Fans draw comparisons between 1899 and Dark storylines

1899, a German period mystery-horror series currently streaming on Netflix, is fast becoming as a favorite among horror and thriller genre lovers. Real-life couple Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar are the creators of this epic thrilling TV series. Its official synopsis reads:

“When mysterious events change the course of an immigrant ship headed for New York in 1899, a mind-bending riddle unfolds for its bewildered passengers.”

While social media users are in awe of the genius of Friese and bo Odar’s work, they are also pointing out similarities with the duo’s previous thriller series, Dark.

To recall, the summary of Dark read:

“A missing child sets four families on a frantic hunt for answers as they unearth a mind-bending mystery that spans three generations.”

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Fans compare 1899 and Dark on social media

Numerous tweets and posts on social media highlight how the two thrillers have unmistakable similarities. This comparison is probably making the rounds on the internet, because both 1899 and Dark have been created by the same team.

Most netizens have referenced the slogan seen in the 1899 poster that reads:

“What is lost will be found.”

Rough translation: I was like this with Dark and now I'll be like this with 1899

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1899: Cast, episode details, budget

The meta mystery features Andreas Pietschmann from Dark in one of the lead roles. Pietschmann plays a character named Eyk Larsen, a weather-beaten captain in 1899. In Dark, he was a time traveler aka "The Stranger" who played one of the Jonas Kahnwald characters. The German actor was a mainstay for all three seasons of Dark.

Alongside him, 1899 stars Emily Beecham, Aneurin Barnard, Miguel Bernardeau, and José Pimentão, among others.

The first season of the multilingual thriller has eight episodes, each lasting 50 minutes. The episodes have been titled The Ship, The Boy, The Fog, The Fight, The Calling, The Pyramid, The Storm, and The Key from episode one eight respectively.

Touted as the costliest German TV series of all time, the team made 1899 on a reported budget of around €60 million.

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"Idea, and the spark for it (1899) happened years ago" - Friese

Detailing on how the idea for 1899 was hatched, Friese shared with The Hollywood Reporter:

“Actually, the idea and the spark for it happened years ago. It's been quite a process getting to here. It was originally a photo that we found. We were doing research for something completely different. But we stumbled upon a picture of a man in a white shirt covered in blood, with a hammer in his hand and a really weird look on his face, standing on top of what looked like an old boat.”

It was one of those pictures you're drawn to, where you immediately start asking questions: “What did he do with that hammer? Where does he come from? Where’s he going? What’s this all about?"

“Immediately, I had the idea that this might be a migrant on a ship. But what happened on that ship? That was the big question.”

The refugee crisis in Europe in 2015-16, Brexit, and other such “right-wing ideas” further aided in giving shape to 1899, the screenwriter added.

“We thought: How do people cope with situations when they’re not able to speak the same language? That’s what triggered the process. Then, of course, just like in Dark, we have a big philosophical theme at the center of it all about perception and reality.”

1899 is currently a hit among watchers who have given it a solid rating of 8.5 on IMDb.