Are 1899 and Dark related? Netflix series ending explained and what creators have said about connection

1899 landed on Netflix on 17 November and went straight into the sites top 10 shows. The eight part series follows a group of migrants from different parts of the world who travel on a steamship from London to New York at the turn of the century.

But things take a strange turn over the Atlantic when the travellers come across the boat’s sister ship, Prometheus, adrift in the ocean. Stepping onto Prometheus things get even weirder, and the passengers’ voyage becomes a nightmare.

The series has proved very popular since its release and fans are hopeful that a second season will be greenlit soon. Viewers also spotted similarities between 1899 and another Netflix original series - Dark.

What is Dark about?

Dark is set in the fictional German village of Winden and follows the locals as they investigate a child’s disappearance. As they unravel a conspiracy involving time travel and four estranged families, double lives and dark secrets are unearthed.

Are 1899 and Dark connected?

*Warning - spoilers for 1899 ahead*

In the final season of Dark, one character travels from 2053 to the year 1888 - so when Netflix announced a new show called 1899, viewers wondered if the show would be set in the same universe as Dark.

Both shows were created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, and they are both German-language features.However, in the first season of 1899 it became clear that the show wouldn’t be based around Winden, and the series features an entirely different cast of characters.

There are several similarities between both shows on top of them both being thematically similar. Andreas Pietschmann features in both shows, though in different roles. He plays the ship’s Captain, Eyk Larsen, in 1899, while in Dark he played a character from the future called Jonas.

Another connection is that both shows involve mysteries surrounding children - in Dark several young boys go missing from the village, spurring an investigation. In 1899, a young boy is discovered on Prometheus, the only person on the ship, and it is later revealed that he has a connection to one of the first ship’s passengers.

Both series also involve the question of reality and time travel - whilst 1899 begins as a period drama, it quickly becomes a science fiction mystery involving alternative realities and dream worlds. At the end of 1899, it is revealed that the passengers’ trip is a simulation and they are actually in the year 2099.

In the third season of Dark, different worlds are also discovered, with characters travelling through them. It’s possible that in a future season of 1899, characters could travel from the Dark world into the world of 1899.

The show creators have also addressed questions of a crossover between 1899 and Dark. Odar said: “It’s a very simple answer because a lot of people asked us. None of the characters from Dark will appear in 1899.”

However, she complicated things by adding: “Or, will they? Sorry, I know how to tease.”

Currently, Dark and 1899 exist in their own separate universes, but as they are both Netflix properties with the same creative duo behind them, there is potential for some crossovers to take place in future seasons of 1899.