Apple TV’s Underrated Hard Sci-Fi Adaptation Return Gets Solid Rotten Tomatoes Score

Being a good sci-fi show on Apple TV may be one of the tougher positions in streaming right now. The platform has spent years expanding in the genre to the point that prestige science fiction now appears to be a core part of its identity. The downside is that anything short of a breakout phenomenon can get crowded out. A series can draw strong reviews and a loyal audience and still end up being labeled underrated, simply because it isn’t Severance or Pluribus.

One such show, Dark Matter, is a thriller that may have faced one of the trickiest renewal equations of the bunch, since its first season more or less adapted its source novel in full and left little material on the page to draw from afterward. That made the second season feel like a real test, and the early response suggests the show may have passed it.

Dark Matter Season 2, which premiered on Apple TV on August 28 and is rolling out weekly through October 30, currently holds a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes with an 89% Popcornmeter rating from audiences. Blake Crouch’s novel follows Jason Dessen, a Chicago physics professor pulled out of his own life by a version of himself who made different choices, and the show turned that multiverse hook into something grounded, anchored by Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly, who play multiple variations of the same married couple.

It is, arguably, one of the more emotionally honest uses of parallel-worlds storytelling television has attempted, which is a low bar given how the concept is usually deployed, but the show cleared it comfortably. The audience response so far suggests the two-year wait hasn’t cost the series much goodwill. One Rotten Tomatoes reaction reads:

“Pump this straight into my veins – this show is the best. A deeply human sci-fi thriller with brilliant acting. The writing and the story grabbed me completely and never let go. The wait for season 2 almost broke me, so I’m elated to say it was totally worth the wait. Give me more please and thank you.”

Another viewer wrote, “Now past the book story, we delve into new territory and it is exciting to see what Blake Crouch has come up with. Opening episode is extremely well done.” Television history offers few examples of adaptations that became stronger after moving beyond their source material, as Game of Thrones fans can attest.

Dark Matter may at least have one advantage there: its central device, a box that opens into infinite realities, is inherently well suited to generating new stories. The second season also brings back most of the principal cast, promotes Amanda Brugel to series regular, and adds Chris Diamantopoulos, all of which could point to a broader ensemble rather than a simple repeat of Jason’s original ordeal.