few episodes, but quickly you begin to realize how the little the two shows have in common. There's a lot going on in Dark. Three different time periods are connected by on central mystery and a grisly cycle of events that reoccur every 33 years. In a way the characters in the show are in the same predicament as the viewers. They are compelled by the secrets of their town, but woefully unequipped to truly crack what's going on. With every new insight the rabbit hole only goes deeper.

The puzzle wouldn't be so complex if not for the crazy amount of pieces in play. Something that is the show's greatest strength, but also manages to be a surprising weakness. There are so many characters that Dark has a hard time keeping up with them all. There will be long stretches where we won't know what happened to someone or what they're doing. Individuals who seemed important early on quickly lose relevancy in the plot moving forward. Their only purpose being to pop up every now and then to push a small town drama subplot forward. I didn't realize who all the main characters were supposed to be until part way through the first season's 10 episodes.

One thing that really impressed me was how good of a job the show does at finding actors and actresses that looked enough alike to believable play the same characters at different ages. It's an impressive touch. I also have to give special praise to the soundtrack which is just phenomenal. Visually the show is of high quality and everybody on and offscreen is fantastic. This is a German show with an English dub playing over the character's voices. The voices fit the characters well. Another strong touch for the show.

I quickly found myself gripped in the many mysteries Dark has to offer. It's complex sci-fi elements are handled nicely and the way it does a mostly excellent job of keeping track of so many moving pieces is incredible. It's not always clear why all of these characters are important and sometimes it's very clear that they aren't but are sticking around anyways. Some trimming of the fat would help season 2 greatly. The themes of being bound to one fate and having no effect on your own life's path really sell the show's title by implementing a sense of hopelessness to the mix. I can only hope that these characters are actually able to change things, because what would be the point if they can't? Either way Dark's first season leaves it's protagonists and those watching as a result in several precarious situations. So I look forward to finding out.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

bertus

Mar 8, 2018

I would have liked a drama/thriller around a nuclear power plant! Sadly, Dark chooses to solve around time shifting, a theme that has dominated entertainment for way too long already and getting worse with each show added. Why ad such a stupid element like travel to a story? Is time travelI would have liked a drama/thriller around a nuclear power plant! Sadly, Dark chooses to solve around time shifting, a theme that has dominated entertainment for way too long already and getting worse with each show added. Why ad such a stupid element like travel to a story? Is time travel the ultimate sci fi theme? Not for me! It's a cheap trick for stretching an otherwise boring story into an endless show. When wiull it all come together? No, I want it good when it starts.
The critics don't like Dark and that's something I can really understand because it's so damn obvious that it want's to compete with time shifting series like Twin Peaks, The Leftovers, les Revenants, Lost, West World etc. Competing is usually a bad motovation when it comes to creativity.… Expand

1 of 5 users found this helpful14

SEE ALL 74 REVIEWS

Seasons & Episodes

72

Series Overview
Season 3

92
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: June 27, 2020
Season 2

82
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: June 21, 2019
Season 1

61
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: December 1, 2017
- 9.4
  S1:E10. Alpha and Omega
  Air Date: December 1, 2017
- 9.1
  S1:E9. Everything Is Now
  Air Date: December 1, 2017
- 9.2
  S1:E8. As You Sow, so You Shall Reap
  Air Date: December 1, 2017
- 9.1
  S1:E7. Crossroads
  Air Date: December 1, 2017
- 9.2
  S1:E6. Sic Mundus Creatus Est
  Air Date: December 1, 2017
- 9.1
  S1:E5. Truths
  Air Date: December 1, 2017
- 8.9
  S1:E4. Double Lives
  Air Date: December 1, 2017
- 9.0
  S1:E3. Past and Present
  Air Date: December 1, 2017
- 8.8
  S1:E2. Lies
  Air Date: December 1, 2017
- 7.9
  S1:E1. Secrets
  Air Date: December 1, 2017