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Fringe poster

Shows that feel likeFringe (2008–2013)

FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham, brilliant but formerly institutionalized scientist Walter Bishop and his scheming, reluctant son Peter uncover a deadly mystery involving a series of unbelievable events and realize they may be a part of a larger, more disturbing pattern that blurs the line between science fiction and technology.

If you loved Fringe, the closest series we have are Sleepy Hollow (2013), The OA (2016) and Carnivàle (2003). All three share Fringe's cerebral and dreamlike feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Alchemy of Souls (2022).

★ 8.4 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗5 seasons · FOXcreated by Alex Kurtzmancerebraldreamlikecontemplativetwisty
12 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Amazon Prime Video
Buy seasons:Amazon see price ↗Apple TV$29.99 buyFringe: The Complete Series · Apple price as of 2026-08-24

If Fringe hit the spot, these will too

Sleepy Hollow poster
Sleepy Hollow
2013–2017 · 4 seasons · FOX
★ 7.3drama · mystery · sci-fi & fantasyHulu

An odd pair chasing impossible cases from inside an official badge

The difference: Folklore and prophecy instead of lab science, with a lighter touch

Ichabod Crane is resurrected and pulled two and a half centuries through time to unravel a mystery that dates all the way back to the founding fathers.

The OA poster
The OA
2016–2019 · 2 seasons · Netflix
★ 7.8sci-fi & fantasy · mystery · dramaNetflix

Ordinary-seeming people insisting on a reality nobody else can see

The difference: Slow, mystical and unexplained — no procedure, no institution

Seven years after vanishing from her home, a young woman returns with mysterious new abilities and recruits five strangers for a secret mission.

Carnivàle poster
Carnivàle
2003–2005 · 2 seasons · HBO
★ 8.4sci-fi & fantasy · mystery · dramaMax

Both land ideas and dream logic at once

Carnivàle is an American television series set in the United States during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. In tracing the lives of two disparate groups of people, its overarching story depicts the battle between good and evil and the struggle between free will and destiny; the storyline mixes Christian theology with gnosticism and Masonic lore, particularly that of the Knights Templar.

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Wayward Pines
2015–2016 · 2 seasons · FOX
★ 7.3drama · mystery · sci-fi & fantasyHulu

An investigator trapped inside a mystery with impossible rules

The difference: A tight puzzle-box that burns through its answers quickly

Imagine the perfect American town... beautiful homes, manicured lawns, children playing safely in the streets. Now imagine never being able to leave. You have no communication with the outside world. You think you're going insane. You must be in Wayward Pines.

Severance poster
Severance
2022– · 3 seasons · Apple TV
★ 8.6drama · mystery · sci-fi & fantasyApple TV+

Institutional secrecy and unsettling science done to human beings

The difference: Cold, controlled and slow, with no case of the week to break it up

Mark leads a team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives. When a mysterious colleague appears outside of work, it begins a journey to discover the truth about their jobs.

The X-Files poster
The X-Files
1993–2018 · 11 seasons · FOX
★ 8.6mystery · sci-fi & fantasy · crimeHuluDisney+

Both are working the same pair: fbi, supernatural

The difference: Trades the stillness of Fringe for an angle of its own

The exploits of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully who investigate X-Files: marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder believes in the existence of aliens and the paranormal while Scully, a skeptic, is assigned to make scientific analyses of Mulder's discoveries that debunk Mulder's work and thus return him to mainstream cases.

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Devs
2020 · 1 season · Hulu
★ 7.6sci-fi & fantasy · drama · mysteryHulu

Contemplative where it counts, twisty underneath

Young computer engineer Lily Chan investigates the secretive development division of her employer, a cutting-edge tech company based in San Francisco, which she believes is behind the murder of her boyfriend.

Manifest poster
Manifest
2018–2023 · 4 seasons · NBC
★ 7sci-fi & fantasy · mystery · dramaNetflix

Cerebral sci-fi & fantasy, and it commits to that

After landing from a turbulent but routine flight, the crew and passengers of Montego Air Flight 828 discover five years have passed in what seemed like a few hours. As their new realities become clear, a deeper mystery unfolds and some of the returned passengers soon realize they may be meant for something greater than they ever thought possible.

Locke & Key poster
Locke & Key
2020–2022 · 3 seasons · Netflix
★ 7.3sci-fi & fantasy · drama · mysteryNetflix

Both lean on dream logic more than on drama

After their dad's murder, three siblings move with their mom to his ancestral estate, where they discover magical keys that unlock powers — and secrets.

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Ragnarok
2020–2023 · 3 seasons · Netflix
★ 7.3sci-fi & fantasy · drama · mysteryNetflix

Mystery with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

A small Norwegian town experiencing warm winters and violent downpours seems to be headed for another Ragnarök -- unless someone intervenes in time.

Grimm poster
Grimm
2011–2017 · 6 seasons · NBC
★ 7.9drama · mystery · sci-fi & fantasyPrime VideoPeacock

One thread runs through both: supernatural

After Portland homicide detective Nick Burkhardt discovers he's descended from an elite line of criminal profilers known as "Grimms," he increasingly finds his responsibilities as a detective at odds with his new responsibilities as a Grimm.

Alchemy of Souls poster
Alchemy of Souls
2022–2023 · 2 seasons · tvN
★ 8.7drama · sci-fi & fantasy · action & adventureNetflix

Twisty sci-fi & fantasy in both cases

The difference: Sits closer to action & adventure than Fringe does

She was named Naksu because wherever she went, a trail of heads followed. She performs the alchemy of souls, magic that can change people's bodies and souls, which is forbidden in Daeho, and ends up being chased. Naksu hurriedly abandons her body and attempts the alchemy of souls on a woman passing by. Jang Wook, the son of the King of Daeho, realizes that Mudeok's soul has been changed and helps her. Jang Wook wants to learn Naksu's martial arts and become a sorcerer, and Naksu, in the body of Mudeok, stays by his side so she can recover her strength.

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The best-reviewed series that share Fringe’s defining feeling.