User reviews

This show is the best thing Netflix has done. It is an absolute masterpiece of story telling.

Insanely good, every episode shocks you in ways you never thought was possible. The constant gripping revelations were so unexpected but tied the story so well together. Exceptional and convincing acting skills by the entire cast and tons of heartfelt scenes between different character dynamics. This show is the perfect epitome of a well thought out show, meticulously crafted and executed so well and overall knows where it's trying to advance it's story. This show has revolutionized time travel storytelling and is definitely one of the most smartly and consistently written shows of our time

This is quite possibly the greatest show I've ever known to exist. It's just so pure. Every scene is saturated with substance. It's actually so good that I won't binge watch it. I take in each episode (possibly without blinking) and savor each experience. I'd write more, but my mind is seriously blown.

I tired to watch this with the English dub but it was just terrible. It's the only show I've ever given a chance in a foreign language and I don't regret it. If you're the kind of person who watches shows with subtitles anyways then this is for you. It just hits the spot in every way you can imagine. Amazing writing, acting, great plot, and leaves you mind blown.

This feedback is currently based on the first 10 episodes of season one (still watching the series as we speak), and to be honest it made me downgrade my rating for 'Stranger Things' quite a bit. It's clear that this series is the child of a genius - everything just works. The acting is great, the cinematography is great, the soundtrack is awesome (reminds me of Klaus Schulze at times), and the story-line is mind-boggling. This series is just miles above anything that leaves Hollywood. Wish that all productions could be like this. Thanks Netflix for bringing this awesome series to me screen. Say bye-bye to public television!

Dark is a deliciously morbid research on human decisions and their interconnection in between each other and through time. This family sci-fi drama tightly stuffed with literature, philosophy, science references and focuses on such themes as determinism, Christianity, freedom of will, existentialism, quantum physics. Dark has a bit of lovecraftian vibe to it, not in terms of monsters, yet in terms of unseen evil, an existential dread, where "the evil" is Time itself. The show operates on a higher level of scriptwriting, there are no filler scenes let alone episodes, and details are also mega international. Everything is important because everything is connected. Get ready for a hella ride. And don't blink while you're watch it.

I rarely write a review but this is truly a masterpiece. Excellent storytelling without holes in the plot or weird artifacts to fill a gap. You can see how hard the writers worked to create a coherent story. Keeps you intrigued the whole time.

The best part is that season 2 is as good as the first one. Take that HBO!

One of the best shows I've seen in a while. Kudos Netflix and keep up the good work!

To add to all other 10/10 reviews, I will tell you my personal take.

This show challenged my thoughts and emotions, and not always in a pleasant way. Behind all the plot and puzzles, its themes truly makes me reflect about meaning of life and drags me to uncomfortable places. And believe it or not, it feels good. Paradox!?

I would love to be on the writers room to see how they planned, wrote and executed this project. I would love to pass through the experience from the other side. Maybe I should create a time machine for it.

Thanks to everyone that took the risk to allow, work and help them to bring their vison to reality. You have done a magnificent work.

Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese thank you and congratulations for your masterpiece. You wrote your name in history!

I feel really conflicted about this show. I thought the first season was fantastic. But, by the time the 3rd season ended, I felt thoroughly annoyed by this show.

Season 1 has a really interesting, unique, and well crafted plot. The story is a little complicated, but not overly so. The 1st season was a fantastic scifi mystery story. It really sucked me. After watching the 1st episode, it was difficult to drag myself away from the TV.

It was thus with high hopes that I began watching seasons 2 and 3. However, after watching them, I find myself wishing the show had been cancelled after season 1.

As time goes on, the plot gets more fantastical, unrealistic, and contrived. It also gets really complex. The show introduces a huge cast of characters, and it becomes difficult to remember who everyone is. I felt like I needed a spread sheet in order to keep track of everyone.

Ultimately though, I think this complexity was covering up a stupid plot. Throughout the show, there are coincidences, things that don't make sense, and characters who behave in absurd ways. I'm also not certain that the established rules of the show's scifi mechanic are always portrayed consistently.

Also, the show gets ham-fistedly dramatic. Many of the characters love to give big dramatic speeches, and to give long soulful stares. Towards the end of the series, I fond myself constantly rolling my eyes.

All that said, the 1st season is really good. I have a love/hate relationship with this show. I recommend that you watch the 1st season, but pretend that the 2nd and 3rd seasons don't exist.

Dark was extremely good in the first season when it started as a drama/ thriller with some supernatural elements. I was hooked. But it went downhill so fast in season 2 and 3. I always had the feeling the writers couldn't decide where to go and at the same time wanted too much. So it became more and more messy. It's a perfect example for shows that became victim to their own success. As the writers wanted more and more to deliver something special and unexpected, they expanded the plot of season 1 to more and more time levels and dimensions to get a mixture of butterfly effect and lost that didn't work out. As I am from Germany myself I know that it's a common thing here to exaggerate, overdo and overact in tv shows and movies. That's why most german shows are crap or become crap over time.

I rate Dark a solid 9 for The first season, 4 for Season 2 and 2 for season 3.

