Dark (2017 — 2020)

Dark (2017–2020), a German science fiction thriller created by Baran bo Odar, follows the mysterious disappearances of children in the town of Winden. As the story unfolds, we learn about the broken relationships, hidden identities, and unsettling pasts of four families intertwined in this small community. The show explores these themes across multiple generations, with its time-traveling plot taking us back to 1986 and 1953. When members of the central families discover a wormhole beneath the local nuclear power plant, they are forced to confront long-buried secrets. Through revelations about the Kahnwald, Nielsen, Doppler, and Tiedemann families, the conspiracy behind the missing children and the town’s history slowly comes to light.

In the second season, the intertwined families continue their quest to reunite with their missing loved ones. This takes place several months after the events of the first season in 2020, 1987, and 1954. New plotlines also emerge in both 2053 and 1921. One major new element is the introduction of Sic Mundus Creatus Est, a significant faction fighting for control over the future of Winden and its inhabitants. As the season progresses, it builds towards an impending apocalypse. In the third season, we witness the aftermath of this catastrophic event in 2020 as the four families navigate through time. The parallel world is also introduced, connected to the first world. While continuing to follow storylines in 1954, 1987, 2020, and 2053 in the first world, new elements are added including a storyline set in 1888 and others in both 2019 and 2052 in the parallel world. These factions are driven by their own motives for each world. Additionally, we see crucial events unfold throughout these years that not only progress the current season’s plot but also provide background information for events from previous seasons.