Set in 2025, the mystery-packed French miniseries, Vortex, is an up-and-coming show following a small coastal town detective Ludovic “Ludo” Béguin, with a desolate investigating a crime scene.
In this sci-fi version of the future, the beach inspection, where a woman drowned in the city of Brest, is done by Ludo using a VR reconstruction. But when a time warp and a glitch lead Tomer Sisley’s character to come in contact with his dead wife, Melanie (played by Camille Claris), who died in an accident on the same beach in 1998.
We love Sci-Fi Shows Like Vortex.
As we get to see glimpses of Melanie before her death, Ludo tries to comprehend the circumstances that led to her demise for the sake of their now-grown daughter. Putting himself and his now-wife Parvana and son Sam in the present at risk, Ludo tries it all to change the events of the past.
Franck Thilliez’s original series ties relatable modern technology in the police force with a thrilling family drama and an engaging murderous plot twist brought to the screen by Quad Drama, the producers of hits like Women at War. For the fans of the ambiguous futurism in shows like Frequency, Vortex is a fresh take on your ordinary crime-solving detective with a devastating past who dwells in the obsolete to find answers for the present.
A praise-worthy performance by the Don’t Look Up, and Messiah fame Tomer Sisley makes the show a binge-able futuristic fantasy. The show also features great contributions by Camille Claris, Anaïs Parello, and Éric Pucheu as the leads.
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Shows Like Vortex To Watch Now!
It certainly is difficult to find a good show that combines well the mystique of a suspenseful murder mystery with futurism and creates a family odyssey worth watching. So, if you are done binging on the six episodes of this miniseries, then worry no more because we have got 12 shows like Vortex for you to get sucked into right now!
Dark (2017-2020)
Louis Hofmann and Lisa Vicari star in this German TV series with a huge fan following with a mystery-piqued plot dabbling in the supernatural. The story lays out an intricate puzzle of dubious characters with shady pasts and suspicious settings, set in the small town of Winden, as four families get entangled in a whirlwind aftermath of the disappearance of a young eleven-year-old boy, Mikkel Nielsen.
When out on a search for hidden drugs with a bunch of friends, including a disturbed classmate Jonas, Mikkel goes missing, and the town later connects his vanishing with a nuclear plant explosion that terrorized the town in 1986. They discover that the wormhole created by the explosion lines up every 30-something years, creating a passage into an unknown amount of time into the future or the past. Jonas discovers shocking truths about his family and the town he lives in, with piling twists and generations of secrets.
With intense family drama, a fantasy beast, and brain-tickling time travel, this show has got it all and will definitely satisfy your craving for more sci-fi brilliance after Vortex. Baran bo Odar weaves in stellar cinematography with a mind-numbing storyline to create a television drama that will be talked about for years. A masterpiece of its own kind that mixes genres like time traveling and thriller in a rattling 3 season long show available to watch on Netflix.
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Black Mirror (2011-)
Black Mirror, the sci-fi anthology series of the decade, takes different short stories depicting the horror and consequences of the dependence of humankind on technology and brings to you a seat-gripping thriller that you just can’t stop watching despite its gruesome scenes.
From life-like robots to obnoxiously smart AI and quantum computers, the show has got it all. Different tales take place in different alternate universes in varied time stamps, as we see people throughout the walk of life deal with machines in their own way. Black Mirror is brutal in the way it will shock you to the core and leave you wanting to explore just one more episode because it portrays the truth we all have thought of at some point in our lives.
Along with witty stories, Black Mirror also boasts of a star-studded cast featuring Anthony Mackie, Miley Cyrus, Bryce Dallas Howard, Hayley Atwell, and more in the six seasons of the show to date. Prepared to be exhilarated and watch Black Mirror now on Netflix.
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He Is Psychometric (2019)
If you’re looking for a mystery with a hint of romance, then He is Psychometric must just be the right fit for you. A Korean drama following a man with the ability to peer into the past of the people he touches, the television series parallels Vortex with its past, intertwining with the present thriller storyline.
Starring K-drama land heartthrobs like Shin Ye-eun, Kim Kwon, and Jinyoung, this 2019 show amasses well-written characters and an intriguing murder mystery that will keep you hooked to the screen despite the subtitles. A love triangle with a sci-fi twist to it and creepy antagonists, He is Psychometric has got it all, and you can now watch season one on Amazon Prime Video or Rakuten Viki.
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The OA (2016-19)
Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij bring this Netflix original to life revolving around a young blind woman named Prairie who resurfaces after being missing for seven years. Upon her return, she is found to have scars on her back, her vision returned, and when she refers to herself as the Original Angel (OA), there are people who believe her to be dangerous, while some regard her as a rare miracle.
Brit Marling takes on the titular role herself while being joined by Patrick Gibson (from Shadow and Bone), Jason Isaacs, Ian Alexander, and more. For the fans of Vortex, the mind-bending science fiction and futurism of the show will definitely satisfy you.
An imaginative plot with interdimensional travel and the complexities of the same are explored in The OA, along with some incredibly choreographed dance numbers that will hook you to its moves. With new puzzling mysteries every season, the show has proved to be a cerebral addition to the genre of futuristic thrillers with its fresh story that bewilders you and takes you along with ease. Watch now on Netflix.