Dark is Netflix's one of the best supernatural, science fiction series. The narrative is mind-bending and utterly complex, but you could see how well it has been planned and how much time has been put into the production and creation of this show. There are various reasons that make this show a fantastic series that is bound to mess with your mind, for sure. Now, science fiction is not everyone's cup of tea, and that is understandable, but trust me Dark really takes it up a notch. And if my words still hasn't convinced you to watch it yet, I hope the following few points can.

1. The Characters and Their Arcs

Dark has a whole lot of characters, I won't lie. And for someone who dislikes too many characters, this might pose as a bit of a challenge, but it is all worth it. None of the characters are purely saints, and that is the best part of this show. There is no good and evil, but rather a realistic fact that good and evil resides in everyone. We are all the heroes and also villains in the story, one way or the other. It is compelling to see how as viewers, you are confronted with your own initial prejudices and views about the characters, and how they change along with the progress of the show. It will make you so conflicted till the point that you're not sure who is wrong and who is right, and you'll empathise with them all, for sure. This is how the characters are crafted in the show, and it makes it very difficult to choose favourites.

2. The Plotline and The Writing

Trying to explain Dark's plotline will be like trying to understand whether the chicken came first or the egg. It is one of the most intricately written stories, but so well laid out and perfectly planned that it will never cease to surprise you at any point. The writers have planned everything out, and they do not miss a single detail. Easter eggs are laid out throughout the show and the whole plotline it just too clever. So clever, it will blow your mind every time.

Dark is a show full of thrill, suspense, and mystery, laden with hints of the supernatural and family drama. At no point will you feel bored or underwhelmed, that is a given guarantee. The beauty of this show is that the suspense and mystery keeps you hooked right until you've finished the show, and even then, you will be craving for more; questioning, scratching your head. The twists and turns are superb and very intricately placed in the storyline. They are dramatic but not stupid. Nothing is wasted on space, story or with dialogues. In Dark, know that every single visual, every single dialogue, everything has a role to play.

The storylines are connected, and no episode will leave you without questions in your mind. You will definitely want more, and when you think you've figured out the plot, the show writers will pull out another secret, another stunt that will leave you speechless for sure. It is amazing, and I cannot tell you how many times my jaw had hung open while watching this show.

3. Family Dynamics and Drama

It would be wrong to leave out the drama because it surely plays a pivotal role in this show. As I've already said how exceptionally well the character arcs are, same is with the family drama too. The show brings together the individual lives of four families whose paths - futures, present, and past - intricately cross with one another, connected in a whole big loop (and by connected, I mean really connected). Questions about sacrifices and betrayal and love all come into focus as the show progresses; who's hiding what, and who's related to who. How far will you go to save your family, to save the ones you love? It is a question that repeats itself over and over, playing out as an elaborate bigger theme.

Each family has their own humanly possible problems to deal with. Starting from loss and grief to battling one's sexuality and past, it deals with all the aspects in a coherent way. At its core, Dark is largely about familial relationships that span generations, about tragedies, and betrayals that shape them, about the love and hurt, ultimately bringing everything and everyone together in a very complex web. If you thought understanding the family dynamics and drama in Once Upon a Time and Game of Thrones was difficult, wait until you watch Dark.

4. Time Travel, But With Logic

One of the setbacks of this show could have easily been its time travelling storyline because, let's face it, it is super hard to create a reasonable time travel story. Often than not, shows dealing with this theme has the risk of losing the logical explanation and then witness everything going haywire. But Dark surely takes this theme at its best and delivers to us a complicated show that you'll eventually understand. To put it lightly, time travel also exists in the show as a metaphor of confronting your own self, past and future, and in the way paving the way for growth (and maybe destruction too). It doesn't actually mess up with its varying range of timelines, and keeps a note of all the complexities, all the timelines, knitting everything together in a clean circle. At times, it may get difficult to understand and seem to get haphazard and it surely will be confusing, but things play out well. It is all well at the end.

5. The Various Philosophical Themes

In the midst of family drama and time travelling, Dark also has in store a whole array of philosophies to boggle your mind and keep you questioning your own beliefs, your sanity long after the show is over. Largely dealing with the question of time and human origin, the show tends to treat time in the same vicinity as that of God. To create a world without time enslaving us humans is one of the central running theme of this show, and something that it follows quite religiously. Using fantasy, it takes on a very different angle or storytelling in the television era, questioning the meaning of faith and family, blood and time. It takes into questions about fate, destiny and choices. Can you change your destiny? Can you be truly free from the clutches of time? Can you change your future? Are we really ever free of time?

6. A Visual Delight

Apart from the brilliant lead of casts and the super confusing yet fantastic plotline, Dark is also blessed with pleasing visuals which is a definite 10/10. The creepy forest setting provides an excellent view to the storyline, adding a sense of fear and dread in the viewers. The caves too provide an atmospheric essence to the story, a pioneer of time travel that connects everything. The settings are eerie and mostly unsettling, and seem to be always announcing an impending doom. It can be agreed that the cinematography really adds a whole boost to the whole series, adding exclusively to the suspenseful storyline. It complements the show really well, and becomes one of the reasons why this show is extremely amazing to watch.

