In 2017, Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar's Netflix series Dark premiered, and in 2022, the showrunners' second show 1899 was released on the streaming service, leading fans to wonder if the two shows are connected. The series are each set in the past and both have high ratings on Rotten Tomatoes thanks to their strongly written characters and well-plotted episodes. The shows stand out in a sea of content because they both go to some surprising places. It's always refreshing when a series can truly shock and stun audiences and neither 1899 nor Dark can be described as derivative or expected.
There's a lot to know about both 1899 and Dark, including whether the two shows have any connection and what their plots and characters are. Since season 1 of 1899 has eight episodes and Dark has three seasons, there are many episodes for a perfect binge-watch.
What is 1899 About?
1899 and Dark have several differences, including the main plot.1899 is a period piece about people leaving Southampton and going to New York City via steamship. The show has several memorable characters, including Angel (Miguel Bernardeau), a rich person from Spain, and Maura Henriette Franklin/Singleton (Emily Beecham), who is a neurologist. While not a horror TV show, 1899 has a lot of intrigue, as Daniel Solace (Aneurin Barnard) is a passenger on the ship who everyone wants to know more about. As season 1 draws to a close, it's clear that there are many mysteries here, including the question of what happened to a ship that disappeared a few months before this one set sail.
Season 1 of 1899 has eight episodes, and it hasn't been renewed for a second season just yet, although it has a rich world that would definitely lend itself to more episodes. It's easy to imagine the show continuing for several more seasons, whether with new characters or the same ones. It has high ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, earning 76% on the Tomatometer and a 76% Audience Score.
While the characters keep fans wanting to watch, the ship setting of 1899 is what makes it so special. It provides the perfect eerie background for the plot and it's easy to become invested in the story and wonder if the hopeful passengers will make it to their NYC destination.
What is Dark About?
Netflix has many thriller TV shows, including Dark, which began streaming on the service in 2017 and has three seasons. Dark has a great premise: in Widen, Germany, kids begin going missing, which makes everyone wonder if something sinister is happening. While this might sound like a typical horror or TV series plot, things change quickly and the show explores time travel. This element is what makes the show so popular and each season feels different enough to keep things interesting.
Season 3, for instance, focuses on the apocalypse which happens in 2020. The fact that the show switches up the plot so much makes for a binge-watch that is anything but boring. Dark is well-liked by critics and audiences. It has 95% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer and a 94% Audience Score. Just like Paper Girls uses time travel tropes, Dark offers up a fresh take on this type of story. It's the kind of show that is hard to stop watching.
While Dark is a popular Netflix show, some have said that it's confusing, as there are many characters and elements and storylines to keep track of. But for some, the fact that the show is so detailed and layered is what makes it so fun.
Is 1899 Connected to Dark?
It's easy to think that 1899 and Dark are connected because they share the same showrunners and they take place in the past. The shows are different and don't have anything else in common.
As Friese told The Hollywood Reporter, "We didn’t want to copy exactly the way we structured things in Dark. I think the two concepts needed two different kinds of storytelling. With Dark, the story is really so much about time, about using something linear and then making lots of knots, throwing it at the audience and getting them to figure out how to untangle it back into a more linear logic. 1899 just has a different structure. But it’s not like what we thought: People didn’t understand Dark, so we have to make this one easier. I think it’s a very individual thing."
Both 1899 and Dark are some of the best science-fiction shows on Netflix. Although they aren't connected and don't have the same characters or plotlines, they show the creators' talent for shows that hook audiences from the very start.