Based on the bestselling novel of the same name, Season 1 of Dark Matter was a bit of a risk in 2024. Novelist Blake Crouch adapted his brisk and fairly short novel into a character study that spanned 10 episodes, expanding the stories of some minor characters in huge ways and creating all-new storylines. That said, Dark Matter Season 1 stuck true to the ethos of the novel; at its core, this was a story about a man — Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) — whose life was stolen from him by his parallel-universe doppelganger. This meant that the story, despite having a slightly larger scope than the novel, was still Jason’s story, and by extension, the story of his family: his wife, Daniela (Jennifer Connelly), and son, Charlie (Oakes Fegley).
But that’s not the case with Season 2, because although the Dessens are still major characters, Dark Matter Season 2 has expanded and, as a result, is presenting all-new sci-fi ideas, suggesting that this time, the sci-fi engine of the show isn’t holding back anymore.
