Why does every series with a premise based on alternate reality, look a whole lot like every other series with the same premise?

The fact is tales of alternate reality have been done to death, so much so, that the whole premise now looks a lot like a cliche. Dark Matter has an instant issue, with this reviewer, for this very reason.

There have been series that have pulled it off beautifully, like German series Dark. It worked because there was enough complexity and depth in the alternate reality story, not to mention it played wonderfully with paradoxes.

By contrast, Dark Matter feels... read the rest.

Dark Matter (2024) is a dismal misfire that fails on nearly every front. From the outset, it becomes painfully clear that “nothing matters” in this convoluted mess of amateur sci-fi soap opera and tedious family drama. The series boasts poor editing, with jarring cuts and pacing issues that make its already thin narrative feel even more disjointed. The characters are lifeless, reduced to cardboard archetypes who make inexplicably stupid decisions at every turn. The supposed high-concept premise quickly devolves into unintentional comedy, weighed down by endless, repetitive family details that... read the rest.