The OA
This is a dream but you're wide awake.
Created by Brit Marling, Zal Batmanglij
On Netflix
A surreal, metaphysically ambitious mystery that privileges intimate character connection and existential questions over plot clarity, built on the tension between the mundane and the transcendent.
Seven years after vanishing from her home, a young woman returns with mysterious new abilities and recruits five strangers for a secret mission.
Where to watch
- StreamNetflix
Questions people ask
Is The OA one of a kind? Yes. More singular than 88% of series.
Is The OA sad? Yes. More sad than 84% of series.
Is The OA scary? Yes. More frightening than 79% of series.
Is The OA easy watching? Barely. Less comforting than 75% of series.
Does The OA leave you hopeful? Not especially. Less hopeful than 63% of series.
Is The OA violent? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.
These describe how the series comes across across its whole run, compared with other well-known series. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked episode by episode, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.
Written about
- The Opposite of HBOFinding
- The Shows That Know They EndFinding
Cinnamon Score
How much this series gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.
Familiar shape, done well.
How unlike any other series this one feels
How much more it delivers than it promises
How much audiences actually like it
Ensemble
Everything like The OA, and what each one shares →
Like The OA
Nearest across the full emotional profile.
Same Mood as The OA
Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.
Like The OA, But Darker
Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.
Like The OA, But Lighter
Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.
Like The OA, But Less Popular
Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.
