Anuva Rana
‘Tales From The Loop’ is an American science-fiction series that is based on the neo-futuristic paintings by the Swedish artist, Simon Stalenhag. The artwork features an unsettling mix of countryside people and their daily lives blended with the likes of aliens, robots, machines, and other forms of artificial intelligence that are hard to comprehend but open to interpretation.
Created by Nathaniel Halpern (Legion), the series is set in the ’80s and follows the lives of the people who reside on the land of a small rural town, above a mysterious machine called ‘The Loop’. This fictional particle accelerator is the cause of various suspicious happenings around the town. It not only triggers strange events in every episode that stand-alone but connect towards the end in a profound way, but also, pushes the residents to make sense of their lives. The series is extremely thought-provoking, and it will stay with you for long as it touches upon topics of existentialism and raises many other philosophical questions. But, be warned, it will leave you with more questions than answers!
If you’re a fan of such sci-fi and thrilling TV series, then here are six fantastic tv shows similar to ‘Tales From The Loop’ and should be on your must-watch list. These shows are available across all major streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Hotstar.
6. Stranger Things (2016-)
The first series that comes to the mind after watching ‘Tales From The Loop’ is ‘Stranger Things’. The shows have striking similarities between them in context to the 80’s timeline, a small fictional town, a secret nuclear science experiment gone wrong, sudden disappearances, and a group of kids trying to solve the town’s mystery. This American Netflix sci-fi series has already released three seasons since 2016 and its wide-spread popularity broke the internet! Created by the Duffer Brothers, ‘Stranger Things’ has a few supernatural elements to it and ponders upon topics of alternative realities and parallel universes.
5. Black Mirror (2011-)
Another famous TV series that has gained a fan following all over the world is the British sci-fi drama ‘Black Mirror’ that debuted in 2011 and has released five seasons since then. The dark and twisted anthology series focuses on humans and their unhealthy reliance on technology and how it will affect civilization in the near future. Mixed with a psychological narrative, ‘Black Mirror’ is a satire on where society is heading and how digitalization is not only enslaving us but us also exposing us to grave danger.
4. Dark (2017-)
Netflix’s first German original, ‘Dark’ is a mind-boggling sci-fi series that brought the best of us down on our knees! This brainy show is as crazy as it is impressive and the benchmark it has set for future thrillers is going to be extremely hard to emulate! ‘Dark’ has an entirely separate fan following and makers were surprised by its worldwide popularity even though the series is shot entirely in the German language.
It has a similar storyline as well that caters to the exploration of mysterious disappearances in a small town. The events are triggered by a wormhole in a cave beneath a local nuclear power plant that gives the ability to time travel. The show goes back and forth in the past, present, and future. The timelines are scattered across the ’50s, ’80s, 2010s, and 2050s, spanning four generations. This is what makes it hard to keep track of the narrative, with new characters popping up in every episode, following their fractured relationships connected to the town’s sinister past. With a dose of supernatural and horror elements, the show slightly touches upon the theory of ‘The Butterfly Effect’.
3. Humans (2015-2018)
This British show is based on the Swedish sci-fi series ‘Real Humans’ that centres around the development of helpful domestic robots called ‘Synths’. The story follows their interaction with human beings and how it affects the socio-cultural life of civilization in a parallel universe. Families hire Synths for household help, but their impact on the day-to-day lives of the people takes an unexpected turn, and what transpires is a catastrophe of disastrous events and man’s efforts to combat them. The captivating series touches upon topics of consciousness and the chilling consequences of our thoughtless actions.
2. Westworld (2016-)
Originally aired on HBO, this insane crowd-pleaser with an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes is created by Jonathan Nolan (Person of Interest) and Lisa Joy (Burn Notice). Set in the future, the series focuses on a themed-amusement park that allows its customers to interact with artificial beings in whichever manner they want, good or bad, without any restrictions. But, things get messy when these harmless programmed robots malfunction and start killing visitors in retaliation to the brutal torture inflicted upon them. The series is based on the 1973 film of the same name.
1. Colony (2016-2018)
This underrated, forgotten gem of a series is an American sci-fi and fantasy drama that released three seasons and earned a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes! ‘Colony’ was created by Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Ryan Condal (Rampage) in 2016, and it starred famous actors John Holloway (Lost) and Sarah Wayne Callies (The Walking Dead) in lead roles. This dystopian series is set in the near future that follows a family that has been separated from their son in Los Angeles. The city has been cut off from the rest of the world and is being controlled by aliens. While some people are trying to join forces with these hosts for survival, others are rebelling against them. Who will win in the end? Praised by Stephen King himself, the series is a perfect blend of suspense, jump scares, and an engaging narrative filled with plot twists!
Read More: Most Underrated Sci Fi Movies of the 21st Century
