Osmosis Is One Of Netflix’s Most Underrated Sci-Fi Shows

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Dystopian science fiction is incredibly popular right now, perhaps because real life feels increasingly like the dark futures these stories warn about. Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror became a worldwide hit with its unsettling, *Twilight Zoneesque stories about the potential downsides of technology. Remarkably, some of the show’s most frightening predictions have actually come true in just the last ten years.

The show Severance resonated with viewers feeling burned out after the pandemic, offering a darkly humorous look at the struggle to separate work from personal life. Meanwhile, Pluribus explored what makes us human by imagining aliens who take over bodies with good intentions, ultimately revealing our own tendency towards self-destruction.

It’s unsettling how common dating apps have become. Instead of meeting through chance encounters, like in a movie, most couples now connect online. They spend hours scrolling through profiles on their phones, quickly judging potential partners based on a few photos and a short bio – it feels more like online shopping than finding love.

Science fiction has explored the complicated relationship between love and the internet quite a bit. For example, the film Her beautifully depicted loneliness through a man who fell in love with an AI chatbot. Similarly, Soulmates (and the movie All of You) imagines a future where a company called Soul Connex can scientifically determine your perfect match. This eliminates the need for dating, as the test instantly identifies your soulmate.

Netflix offers a dark and futuristic drama called Osmosis. This French series, released in 2019, is set in Paris and centers around a dating app that scans users’ brains to find their ideal partner – a concept that’s as unsettling as it seems. The show has eight episodes.

Osmosis Imagines A Dystopian Dating App Analyzing Users’ Brain Data

Audrey Fouché developed Osmosis, blending science fiction, romance, and dramatic elements. Netflix initially ordered eight episodes for a first season in 2017, with Fouché leading the creative direction. The season premiered in 2019, but after its conclusion, Fouché moved on. Although a second season would have required a new showrunner, Netflix ultimately decided to cancel Osmosis after one season due to insufficient viewership.

I still think that season is absolutely worth watching – it’s just really good TV. What I found particularly clever was the central idea – it takes the concept of a dating app and pushes it to the most incredible limit. Think about it: dating apps are already trying to find your perfect match using algorithms and keywords, connecting people who’ve never even met. But Osmosis takes that idea and goes so much further. Instead of just profiles, it uses a brain implant to actually analyze your thoughts and desires to find your ideal partner – it’s a really fascinating and slightly unsettling concept!

This series blends the unsettling, technology-focused stories of Black Mirror with the suspenseful, dark tone of You. Hugo Becker stars as Paul Vanhove, the CEO of a company called Osmosis, and the first to try their brain-implant technology, which promises to find your perfect match. Agathe Bonitzer plays Paul’s sister, Esther Vanhove, the brilliant engineer who created Osmosis.

Despite receiving perfect reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, Osmosis hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves. It’s as clever and thought-provoking as the sci-fi thriller Dark, but didn’t achieve the same widespread popularity. Like Black Mirror, it explores similar ideas, but with a more delicate and subtle approach. Osmosis really should have been a much bigger hit.

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2026-05-19 19:10