Origin

A group of troubled passengers wake up on a damaged spaceship abandoned in deep space, each having left behind a dark past in search of a fresh start on a newly colonized planet. As their terrifying situation spirals into paranoia, they come to realize that the greatest threat to their dream of starting over – and indeed their lives – is something far darker than the pasts they were so desperate to escape.

Origin (2018) is a British science fiction thriller series created by Mika Watkins. Its single ten-episode season follows a group of troubled passengers who wake aboard a damaged spaceship drifting in deep space, each having left a dark past behind in hope of a fresh start on a newly colonized planet. The protagonist Shun Kenzaki (Sen Mitsuji) joins fellow survivors including Lana Pierce (Natalia Tena), Logan Maine (Tom Felton), and Katie Devlin (Siobhán Cullen), whose uneasy alliance begins to fracture as their situation grows more terrifying. Each episode tightens the vise, pairing confined corridors and sealed decks with mounting suspicion as the crew tries to understand what is aboard with them. The engine of the show is distrust: the passengers must survive the ship itself while their own histories surface and collide. Tone is paranoid and dread-filled, with claustrophobic, atmospheric staging and a steady sense of unease. Fans of Event Horizon, Dark Matter and The Expanse will find resonance in its blend of isolated crew drama and hostile-world mystery. Produced by Left Bank Pictures and first released through YouTube Premium, this one-season limited series is a contained, self-sufficient story that rewards close attention.

Audience reception is mixed, with viewers rating the sci-fi survival premise and its paranoid escalation as engaging while finding the execution uneven.

• Event Horizonshared claustrophobic spaceship setting, paranoia, and survival under threat
• Dark Mattershared isolated crew, dread and creeping paranoia in deep space
• The Expanseshared sci-fi mystery with lost people and unknown threat in a hostile environment

Created by

Mika Watkins

Release Date

2018-11-14

Episode runtime

45 min

Rating

7.0 / 10 (233)

What is Origin about?

Troubled passengers wake on a damaged, abandoned spaceship in deep space and discover that the threat to their fresh start is darker than the pasts they fled.

What is Origin like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Origin as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Origin violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Origin as moderate.

What did critics think of Origin?

Audience reception is mixed, with viewers rating the sci-fi survival premise and its paranoid escalation as engaging while finding the execution uneven.

Which shows are like Origin?

Shows with a similar feel include Event Horizon, Dark Matter, and The Expanse.

How long is Origin?

Origin: 1 season, 10 episodes.

Is Origin still running?

No, Origin was canceled.