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In the era of peak TV, it often feels next to impossible to actually keep up with the shows you already watch, much less try to start new ones. I get it. I watch TV for a living and even I can’t keep up with as many shows as I would like.

So with that in mind, I’m gonna pitch you on “Dark,” the extremely heady new time travel show that just landed on Netflix. It’s going a bit under the radar right now, sandwiched between “The Punisher” and the second season of “The Crown.” Also it’s in German rather than English, which may put you off. But having watched its 10-episode first season twice now, I can confirm it’s worth your time.

“Dark” takes us to the small town of Winden, Germany, a place full of fun personal melodrama — and also children who have gone missing without a trace. It centers on a handful of families that have lived there for a long time and are prominent in the community. The time travel conceit does more than give us a window into how these families have evolved over many decades — it’s brings a whole new meaning to “things are not quite what they seem here.”

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I’m going to stop there with the description. I’m not usually one to be overly concerned about spoilers, but “Dark” is such a weird and twisty thing that It’s tough to talk about it much without delving into a place that even I would call spoiler territory. “Dark” is a show best discovered with the bare minimum of information about its premise. That being said, I’m going to, without spoilers, explain why I like the show below, if you need more encouragement.

1. It’s a little bit “Stranger Things,” a little bit “Twin Peaks,” a little bit “Lost” and a whole bunch of doing its own thing

“Dark” is the kind of show where, early on before you really get to know it, you can feel the vibes of shows that came before. The stories that influenced “Dark” are ones that deal with people who are wrestling with extra-natural forces that are just beyond their understanding. But it’s certainly not a show that wears those influences on its sleeve — series creators Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese have crafted a fiercely original piece of fiction that is one of the most thoughtful and unique TV shows of 2017.

Also Read: 14 Time Travel TV Shows You Should Be Watching Right Now, From '12 Monkeys' to 'Time After Time' (Photos)

2. It’s one of the rare on-screen time travel stories with airtight time travel logic

Time travel is hard, OK. It’s inherently illogical and can’t follow the rules of reality as we know them in the real world. So the foundation of any good time travel story has to be the rules. You can set whatever time travel rules you want, so long as you stick with them — if you don’t, the story falls apart. It’s a whole extra thing the writers of a story have to deal with, in addition to simply trying to write a good story in the usual sense. So it’s easy to mess that up, because it requires basically double the work.

“Dark” is one of the ones that doesn’t mess that up. It was actually kind of startling when I realized that, because it’s a very complicated story arranged in a complicated way — a way that I was worried midway through was constructed to hide the show playing fast and loose with its rules. But by the time it was over I realized I had worried in vain, because it ultimately does not stray from the time travel framework it set up early . I did have a few nagging questions after it was over, but that’s inevitable since this is a TV show with plans for multiple seasons. Rest assured, this is the type of heady, smart time travel story that really does work on its most fundamental level. It’s kind of a puzzle, so you will have to put some brainpower into it — but that’s a good thing.

3. It’s also a super compelling personal drama

There’s one major character, Ulrich (Oliver Masucci), who I’ve been really fascinated by since I watched the series. “Dark” puts Ulrich at the center of things for a while, and successfully made me care about him even though he’s really kind of a terrible and not particularly likable person the whole way through. What makes him work as a character is how truly human he feels, and Ulrich is representative of how Odar and Friese treat all their characters. There isn’t a single major character on “Dark” who you can’t empathize with on some level, which makes all their myriad interactions and conflicts all the more engrossing.

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4. It uses time travel as a religious metaphor

Without delving into the particulars, “Dark” takes a sort of existential angle with its time travel shenanigans, with characters talking about time as if it were God — and who talk about time travel is if it were a means to exert power over God. It’s a fascinatingly weird angle for a time travel story, and one that worked like gangbusters on me since I come from an extremely religious part of the U.S. That Friese and Odar would even think to take the story this way is demonstrative of how “Dark” goes to places you find anywhere else in the realm of television this year.

