Dark Fans, Upcoming Netflix Series Will Be Your Next Sci-Fi Binge in 2024

Summary

• German studios have been creating popular content for years, including the 2017 smash hit Dark.
• If you're looking for a new sci-fi mystery to fill the void, one new series will tick a lot of boxes.
• It will be just one of 17 new German programs scheduled for an upcoming release.

From 2017 to 2020, the German sci-fi thriller Dark took the streaming world by storm. The Netflix series – which started out as a missing-child mystery and turned into a wormhole-riddled sci-fi spectacular – left a hole in our hearts when it wrapped up at the end of its third season.

Luckily, there will soon be a new German sci-fi series to keep you up at night.

Missing Family, Robot Helper

Coming soon to Netflix is the hotly anticipated Cassandra, a six-part limited series helmed by Rat Pack Filmproduktion. The company has already wowed Netflix audiences with the fantastic (and underappreciated) 2023 feature Blood & Gold, a WWII movie about a German deserter and a poverty-stricken woman who band together to find hidden Nazi treasure.

Now Rat Pack does a total 180 to bring us Cassandra, a modern-day sci fi thriller.

The series centers around the oldest smart home in Germany. The house was designed in the 1970s, but has been sitting empty since its original occupants mysteriously disappeared. Now a new family has moved in, and the house's AI robot helper, Cassandra, is determined to make their lives better in any way she can.

However, Cassandra sees herself as more than just a helper – she sees herself as an important member of the family, and one that is determined to never be abandoned again.

Inspiration From the Classics

We've obviously seen the 'evil AI' trope before, but Cassandra seems to be drawing some inspiration from the taut mystery element at the heart of 2014's Ex Machina. Part of what made that movie so successful is that the filmmakers knew their audience was already familiar with all of the sci-fi tropes, and played with our expectations right til the end.

It also looks like Cassandra may draw from some of the themes of 2013's Her. In that film, ordinary guy Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix ) falls in love with his virtual assistant Samantha (Scarlett Johanssen). Her was notable for creating an AI character whose self-awareness didn't lead her to evil – instead, it made her long for human connection, as it seems Cassandra might be doing in the upcoming series.

More To Come

Cassandra is only one of seventeen new titles Netflix is picking up from Germany. The announcement was made at a showcase event in Berlin at the beginning of March, where Netflix's content VP for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland stated:

'We have seen again and again how local stories can captivate viewers here and around the world. We aim to continue this successful journey together with our partners, sharing a common goal of creating exceptional entertainment that moves and inspires people.'

Other upcoming German releases include:

• Kaulitz & Kaulitz: a documentary series featuring a pair of pop star siblings as they tour the world with their band Tokyo Hotel.
• Murder Mindfully, a new series about a top lawyer who becomes a serial murderer after reading a self-help book.
• Brick, a movie about an apartment building whose residents wake up to find a mysterious brick wall has sprung up and blocked their way out.
• Blame the Game, a comedy/thriller about an eager-to-please boyfriend who is meeting his girlfriend's friends for the first time – only to have her ex-boyfriend crash the party.

Cassandra is expected to premiere on Netflix later in 2024.

Sources: Variety.