This year, after only two seasons, Starz canceled the science fiction thriller series, Counterpart. In Counterpart, an employee of a Berlin-based UN spy agency named Howard Silk, played by J.K. Simmons, is introduced to his counterpart on a parallel world, known as the “Prime world.” The world that Silk lives in is called the “Alpha world.” Even though this show had great reviews and gained a cult following, it only generated an average of under 500,000 viewers with a delayed viewing of three days. This was not enough to justify the high cost of production of this series. The producers were hoping that another network would pick them up, but no one did. This means that there will be no Season 3 of this series.
So, if you have watched every episode of Counterpart, and you are looking for something else to watch, what can you do? Don’t worry. We have you covered. Below are 5 shows like Counterpart that you are sure to enjoy.
1. Charlie Jade
Charlie Jade was mostly filmed in Cape Town, South Africa. Charlie Jade is a detective from a parallel universe who becomes trapped in our universe. Charlie Jade is played by Jeffrey Pierce. In this series, there are several different universes. Our universe is the Betaverse. There is also an Alphaverse, which is where Charlie Jade is from. Alphaverse is a dystopian version of our world which is dominated by five huge multinational firms. In Alphaverse, people are segregated into classes of five different levels, and the world has some futuristic technology. Another universe is Gammaverse, which is an idyllic version of our world. There is also an unknown universe that is inhabited by primitive people who live in huts and one that is home to “men in grey suits.”
Charlie Jade first aired in Canada in 2004, and then it was picked up by other countries such as France, Italy, South Africa, Japan, and Hong Kong in 2005. It aired in the UK in 2007, and then in the Sci-Fi Channel in the US in 2008.
There was only one season of Charlie Jade, but that season had 20 episodes. All 20 episodes are available on Amazon Prime Video for streaming in the US and are included in the basic Prime subscription.
2. Sliders
For an even older show, you may be interested in Sliders. Sliders aired for five seasons between 1995 and 2000. This is a show about a group of people who travel or “slide” between different Earths in parallel universes. They travel using a vortex-like wormhole. They are trying to return to their own original Earth. The vortex can only open after a random amount of time in each universe and missing that time period would leave them stranded in the alternate universe for 29.7 years.
Sliders starred Jerry O’Connell, Cleavant Derricks, Sabrina Lloyd, John Rhys-Davies, Kari Wuhrer, Charlie O’Connell, Robert Floyd, and Tembi Locke.
Unfortunately, Sliders is not available for streaming with any of the regular subscription services, such as Hulu or Netflix. It is available to purchase as individual episodes or as full seasons from YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, Google Play, and Vudu, however.
3. The City and the City
The City and the City is a British television series that began in 2018. It is based on a novel by China Miéville. This series is set in the fictional twin cities of Besźel and Ul Qoma, which are set in eastern Europe. These two cities occupy the same geographical space, but they have different societies, cultures, technologies, and language. The separation between these cities is achieved by the residents of each city “unseeing” each other. The plot revolves around the investigation of a murder of a student who resided in Besźel but whose body was found in Ul Qoma.
There is only one season with 4 episodes available. At present, it can only be seen on Britbox, which you can subscribe to directly or through Amazon Prime Video.
4. Fringe
Fringe is a science fiction television series about the work of the Fringe Division, a Joint Federal Task Force that was mainly supported by the FBI. The job of the Fringe Division is to investigate cases that relate to fringe science. Parallel universes are one of many things that this division encounters. The main character, Olivia Dunham is played by Anna Torv. She also plays Olivia Dunham’s counterpart in an alternate universe. The regular cast also includes Joshua Jackson and John Noble. Fringe also has many recurring characters, one of whom is played by Leonard Nimoy of Star Trek fame.
Fringe ran from 2008 to 2013, and there are five seasons available. All five seasons seem to be available on Prime Video for streaming with ads. You can also purchase individual episodes or seasons of Fringe on Amazon, as well as on YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, and Vudu.
5. Occupied
If you enjoyed Counterpart for the politics, action, and intrigue rather than for the theme of parallel universes, you might enjoy Occupied. Occupied is a Norwegian political thriller. The setting of Occupied is our world in the near future. In this future, the United States achieves energy independence and withdraws from NATO. This creates an energy crisis around the world, and Norway is impacted severely by a catastrophic hurricane. This series follows the political crisis that occurs in Norway as a result.
There are currently two seasons available right now, and the series has been renewed for a third season. The first two seasons are available on Netflix.