The OA is one of the most fascinating and mind-bending sci-fi series ever created. Even though the series was not completed as created by Brit Marling intended, The OA still garnered a massive following upon its cancellation, the fans of the series did not even believe the news of the cancellation to be true and theorized that the cancellation was a trick that the streaming platform is pulling to promote the upcoming season. The brilliant series tells one of the best and most confusing stories of all time following Prairie Johnson (Marling) who returns home after a seven-year disappearance, her return becomes more and more confusing as she was blind when she disappeared but now she is not and she is not talking about the disappearance. The OA premiered its second and final season over three years in 2019 and while we all still hope for Season 3 it is becoming more and more unlikely. So, if you loved the thrilling mystery, intriguing story, and compelling characters in The OA here are some similar shows you should check out next.
Shining Girls (Apple TV+)
Shining Girls is a mystery thriller drama series created by Silka Luisa. Based on the 2013 novel The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes, the Apple TV+ series follows Kirby Mazrachi, an archivist at the Chicago Sun-Times who aspires to be a journalist, but her dreams are put on hold when she survives a brutal attack and soon finds herself constantly shifting reality. Shining Girls stars Elisabeth Moss, Wagner Moura, Phillipa Soo, Chris Chalk, Amy Brenneman, and Jamie Bell.
Devs (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video)
Devs is a sci-fi techno-thriller mystery drama series created by Alex Garland. The FX series follows Lily Chan, a software engineer working at a quantum company, Amaya. Lily soon becomes embroiled in a mystery after her boyfriend dies on his first day on the Devs team at Amaya working under CEO Forest. Devs stars Sonoya Mizuno, Nick Offerman, Jin Ha, Zach Grenier, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Karl Glusman, and Alison Pill.
Steins;Gate (Crunchyroll & Prime Video Add-On)
Steins;Gate is a Japanese psychological sci-fi thriller drama anime series written by Jukki Hanada. Based on a 2009 visual novel of the same name, the White Fox series follows a group of friends who create a machine that can send messages through time which messes up both the past and the present. Steins;Gate’s voice cast includes J. Michael Tatum, Trina Nishimura, Ashly Burch, Tyson Rinehart, Cherami Leigh, and Jessica Cavanagh.
Dispatches from Elsewhere (AMC+, Pluto TV & Rent on Prime Video)
Dispatches from Elsewhere is an anthology drama series created by Jason Segel. Based on the documentary film The Institute by Jeff Hull and Spencer McCall, the AMC series is set in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and it follows a group of ordinary people who come across a mysterious puzzle hiding just behind the veil of everyday life. Dispatches from Elsewhere stars Jason Segel, Andre Benjamin, Eve Lindley, Richard E. Grant, and Sally Field.
Dark (Netflix)
Dark is a German sci-fi mystery thriller drama series created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese. The Netflix series is set in a small German town after a kid mysteriously disappears and it follows a twisted relationship between four families who are connected because of an yet unwritten past. Dark stars Louis Hofmann, Andreas Pietschmann, Ella Lee, Maja Schöne, Lisa Vicari, and Moritz Jahn.
Fringe (Prime Video & Max)
Fringe is a sci-fi paranormal mystery drama series created by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci. The Fox series follows FBI special agent Olivia Dunham who must work together with a mad scientist Walter Bishop and his jack-of-all-trades son Peter Bishop to investigate various crime cases involving fringe science. Fringe stars Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Lance Reddick, Kirk Acevedo, Blair Brown, Jasika Nicole, Mark Valley, and Seth Gabel.
Russian Doll (Netflix)
Russian Doll is a mystery comedy-drama series created by Natasha Lyonne, Leslye Headland, and Amy Poehler. The Netflix series follows Nadia Vulvokov, a game developer who is mysteriously dying and reliving the same night in a time loop, and in her attempts to get out of the time loop, she finds Alan Zaveri, who is stuck in the same loop. Russian Doll stars Natasha Lyonne, Greta Lee, Yul Vazquez, Elizabeth Ashley, Charlie Bartlett, and Chloë Sevigny.
Maniac (Netflix)
Maniac is a sci-fi psychological dark comedy-drama series created by Patrick Somerville. Based on the 2015 Norwegian series of the same name, the Netflix series follows Annie Landsberg and Owen Milgrim, two strangers who participate in a mysterious pharmaceutical trial that takes them on a mind-bending odyssey through various hallucinatory worlds. Maniac stars Emma Stone and Jonah Hill in the lead roles with Justin Theroux, Sonoya Mizuno, Gabriel Byrne, and Sally Field.
Sense8 (Netflix)
Sense8 is a sci-fi mystery thriller drama series created by The Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski. The Netflix series follows eight strangers around the world who are connected through mysterious visions of each other, and a mysterious organization soon hunts them. Sense8 stars Aml Ameen, Bae Doona, Jamie Clayton, Tina Desai, Tuppence Middleton, Max Riemelt, Miguel Ángel Silvestre, and Brian J. Smith.
The Leftovers (Max & Prime Video Add-On)
The Leftovers is a philosophical supernatural mystery thriller drama series created by Damon Lindelöf and Tom Perrotta. Based on Perrotta’s 2011 novel of the same name, the HBO series is set after a global event known as the “Sudden Departure” that resulted in the sudden disappearance of 2% of the world’s population and it follows the residents of Mapleton, New York who are still struggling to rebuild their lives after losing loved ones. The Leftovers stars Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Liv Tyler, Chris Zylka, Margaret Qualley, Carrie Coon, and Emily Meade.