Warning: Spoilers ahead for Dark Matter season 1.

Dark Matter season 1 ended largely in a way that I expected, but it also made additions to the original novel that I absolutely did not expect. 2016’s Dark Matter by Blake Crouch is one of my favorite books of all time. Generally, I don’t tend to read a book more than once, but when Apple TV+’s show was about to begin, I decided to revisit the source material. This way, I could monitor any divergences, which is something I find really interesting. The Dark Matter TV show made changes to the book, but the story remained intact.

However, the adaptation added several new storylines and even original characters along the way, all of which sat perfectly alongside the pre-existing lore. What caught me off-guard was that I expected all of these fresh components to wrap up at the same time as those taken from directly from the book. Instead, what happened was the cast of Dark Matter ended season 1 by leaving me staring at the screen, mouth agape.

Dark Matter Season 1’s Ending Surprised Me With Its Season 2 Tease

Apple TV+ has marketed Dark Matter as a limited series

The ending of Dark Matter season 1 focuses largely on the Dessens’ plan to escape all the other versions of Jason claiming to be the original. This wasn’t anything new to me, as I knew how the book ends as I was watching the live-action version unfold. What had me rubbing my eyes was the closing montage of all the other Dark Matter characters whose stories weren’t over.

Apple TV+’s Dark Matter pays far more attention to Ryan Holder than in the book, and Amanda Lucas also has a much more pronounced role. Blair Caplan is a completely original character for the adaptation, and her two variants each have their own mini-arcs. So, the live-action version of Dark Matter is still largely about Jason Dessen, but it also folds in stories that could easily carry on without him there. I loved the fleshed out world of the TV show, but I just didn’t realize it was quietly setting itself up for life without its protagonist.

Dark Matter season 2 hasn’t been confirmed. In fact, the show has been marketed as a limited series throughout its run. As such, I understandably believed that the adaptation would only be a single season long. Interestingly, Apple TV+ seems to have been trying to fool everyone, as the tease of a second season during “Entanglement” is an obvious signifier that their eventual plan is to continue the story.

Dark Matter Season 2 Makes Me Nervous After Reading The Book

Continuing an adaptation without source material has had mixed results in the past

With Dark Matter season 1 ending at the same point as in the book, everything from the page has now made the leap to the screen. In other words, there’s no more source material to work with. This means that if Dark Matter season 2 does happen, it’ll have to add more to the story. Live-action adaptations have taken their stories beyond the source material many times, but I’ve seen this fail more times than I’ve seen it succeed.

Original author Blake Crouch was luckily the lead writer and showrunner of Dark Matter season 1. So, any new ideas would have gone through him. Hopefully, he’ll return if Dark Matter season 2 happens. I’m of the opinion that making fresh additions to such a complex fictional universe should be done by involving a very small group of people. If Crouch remains at the center of the Dark Matter show, then I’ll feel better about it continuing – if not still a little apprehensive.

What Dark Matter Season 2 Could Be About

Apple TV+ has already teased how the story could continue

With the source material exhausted, Dark Matter‘s future will be in the position of being an original story while having to keep one foot in the lore established in the book. The most obvious direction for Dark Matter season 2 would be to focus on Ryan and Amanda’s lives in the futuristic Chicago. The season 1 finale all but confirms by having the two characters meet that this would be the main story, with both Ryan and Amanda now residing in a reality that’s not their own. I have to say, for all my apprehension, I’d love to see this.

I’d be very surprised if the Dessen family showed up again in Dark Matter season 2. Their story is essentially over, as Charlie opens the door to what’s implied to be a glorious new reality for him and his parents to call home. However, I was shocked at the revelation that Jason2 doesn’t die in the show as he does in the book, so Joel Edgerton could still return to play the role of the story’s now-redeemed villain. Blair Caplan and Leighton Vance would likely feature heavily too, as the finale shows them continuing their travels through Dark Matter‘s multiverse.