'Dark Matter' showrunner and author Blake Crouch talks the 'daunting' task of moving beyond the original book for season 2 (interview)

Apple TV's addictive multiverse thriller, "Dark Matter," has quietly joined their roster of fantastic sci-fi series alongside hits like "Pluribus," "Severance," "Foundation," "Silo," "For All Mankind," and "Star City."Adapted from New York Times bestselling author Blake Crouch's ("Recursion," "Upgrade") novel of the same name from 2016, "Dark Matter" is a mesmerizing amalgam of time-travel, existential crises, alternate dimensions, and romantic love that transcends the multiverse. We're entering the final few episodes of season 2, so there’s still room to jump on the show's bandwagon and absorb the quantum entanglement for what's bound to be a cliffhanger finale airing on Oct. 30, 2026.As "Dark Matter" season 2 heads toward its conclusion, we sat down with showrunner Blake Crouch to ask what it's like to adapt your own book to the screen, and the challenges of moving beyond the scope of his original story."Dark Matter" season 2 is winding down to its thrilling Oct. 30, 2026 finale! (Image credit: Apple TV)"The biggest challenge for season 2 was time because we needed to move quickly," Crouch tells Space. "This was a brand new plot and brand new story. Yeah, we had the characters from season 1 and kind of knew where they were heading, but coming up with ten hours of new story was daunting."Crouch again serves as "Dark Matter's" executive producer and showrunner, this time being liberated from the novel's initial plotline and free to continue the story of Jason (Joel Edgerton) and Daniela (Jennifer Connelly) Dessen as they flee from a mob of duplicate Jasons chasing them across parallel existences while struggling to maintain some semblance of a marriage. Come for the trippy time loops and strange variant worlds, stay for the exceptional acting and drama!"It was a case of go, go, go, and actually I think it kind of helps the process not be precious," explains Crouch. "We sort of committed and went with it. For the second season arc, we wanted to open up the aperture and not just focus so heavily only on the family, but to check in with Ryan and Amanda and Leighton. It seemed like an amazing opportunity to build out the world."Alice Braga and Jimmi Simpson co-star in "Dark Matter" season 2 (Image credit: Apple TV)Crouch and his creative team were extremely happy with the debut season's aesthetics, and this sophomore outing was mostly about being faithful to that, although the new batch did indulge in a couple of standalone chapters where the writers got to play a bit and take some big swings."It was never something we were afraid of," Crouch adds, avoiding multiverse tropes and clichés. "Because I was starting to write 'Dark Matter' in 2014 and there are plenty of amazing things that came before that dabbled in it. But when the book came out, it was the first story that went all in and committed to the idea of the world in a grounded, emotional, character-driven way. And we always try to stay true to that identity. "Sometimes the multiverse can be fun shock and awe when it comes to showing how wild and crazy different worlds can become. But for our characters, everyone is just shades of the same core character. And I think that approach hopefully keeps it from falling into some of those trope traps.”Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly in Apple TV's "Dark Matter" season 2 (Image credit: Apple TV)Romance is frequently at the heart of Crouch’s work, which allows the series’ acclaimed cast to evolve and stretch their skills within the complicated narrative."I love the way Jennifer describes this second season as a continued exploration of a marriage," he shares. "And in some ways the new season of 'Dark Matter' gets far more deep into the relationship of Daniela and Jason. Because in season 1 they're together for a few minutes in the beginning and then he’s out the door and ultimately gets abducted. He doesn’t return to his family until the end of the penultimate episode.""There's a sense in season 1 that it’s a love story between these two characters, but Jason 1 and Daniel 1 have very little screen time," he elaborates. "In season 2, we not only get to see how they interact day-to-day, but how they deal with the fallout. ""I feel a lot of gratitude to work with such amazing creative minds, from our production designer to our actors and directors and editors. It's very humbling to get to work with so many smart people who are all trying to execute your vision.""Dark Matter" season 2 airs new episodes each Friday exclusively on Apple TV. Fans can also catch up on the entire first season on Apple TV.Watch Dark Matter on Apple TV+:Apple TV+: $12.99/month (7-day free trial)Apple TV & Peacock Premium: $14.99/month