5. It’s just extremely cool looking, with a stellar score to boot

Aside from simply being an excellent show, “Dark” also manages to be one of the more visually striking shows around. It’s up there, in fact, with “Westworld,” the new “Twin Peaks,” and “Hannibal.” And it’s got a score to match, simple and booming and dread-fueled. “Dark” would probably still be very good were these elements not working on this level, but that they do elevates the show into a truly complete package.

Top 25 Best Netflix Original Series, Ranked From Great to Phenomenal (Photos)

There is a ridiculous number of original series available on Netflix right now — so many it's almost impossible to keep up with them. Even Netflix seems to have a tough time making sure its viewers know about its shows. We dug into the annals of Netflix series and plucked out the very best ones for your enjoyment. Here they are in order of great to phenomenal.
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25. "Lost in Space"

Netflix's take on the 1960s TV show about a family marooned on a weird alien planet, with only each other, their pilot, a robot, and a self-serving doctor for company is a lot of fun. A (mostly) more realistic take than the original, the show manages to capture an interesting family dynamic while still tapping into over-the-top sci-fi ideas.
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24. "Dark"

"Dark" concerns a small German town where children have disappeared -- just like 30 years ago. The story starts out as a fascinating, character-driven drama, but quickly starts to pick up speed with some paranormal, science fiction-y elements. There's a lot more to the mystery than first meets the eye in "Dark," and the show does a great job of weaving it over the course of its first season.
Netflix
23. "Peaky Blinders"

Cillian Murphy and Sam Neill facing off from opposite sides of the law in post-World War I Britain is enough to make “Peaky Blinders” worth a watch. But its great casting and rock music-amplified tone make it a period crime drama that’s unpredictable in a completely violent way.
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22. “The Crown”

It’s not easy being queen. “The Crown” digs into the personal stories of the British royal family as Queen Elizabeth II is crowned. Elizabeth is constantly pulled between family squabbles, politics, personal responsibility and her duties, and there’s plenty of drama to go around.
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21. “BoJack Horseman”

It takes a bit to hit its stride, but once it does, “BoJack Horseman” joins the top tier of animation geared at adults. The goofy comedy combines solid writing and a cynical look at Hollywood with a darker look at issues like depression.
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20. “The Fall”

The gritty British thriller starring Gillian Anderson of “The X-Files” fame is split between two perspectives: Anderson’s Detective Gibson and the serial killer she’s hunting. Anderson is consistently great as the no-nonsense Gibson, who hunts the killer while fighting off controversy among the police and the press.
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19. “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events”

This adaptation of the children’s book series of the same name manages a hilariously melancholy tone. Neil Patrick Harris slays the role of the ridiculously evil Count Olaf, and the rest of the show is full of great performances from a series of stars.
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18. "Santa Clarita Diet"

There's a lot to love about "Santa Clarita Diet" and it's fun take on the undead. Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant in particular are hilariously square suburbanites. The way they take to murdering people for the newly zombified Barrymore to eat, in order to preserve their family, is weirdly heartwarming and constantly funny.
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17. “Travelers”

“Travelers” goes gritty with its time travel, imagining agents from the future who have to take over the bodies of people in the past in order to stop the end of the world. The best stuff here is the personal drama as the characters battle their own guilt at the harm they sometimes have to do for the greater good.
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16. "Dear White People"

Adapting the movie of the same name into a series, "Dear White People" digs into race and racism in an Ivy League school. The series is poignant and smart, as well as hilarious all the way through as it finds smart, funny ways to tackle tough topics.
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15. “Marvel’s Daredevil”

The first of Netflix’s original shows featuring Marvel superheroes was a surprisingly dark and intense take. With awesome action and strong stories, “Daredevil” gave Marvel fans a more subdued, believable kind of superhero story in its two seasons.
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14. "American Vandal"

"American Vandal" turns true crime documentary into a comedy, digging into the mystery of who was responsible for spray painting faculty cars at a high school. The show is simultaneously a send-up of super-serious crime docs, and an enthralling and effective mystery all on its own.
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13. “Making a Murderer”