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Alice In Borderland (2020-)
Coming straight from Japan, this 2020 sci-fi drama by Shinsuke Sato was adapted for the screen into a thriller from the manga series by Haro Aso of the same name. Genres of cyberpunk mystery meet the world of video games in this survival story of Arisu and his friends as they grapple with staying alive in a strange version of Tokyo.
Complete with tear-spilling sad moments to gasp-worthy twists, Alice in Borderland is a two-season show with a massive fan following for its portrayal of metaphorical life lessons through games played by the characters. Nijiro Murakami, Tao Tsuchiya, Kento Yamakazi, and more stars in this manga-to-screen adaptation, now available to watch on Netflix.
Katla (2021)
Hailing from Iceland, this series has a fundamentally mysterious plot with a twist on it. Following the fallout of humans in keeping up with environmental degradation, Katla takes place in a community adjacent to the snow-clad volcano of the titular name, which suffers from a catastrophe post-eruption.
Folklore meets science fiction, as the ruins of the glaciers give rise to the undead, and what follows is a beautifully shot philosophical masterpiece. With strange occurrences to mysterious circumstances surrounding the volcano, Katla is truly an experience that cannot be missed. Watch the limited series now on Netflix.
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The Shining Girls (2022-)
An American thriller with a sci-fi twist to it, The Shining Girls stars Elizabeth Moss, Madeline Brewer, Jamie Bell, and Phillipa Soo. After a vicious attack by a serial killer that causes her to gain the ability to shift between dimensions, an aspiring journalist Kirby Mazrachi joins the investigation to catch the man who did this to her.
A metaphysical horror, The Shining Girls, has no shortage of scenes that will make you want to look away, but the suspense of what’s to come next will definitely make you want to continue watching. The actors do an incredible job of portraying the suffering woman from different eras in time, pursued by the ruthless killer, Harper Curtis. Watch the first eight episodes of The Shining Girls now on Apple TV.
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1899 (2022-)
A period piece combining science fiction and enigma into a multilingual series that follows the lives of multicultural immigrants on a ship en route to New York from London in the year 1899. When the people on this ship come across another vessel adrift and stranded in the sea, they are forced to face some grueling circumstances and a twisted fate.
This saga of time travel, parallel worlds, and tantalizing horror elements is definitely a worthwhile watch after Vortex. The compelling storyline and the intriguing plot will definitely tickle your curiosity and make you binge the show entirely in a single sitting. Watch 1899 now on Netflix.
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Sense8 (2015-2018)
In this original series by Netflix, eight people from around the world find themselves connected via a vision that haunts them and later by being able to peer into each other’s thoughts and movements. As they discover and pursue this bond to find answers, they are hunted down by an organization wanting them dead. Lana and Lily Wachowski propel forward in their television careers with this gripping futuristic fictional thriller.
Many international faces lend their skills to the cast, including Naveen Andrews, Daryl Hannah, Doona Bae, Jamie Clayton, and more. What makes the story so engaging is the in-depth look the cinematographers offer us into the lives of each of the characters and their struggles and how it touches on a variety of issues to address. Watch Sense8 now on Netflix.
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Altered Carbon (2018-2020)
In a faraway future where the mind and the consciousness are virtualized for eternity and stored in implants in the spine, humans have made death impermanent. Set in this dystopian world, starring Anthony Mackie, Altered Carbon follows Takeshi Kovacs as he attempts to solve the murder of a wealthy man who offers him the chance to free his mind from imprisonment after centuries.
Based on the crime noir novel of the same name by Richard K. Morgan, this cyberpunk series combines the mystique of a thriller with a murder mystery to the sci-fi genre delivering an enriching experience. Watch the two seasons of Altered Carbon now on Netflix.
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Severance (2022-)
Sci-fi meets psychological thriller in this genre-bending television series by Dan Erickson, Severance, starring Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Patricia Arquette, and more. The show explores the fatalistic effects of modern technology, which is also a featured element in more shows on this list.
This foray into the science fiction-crime theme, directed by Ben Stiller, focuses on an office with workers whose memories have been divided between their job and personal lives, all by the use of surgery and some tech. Upon the arrival of a co-worker outside of the office, the balance is disturbed, and what follows is the unraveling of the circumstances these people have been living in.
With a little violence and an impending sense of peril throughout the series, Severance makes for a great watch post-Vortex for its overlapping genres yet completely different tales of transgression. Watch Severance now on Apple TV.
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11.22.63 (2016)
A story about a high school teacher cum time traveler, Jake, 11.22.63 is a cerebral sci-fi thriller depicting the prevention of the assassination of the American president, John F. Kennedy. This limited series adapted from the 60th work of Stephen King stars big names like James Franco, Sarah Gadon, George Mackay, Lucy Fry, and more.
The plot is gripping and follows the man out of his time, trying to correct the past and erase his own misdeeds, making it a satisfying work of fiction mixed with crime, suspense, and of course, futuristic science talk. Watch the series, 11.22.63, with a fresh take on time travel now on Amazon Prime Video.
Certainly, these shows are to keep you entertained after your complete run of the French science fiction, Vortex. And if you are in need of more dystopian, technological fantasies to binge, there is always this list to revisit and binge.
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