Apple TV's 9-Part 'Dark Meets Severance' Sci-Fi Series Officially Returns In 1 Week

Published Aug 17, 2026, 3:30 PM EDT Zach Moser has been writing for ScreenRant since 2022, covering movies, classic TV, and streaming TV. His areas of expertise cover a wide range of genres with a particular interest in horror and drama, and the conversations around the TV and film industry. When he's not covering the latest film releases or chronicling the latest season of a new show, he's writing humor pieces for McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Slackjaw, and Points In Case or working on short stories and his second novel. Apple TV's sci-fi thriller returns in a week, bringing 10 more episodes to a series that is a little bit Dark and a little bit Severance. Apple TV has become the place to go for excellent science fiction storytelling. From Severance to Pluribus to For All Mankind, the streamer has every sort of science fiction subgenre you could be looking for. As one of the younger streaming services, Apple TV does not have as many original titles as HBO or Netflix, or even Amazon Prime, and yet, it's easy to miss what they do have. For all the great, renowned shows on the service, there's always one that seems to get crowded out by the others. Dark Matter feels like one of those shows that hasn't got the credit it deserves for being such a fascinating and compelling series. Based on Blake Crouch's 2016 novel, Dark Matter premiered on Apple TV on May 8, 2024, and a little over two years later, season 2 is set to debut in August 2026. The series stars Joel Edgerton as Jason Dessen, a physicist in Chicago who, while walking home from a colleague's work celebration, is abducted by a mysterious figure. The figure drugs Jason, and when he awakes, he realizes he's been transported to an alternate dimension, and his mysterious abductor is actually the alternate version of Jason. Stuck in a world that's like his, but not his, Jason attempts to find a way to get back to his dimension and stop the other Jason from taking his life. It has the alternate versions of characters from Dark, the memory gaps of Severance, and an intense, spy-thriller dimension all its own that makes it stand out from other recent science fiction fare. Dark Matter Deserves More Attention As An Excellent Sci-Fi Series The first season of Dark Matter has an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, and while that's a strong score, the series doesn't have the same name recognition as some other series. There is probably a bit too little story for nine episodes, but that's only a slight knock against it in the grander scheme of the show. Dark Matter is a clever, well-constructed science fiction TV show. The alternate dimension storylines are equally compelling, a crucial aspect of any series that is trying to compare two storylines and hold them up. Whether we're with Jason #1 or Jason #2, we don't get bored waiting for the other storyline to come along. The combination of family drama and science fiction thrills combines for a story that keeps you asking questions and engaged, but also gives you something emotional to hold on to. It's a balance of technical mastery and powerful writing that you only see in some of the best science fiction shows, like Dark and Severance. Dark Matter Season 2 Promises To Offer Up Even More Than Season 1 ©Apple TV/Courtesy Everett Collection If Dark Matter season 1 felt a little lean, season 2 should be a much heartier 10 episodes. The show will be going beyond the book this time around. In season 2, Jason and his family will have to navigate multiple different dimensions and multiple versions of themselves, all with various motives. Now that everything has been set up in the first season, season 2 can dive into the world it's created with more certainty that the audience is following along. The ever-expanding nature of Dark Matter's science fiction and parallel worlds has created ample room for a story that could go on for multiple seasons. Release Date May 7, 2024 Network Apple TV+ Directors Jakob Verbruggen, Alik Sakharov, Roxann Dawson, Logan George Writers Blake Crouch Cast Joel Edgerton Jason Dessen / Jason2