The deep-dive documentary into the investigation of the murder of Teresa Halbach stretches on for 10 episodes, but it’s never boring. Instead, it presents a look into the investigation and conviction of Steven Avery that has sent many viewers digging into the case looking for the truth themselves.
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12. “Marvel’s Luke Cage”

Netflix’s superhero offerings do a stellar job of expanding Marvel stories into perspectives fans might not be used to seeing. “Luke Cage” takes viewers to Harlem, and it’s just as conscious of the implications of following a black man who’s immune to being shot as it is of how cool it would be to have bullet-proof skin.
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11. “Marvel’s Jessica Jones”

The second partnership of Netflix and Marvel pits the super-strong but flawed Jessica Jones against a mind-controlling man she can’t convince anyone exists. “Jessica Jones” is more drama than action, and watching her try to out-maneuver the manipulative Purple Man is often more exciting than flying superhero fists.
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10. “Narcos”

The saga of Pablo Escobar's rise to power and the DEA agents tasked with stopping him is a powerhouse of strong acting. There's no shortage of crime story violence and mystery in the lengthy drug war Escobar wages, which now covers two seasons.
Netflix
9. "Mindhunter"

Director David Fincher hits two competing feelings all the way through "Mindhunter." As FBI agents Ford and Tench create a new kind of profiling in the 1970s by interviewing serial killers, the show oscillates between being morbidly fascinating and increasingly dread-inducing. Either way, it's hard to turn away from this crime story.
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8. “Stranger Things”

Netflix’s “Stranger Things” perfectly channels a 1980s movie aesthetic and tells a compelling monster-slash-government conspiracy story. It’s also that certain sort of kid-driven Steven Spielberg or Stephen King kind of story that there just aren’t enough of in the 21st Century. Season 2 is coming this Halloween.
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7. "The Punisher"

Netflix's Marvel shows have been hit and miss, but the violent, brooding, semi-noir mystery it spins in "The Punisher" is the best of the bunch so far. A lack of superpowers makes protagonist Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) easy to relate to, but it's the rest of the extremely strong cast that makes the show so engrossing.
Netflix
6. “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”

This Tina Fey-co-created comedy starts with a strange premise — Kimmy (Ellie Kemper) has escaped a bunker after being kidnapped by a doomsday evangelist for years. But Kemper’s relentlessly upbeat attitude and the supporting zany cast make “Unbreakable” something of a weirdo answer to “30 Rock.” You’ll need to rewatch it to catch all of the hidden jokes.
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5. "The Keepers"

A true crime documentary series that looks to explore the decades-old murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik in Baltimore. Netflix's excellent doc spirals into a much deeper and more chilling story that delves into sexual abuse in a Catholic high school, and the murder that might have happened to cover it up.
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4. "Ozark"

When a money launderer has to convince the drug cartel he works for not to kill him, he has to cart his whole family from Chicago to Missouri in Netflix's crime drama. Imagine "Breaking Bad," but with less chemistry and the entire family involved in trying desperately to keep from getting caught, satisfy the bad guys and stay together.
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3. “House of Cards”

Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) is backstabbing his way to greater power in the halls of Washington D.C. It's occasionally ridiculous, but great performances by Spacey, Robin Wright, and many more make Underwood's machinations hard to guess and harder to stop watching.
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2. “Orange is the New Black”

The longer “OITNB” goes on, the better it gets, as it delves into the diverse perspectives of its women’s prison population. It’s an examination of the justice system, of people trying to make the best of a bad situation, and of friendship and survival. It’s also consistently hilarious and sports a phenomenal cast.
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1. “Master of None”

Aziz Ansari brings a rare brand of comedy that's instantly relatable. Whether it's about navigating life at 30 or the experience of growing up in America as the child of immigrants, "Master of None" has a unique, extremely funny perspective. The second season is even better with the first, mixing hilarious and very real moments.
Netflix

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These are the Netflix Original Series you should prioritize binge-watching immediately

There is a ridiculous number of original series available on Netflix right now — so many it's almost impossible to keep up with them. Even Netflix seems to have a tough time making sure its viewers know about its shows. We dug into the annals of Netflix series and plucked out the very best ones for your enjoyment. Here they are in order of great to phenomenal.

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