I can't agree with the reviewer before me. They are not trying to copy Stranger Things, and I don't want to go into 'copying' at all - because Stranger Things has parallels to a few games, movies and books that have been popular before it was even in the making.

'Dark' is slow paced in the beginning, but it keeps you on the edge of your seat. It is tense, the cinematography and acting is great. There is so much more depth to it than the mentioned Stranger Things. It's not bloated with special effects and didn't have a Hollywood budget. This is how TV should be. It has got a Donnie Darko feeling to it.

I guess the majority of people complaining about the pace would also complain about Blade Runner 2049 or Interstellar...so please, just stick to Marvel movies. :)

I tend to analyze things to bits and find a lot of si-fy movies/series have been dumbed-down or childish. Dark, seasons 1&2 have been outstanding so far. Acting, directing, and cinematography are excellent. You need to follow the dialogues closely and pay attention to subtle hints/gestures. In today's trend of fast-food approach towards everything, this is very refreshing.

I highly recommend watching it.

Abdolutely tremendous show! Original and keeps you hooked throughout. The characters are so complex and the acting is excellent. One of the best shows I have seen. Can't stop recommending it to family and friends. Love it.

Sorry I can't express my feelings after watching season 2 , it's masterpiece

The artistic production of this show is phenomenal. The cinematography and visual elements are beautiful, the score absolutely sets it's unnerving tone, and the acting is top-notch.

The first season-and-a-half were absolutely gripping. The plot is complex, as everyone keeps mentioning here, but I didn't find it too hard to follow. My problem with series started to arise when the complex plot kept leading viewers further and further down a rabbit hole that ends up leading nowhere. In the arising plot holes and the twisted knots that the writers wrapped themselves up in, they then had to pull season 3 out of nowhere in order to solve the problems that the characters and plot were having. Without giving anything away, in my opinion Season 3 and it's premise adds nothing new to drive the plot forward, but is instead a regurgitation of things we already have seen. I wanted to love this series, but I ended up only loving the first Season and part of the second season. Really artistically beautiful but the writers just didn't know when to stop.

There are some wonderful things about this program:

• it establishes mood convincingly: the sceneography is suitably morose, the colours muted or harsh, driving in the idea that it's all, well, Dark.

• the actors are fine artists, the emotions not being hammy or kitsch
• the situations - the secrets, the jealousies, the infidelities - are all plausible

And that's about it. What's exhausting is that it goes on and on and on without respite. You just lose any kind of sympathy for the characters because there are just too may versions of the same people, all with different narrative arcs. And the to-ing and fro-ing with timelines and worlds, just makes for frustration.

Completely disagree with those saying this is the best thing ever - suspending disbelief is one thing; after all, you have to accept the premise/logic of the narrative as it's given. Confusion is not the same as intrigue, and the former has no place in good storytelling.

The philosophical posturing is monotonous and exhausting. The script is such a let down: how many bloody times can people keep saying "everything happens for a reason" / "everything has its place in time" / "everything repeats itself" / "it's a never-ending cycle" ... omg, we get it! You can't decide whether it's destiny or free-will. But the mind-numbing repetition is plain stupid.

The first season creates sufficient build-up, and from there it plateaus. I have to keep watching because I'm a sucker for punishment, and despite feeling it's not going to go anywhere I just want the damn thing to end. But after that I'd happily delete it from history if possible.

THIS is the best fking tv show I've seen since true detective's first season. I can't believe how good it is. Beautiful photography, scenarios, costumes, thrilling atmospheric music (gives the chills!!), amazing performances and above everything: perfect beautifully (wunderbar!) storyline.

This is the freaking example, Hollywood. You don't need lots of money and Fx to do a decent story (or in this case, a poetic masterpiece). You just have to portray it, with every resource you have: visually, musically, with dialogue (but not the only one, don't abuse it!).

Every separate plot it's intrincally intertwined. It happens so smoothly it's never forced. Anything. As long as I can remember I never had a "cringe" moment like most shows has. In every episode i was at the edge of my seat. This is how you make a thriller, please, PLEAAAASE take a note, storywriters.

I'm so sad we probably have to wait a year or more to see the possible season 2. I don't have the proper words, it's been an amazing delightful surprise to have the pleasures to see this. Also, German it's one of the most beautiful languages, I love hearing it! We have such dense Nitzschean philosophy everywhere, I could totally smell the darkness. I love this kind of stories, with time travel and meaning of life as a central subject of the story. Determinism? Free will?. Maybe this is why I loved it so much. This show never treats its public with disrespect. They tell you what you need to know when it's appropriate. I love it.

Never an American production could make this dark nihilist hell. I'm glad Netflix is giving us a new cinematic adventure, never could been better. I think it's netflix' best show ever made. Yeah, not even your super loved- big fan base- stranger things does justice to this beautiful masterpiece. Not. even. close. Leave it for the children.

In a word: Perfection!! I hope keep seeing this quality Netflix!