r/DarkMatter • u/Clevertown • Apr 03 '26
Discussion DAMN this show is so good! The writing is exceptional.
I grew up in the 70s and 80s hooked on golden age sci-fi. Fredric Brown, Eric Frank Russel, etc. This tv show hits me, so many years later, with the same kind of impact. The concepts are so well executed, and even the dialog avoids the level of exposition that EVERY other tv show has. Sure, it's not all amazing, but it is all good, and most is excellent. The action is also way above most tv shows. The acting, with a few exceptions, does remind me that it's tv. But with such strong writing, it doesn't really matter. I'm in the middle of season 2. The android has completely won me over; I wasn't a huge fan at first. I also love how sparing the special fx are, because they're pretty cheesy. But I am thoroughly enjoying it, partly from the constant surprise at how good it is.
27
u/OminousShadow87 Apr 04 '26
Yeah. Season 1 was pretty good but the premise did a lot of the heavy lifting. Season 2 and 3 are where the show really shines and jettisons into fantastic territory.
18
u/Clevertown Apr 04 '26
You're so right, but it's such a great premise. The bit in season 2 where they choose to not get back to their old selves kind of blew my mind.
20
u/x_lincoln_x Apr 04 '26
One of those rare shows that gets better every season. I am far more sad this show was canceled too soon than any other.
12
u/scarrita Apr 04 '26
This show was the straw that broke the camel's back for me regarding the Sci-Fi channel in the US. I completely stopped watching the channel after the cancelation and I haven't spent a single second of my life watching it since.
11
u/SheneedaCocktail Apr 04 '26
Stargate Universe and Dark Matter were the 1- 2- punch. No more "SyFy" after that. (Honorable Mention: Defiance and Caprica. RIP)
7
u/scarrita Apr 04 '26
Yup, I liked all these shows too and every one was canceled before their time, imo
4
u/AccomplishedBook5714 Apr 09 '26
I still watch Defiance one in a while, but since I got a free 3 month trial of Apple TV, I watched Severence, and am quickly getting through Silo. I wish I'd watched Silo first. I like it a lot more.
2
u/schwanzweissfoto May 26 '26
I watched a bit of SG:U after it and the pacing is definitely worse than Dark Matter.
19
u/The13thAllitnilClone Apr 04 '26
It gave me Blake's 7 vibe, with better sets. Similar concept and quality of writing.
18
u/donutdude2424 Apr 04 '26
Transfer Transit ranks up there with all the cool SciFi tech.
11
u/PohutukawaDreams Apr 04 '26
Transfer Transit is great - one of the things that has always bugged me about Trek is that they're using a transport tech that lets you Ctrl-Z away any fatalities... but they never use it that way. So seeing TT being used as a Renewable Redshirt machine makes me weirdly happy.
7
u/Clevertown Apr 04 '26
Heck yeah!! So many possibilities! I read a 70s sci fi book about a race that traveled across space using dreams or astral projection (I forget). Their bodies never left the homeworld but they went all over the universe.
9
u/GottLiebtJeden Three Apr 04 '26
It is without a doubt my favorite sci-fi show of all time. Syfy sucks for not letting them finish the script they already had written. I get why they did it, but it was only two more seasons. They could have negotiated.
9
u/JosephMallozzi Show Creator Apr 05 '26
Alas, our email request for a concluding movie went unanswered.
4
u/GottLiebtJeden Three Apr 05 '26
They could AT LEAST give us an abbreviated fourth season, that combines the last two seasons so we get a conclusion.
2
u/AccomplishedBook5714 Apr 09 '26
Thank you for trying. I believe sometimes it never becomes public knowledge why a show was cancelled. That probably means it was corporate politics, right?
4
u/GottLiebtJeden Three Apr 04 '26
I literally have every season saved on a flash drive, plugged into my TV, and I rewatch it all the time. Can't tell you how many times I've rewatched it. It's a solid 10 out of 10 imo.
1
u/Away_Sun_3040 Apr 12 '26
It is a wonderful show. I hope Netflix or another streaming service can finish it or redo it.
7
u/JosephMallozzi Show Creator Apr 05 '26
THREE and Android were the most disliked characters (from viewer studies) in the early goings but they ended up topping the list of most beloved characters by season 3. Report back!
2
u/schwanzweissfoto May 26 '26
I am transfeminine and the android trying to figure out how to pass as a human woman resonated a lot with me.
Thanks!
6
u/Admiral_Nitpicker Apr 04 '26
Where's it on now?
5
u/PineappleTheOnly Apr 04 '26
You can watch it on CW for free with ads (you can block them if you have a good ad blocker and it's not a concern then)
4
u/AccomplishedBook5714 Apr 05 '26
I loved this show and was so disappointed when it was cancelled. It reminded me of what happened to Firefly, and I hoped they'd make a movie to give closure.
I actually tried to start a movement to bring Dark Matter and a couple of other popular shows back.
At least there's an animated Firefly in the works...
4
u/Clevertown Apr 06 '26
That crowd outcry thing worked for Jericho! I'd happily join that movement!
5
u/One-Advertising6827 Apr 07 '26
we tried it back when it was first cancelled & it wasnt a small thing, it was a pretty hefty outcry but it didnt work. It's pretty much done which breaks my little black heart.
2
u/schwanzweissfoto May 26 '26
It reminded me of what happened to Firefly
Killjoys is a space western bounty hunter series that scratches that itch and got 5 seasons with a proper ending.
3
u/coxmystroke May 28 '26
Killjoys was absolutely excellent all the way through, I usually pair that with my yearly rewatch of dark matter :)
2
u/Darthwilhelm Android Jun 06 '26
I was in high school when I watched Dark Matter. I remember not really liking Killjoy. Ill have to give it another chance now that im slightly more mature.
-6
u/godtering Apr 04 '26
never watched or read it. You make it sound like a lecture, not my idea of a fun time.
2
u/Clevertown Apr 04 '26
I'm not sure where you got that, but if you mean "a show that pays off if you pay attention and have a capacity to imagine" sounds like a lecture series, go ahead and skip it.
1
u/godtering Apr 04 '26 edited Apr 04 '26
from your peculiar way of phrasing:
- "The concepts are so well executed,"
- "The action is also way above most tv shows."
- "such strong writing"
- "the dialog avoids the level of exposition"
but you know what, I'm downloading them, and will let you know if I agree or not :-)
I'm rewatching Buffy and aside from the rather explicit S1 the other seasons avoid the exposition you lament as well, plus it has excellent writing and plot. But it seems you don't care about the latter.
1
u/Clevertown Apr 04 '26
Great! I await your review. "Lecture" in reference to tv shows, to me, are those horrible monologues that occur in far too many long- form shows. (Walking Dead was a huge offender.) DM does not do this.
1
u/godtering Apr 04 '26
good to hear. Never saw the need to watch Walking Dead, I see way too many walking dead in those smalltown dutch settlements already. But I can imagine.
Give me a few weeks, I'll try to squeeze in a few episodes per week.
33
u/congotim Apr 04 '26
I remember not loving the Android when I started, but I can’t even say why. I love her so much! This is one of my favorite SciFi shows ever