Since its premiere in May, "Dark Matter" has been one of the most popular shows on Apple TV Plus, joining the streaming service's robust sci-fi lineup that includes hits like "Severance" and "For All Mankind." The series, based on Blake Crouch's 2016 novel, explores an infinite alternate universe accessible through quantum superpositions.

Joel Edgerton plays physicist Jason Dessen. He must traverse numerous worlds to return to his family after his life is usurped by a doppelganger. Supporting actors Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga, Jimmi Simpson, and Dayo Okeniyi each play multiple characters.

Doppelgangers and other dimensions are an old science fiction tradition, so there are many shows that deal with similar concepts. While we wait for Apple to decide on a second season of "Dark Matter," here are five more sci-fi series to check out.

The characters played by Tatiana Maslany in "Orphan Black" are not all exactly the same person, but they are not entirely different either: over the course of five seasons, Maslany plays a dozen clones developed from the same DNA, all of them, part of an operation led by an evil biotech company and tied to a secret scientific movement.

While the conspiracy plot ultimately becomes a bit unwieldy, what is notable about "Orphan Black" is how Maslany makes each clone stand out, even those who appear only briefly. Multiple clones appear as central characters throughout the five seasons, but it is never difficult to tell them apart, even when one tries to impersonate another. Orphan Black is both a gripping sci-fi series and a brilliantly acted one."

Watch on AMC Plus

What started out in the familiar format of a team of federal agents investigating a strange phenomenon, somewhat adapted from "The X-Files," gradually evolved into a multi-dimensional sci-fi epic incorporating alternate universes and timelines. The film centers around the dual personality of eccentric scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble), as the characters discover complex conflicts between parallel universes."

As the plot jumps dimensions and time, it is supported by Noble's emotionally resonant and brilliant performance along with Joshua Jackson as Walter's son Peter and Anna Torv as Olivia Dunham, an FBI agent with a past involving the Bishop family Like "Dark Matter," "Fringe" also makes gut-wrenching facts more important by intertwining important relationships with sci-fi storytelling.

Watch on Max

No one would accuse "Sliders" of being sophisticated or thoughtful science fiction, but what is consistently entertaining is its unabashed silliness. Jerry O'Connell initially leads the cast as a graduate student who has created a device that facilitates travel between different worlds. He, along with three others, are forced to constantly jump between universes when the device malfunctions and they are unable to bring them home.

The five seasons of "Sliders" have seen a lot of cast turnover (original stars O'Connell, John Rhys-Davies, and Sabrina Lloyd all eventually departed), and the quality of the writing has varied, but the show continues to be funnily goofy. The characters experience a variety of absurdities, including a trip to a dimension with dinosaurs, a game of death, and imminent death by asteroid, and there is always another bizarre journey awaiting them in the next episode.

Watch on Peacock (through June 30) or free with ads on Vudu

A cold war is being waged between two parallel universes in this sci-fi spy thriller starring J.K. Simmons as Howard Silk, a low-level government official, He discovers that the agency he works for is actually a front to travel between worlds. Howard is caught up in an interdimensional plot and tries to protect both realities from a breakaway group that seeks to escalate the conflict.

Creator Justin Marks (who later co-created "Shogun") incorporates science fiction elements into a gritty espionage romp filled with covert missions and double agents. Simmons plays the intimidating original Howard and the sassy double agent to perfection, and Olivia Williams also plays Howard's wife. Howard's wife and Olivia Williams, who plays Howard's wife, are perfectly in tune with each other.

Rent/Buy on Apple or Amazon

Superhero comics have been exploring alternate universes for decades. This Marvel Cinematic Universe animated show takes its title and premise from the long-running Marvel Comics series. Jeffrey Wright voices the Watcher, an all-seeing observer who acts as a sort of tour guide to the parallel dimensions. Each episode is a new version of an established character, in a different structure and setting, telling a story that branches off from the main MCU continuity.

Many of the live-action MCU actors return to voice various incarnations of their characters, often reflecting the look of the MCU films while the animation establishes its own visual style. Freed from the constraints of continuity and special effects budgets, "What If...?" can make bold narrative choices without worrying about the impact on the ongoing MCU.

View on Disney Plus