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The OA poster

Shows that feel likeThe OA (2016–2019)

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

If you loved The OA, the closest series we have are Devs (2020), Fringe (2008) and Carnivàle (2003). All three share The OA'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 Lanterns (2026).

★ 7.8 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗2 seasons · Netflixcreated by Brit Marlingcerebraldreamliketwistycontemplative
12 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Amazon Prime Video
Stream it:Netflix ↗

If The OA hit the spot, these will too

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

Both keep coming back to the same thing: intimate

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.

Fringe poster
Fringe
2008–2013 · 5 seasons · FOX
★ 8.4sci-fi & fantasy · drama · mysteryPrime VideoHulu

The same preoccupation in both: alternate dimension

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.

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

One thread runs through both: surrealism

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.

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

Cerebral and dreamlike in the same breath

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+

Common ground: thriller

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.

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

Both land twists and stillness at once

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.

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

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

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

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

Mystery with a pulse of dream logic, in both cases

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.

Lanterns poster
Lanterns
2026– · 1 season · HBO
★ 7.8drama · mystery · sci-fi & fantasyMax

Both lean on twists more than on drama

Two intergalactic cops, new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, are drawn into a dark, Earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.

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

Contemplative sci-fi & fantasy in both cases

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.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder poster
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
2024– · 3 seasons · BBC Three
★ 6.8drama · crime · mysteryNetflix

Both are built on the same subject: intimate

The difference: Easier on the ideas than The OA

Five years after the death of schoolgirl Andie Bell, Pippa Fitz-Amobi sets out to uncover what really happened to her. Sal Singh, Andie's boyfriend, admitted to the murder before taking his own life, but Pip doesn't believe he's responsible and teams up with Sal's brother Ravi to uncover the truth. If Sal Singh isn't a murderer and the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from finding out the truth?

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina poster
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
2018–2020 · 2 seasons · Netflix
★ 7.4mystery · sci-fi & fantasy · dramaNetflix

Mystery built on ideas, twice over

Magic and mischief collide as half-human, half-witch Sabrina navigates between two worlds: mortal teen life and her family's legacy, the Church of Night.

In the mood for more cerebral?

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