Dark Matter is an American science fiction television series created by Blake Crouch, based on his 2016 novel. The series premiered on Apple TV+ on May 8, 2024. In August 2024, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on August 28, 2026.
Contents
Premise
A physicist in Chicago is kidnapped into an alternate version of his life, leaving him to fight to return to his life to prevent the alternate version of himself from taking over his family.
Cast and characters
Main
Joel Edgerton as Jason Dessen, a physicist who unwillingly travels between alternate realities after being abducted by his counterpart (Jason2)
Jennifer Connelly as Daniela Dessen, Jason's wife
Alice Braga as Amanda Lucas, Jason2's girlfriend and partner who tries to help Jason1 find his way back home
Jimmi Simpson as Ryan Holder, Jason's closest friend
Dayo Okeniyi as Leighton Vance, CEO of Velocity Labs
Oakes Fegley as Charlie Dessen, Jason and Daniela's son
Amanda Brugel as Blair Caplan (season 2; recurring season 1)
Recurring
Aina Brei-Yon as Dawn Lawrence (season 1)
William Smillie as Matt
Chris Diamantopoulos as Mitchel MacNamara (season 2)
Kevin Chacón as Eduardo (season 2)
Guest
Jenne Kang as Dr. Julianne Springer
Kate Eastman as Detective Jamie Mason
Patricia Mario as Silvia (season 1)
Dani Deetté as Annie (season 1)
Kirsten Fitzgerald as Mrs. Bumgarner (season 2)
Rebecca Spence as Sheila MacNamara (season 2)
Mykelti Williamson as Grandpa Vance (season 2)
Michelle Duffy as Dr. Bennett (season 2)
Angela Sarafyan as Maria (season 2)
Linda Bove as Ellie Dessen (season 2)
Gil Birmingham as Gabriel Vargas (season 2)
Margo Martindale as Laurel (season 2)
Production
It was first announced in December 2020 that Apple TV+ had entered into development of a series adaptation of Blake Crouch's novel, with Crouch set to act as showrunner and head writer. The series was officially greenlit in March 2022, with Apple ordering 9 episodes and Joel Edgerton cast to star. Louis Leterrier was set to direct the first four episodes. By September 2022, Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga, Jimmi Simpson, Oakes Fegley and Dayo Okeniyi joined the cast. In December, Amanda Brugel joined the cast in a recurring role.
Filming primarily took place in Chicago, Illinois, beginning in October 2022 and lasting six months. Locations included Cinespace Chicago Film Studios, Downtown Chicago, Millennium Park, Lake Shore Drive, Montrose Harbor, Logan Square, taverns in Roscoe Village and West Town, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Regenstein and Mansueto libraries at the University of Chicago, and an abandoned hospital in Blue Island.
In August 2024, the series was renewed for a second season.
Episodes
Release
The first season premiered on Apple TV+ with two episodes on May 8, 2024, followed by seven more episodes released weekly. The second season premiered on August 28, 2026.
Reception
For the first season, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 81% approval rating with an average rating of 6.9/10, based on 59 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Dark Matter's intriguing ideas are spread a tad thin over its season-long runtime, but fans of foreboding sci-fi will find its residue addictively sticky." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the first season was assigned a score of 64 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
For the second season, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 92% approval rating with an average rating of 7.7/10, based on 26 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Dark Matter expands its worlds through illuminating central performances, thought-provoking storytelling, and attentive care for the science fiction genre and all its creative possibilities." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the second season was assigned a score of 76 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".