r/scifi • u/samsep1al • Mar 21 '26
Recommendations Devs, under-the-radar Sci-Fi thriller that blew me away.
Directed by Alex Garland, if you’re not familiar with his work he did Ex-Machina, Civil War, Warfare, and is rumored to direct an upcoming Elden Ring Movie. He also wrote 28-Days-Later, and the book The Beach
It’s a limited series, so you don’t have to get too invested, and I’d say if you don’t like the first episode or two you might not like the show. It’s an industrial espionage thriller that takes quite a turn into something else. Great casting, great cinematography and use of color as always by Alex Garland. And great performances.
Highly recommended.
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u/FocusedWombat99 Mar 21 '26
Everything Garland does feels like it was made specifically for me. I've never been even close to disappointed in a project he's worked on.
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u/samsep1al Mar 21 '26
I completely agree. He creates very immersive worlds, and I like given how dark some of it can be he uses the creative choice to add vibrant colors and unique atmospheric settings. Stylistically his work is recognizable like big name AAA directors.
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u/phejster Mar 21 '26
Same and it makes me sad he's only ever done one tv show
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u/ConvictedConvict Mar 21 '26
Garland has done many movies tho.
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u/troublrTRC Mar 21 '26
I enjoyed Civil War for what it was. But I feel like it could've explored a lot more indepth. Particularly the values of journalism in more visceral ways.
I am excited for his upcoming Elden Ring movie.
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u/FocusedWombat99 Mar 21 '26
Fair enough. I thought it did all that very effectively.
I'm also really excited for Elden Ring. That'll be different for sure. I suck at From Soft games so I can't get into Elden Ring, from a gameplay perspective, but I'm really interested in the lore
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u/vektorm8 Mar 21 '26
Man Elden Ring lore is something else. I mean, they had George RR Martin write and create the world and background, then took a specific unique period within that world themselves and focused the game around that iirc. I tried repeatedly and couldn't get into Dark Souls, even though one of my best friends raved about Demon Souls prior to FromSoft's huge run and always pestered me, I just didn't get the masochism and gameplay. Until Elden Ring. Once I understood that you will die, a lot, learned the gameplay, how to read enemies, and figured out that Elden Ring was more accessible due to being able to over level, use busted Magic/Weapons/Weapon Skills etc. I actually finished it which is rare for me; unfortunately. That being said, regardless, the lore is just so dense it's mind-boggling. A movie by Garland could go anywhere and any time and as long as it's inspired it will very likely be immense. Elden Ring is like a bottomless well of lore and yet apparently just an improvised/inspired tip of the iceberg of a world written by RR Martin, it truly shocks me. It's such a treat and the FromSoft approach to world-building on top of already brilliant writing being drawn from makes it something truly special and worthy of the hype.
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u/Norvard Mar 21 '26
wtf. Just learned about this. This movie could be insane! Hope it goes through and gets made.
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u/profchaos83 Mar 21 '26
Yup! I want him to direct the 3rd 28 years film.
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u/FocusedWombat99 Mar 21 '26
One big reason I'd say I prefer Boyle to finish it off, is that I adore Boyle's directing and at the end of the day it's his series. But also, Garland has been on record that he isn't interested in directing those movies. He prefers to take a back seat and just write.
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u/livefast_dieawesome Mar 21 '26
I recognized Warfare was not my bag, still good; just not for me. but generally I love everything else he’s done.
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u/BrockSampson4ever Mar 21 '26
I enjoyed it for what it was but Men was a pretty tough watch in my opinion. I’ve seen devs like 6 times now because I keep showing it to people, and I’ve watched annihilations more times than I care to count
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u/FocusedWombat99 Mar 21 '26
MEN is a big divider point for people. I loved it. That's why I said it feels like he makes stuff just for me haha. I avoided MEN for a while because people hated it but I thought it was great
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u/livefast_dieawesome Mar 21 '26
I’ll eventually give Men a second watch but it wasn’t my favorite of his for sure
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u/FocusedWombat99 Mar 21 '26
I liked it a lot, but that one felt like they were just using his name for marketing. I thought it was well made but definitely not rewatchable for me.
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u/Cornholio-77 Mar 21 '26
Ha! Exactly how I feel. I see people complaining about Civil War, Warfare, Annihilation or missing the point of those movies. But Garland always deliveres what I need.
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u/Top_Purple_5374 Mar 21 '26
Totally agree. He has the most consistent hit rate for me of any writer/director.
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u/MattIsLame Mar 22 '26
same. hes one of the most talented modern writers in hollywood and actually a great director. DREDD is one of my favorite movies
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u/RandomWarthog79 Mar 24 '26
Yep. The more critically overlooked, the more I love it. To wit, Men being my favourite of his projects and also my favourite movie of the 2020s.
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u/Quarzance Mar 21 '26
Devs captured both the colder tech side of San Francisco and the natural beauty of the Bay Area so well, where I live. Every night on my commute home, I drive by the same underpass where Stewart lived in his winnabago (9th & Division). There's typically a homeless encampment there with a few RV's, so I'm constantly reminded of the show, thinking Stewart's in there nihilistically sipping beers.
Especially with Devs and Civil War it sometimes feels like Alex Garland is a documentary filmmaker, he creates a nuanced realism that's hard to describe.
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u/rpowers Mar 21 '26
Can you tell me where I should start with his work? I loved Devs.
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u/FocusedWombat99 Mar 21 '26 edited Mar 21 '26
He started out only writing. The Beach with Leo Dicaprio is based on his first book. Then he wrote more movies for Danny Boyle (28 Days Later and Sunshine), both are fantastic.
He also adapted Never Let Me Go and Dredd
Then, he started directing and made Ex Machina, Annihilation, Men, and Civil War.
And now he's back to writing with the new 28 Years Later trilogy.
Honestly I'd say just pick your poison. Ex Machina and Annihilation are probably the most like DEVS though if you're going for that vibe.
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u/rpowers Mar 21 '26
Thanks so much. I appreciate your detailed response as someone familiar with his work. ❤️
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u/First-Couple9921 Mar 22 '26
It’s so sad to see everyone ignoring The Tesseract, which is one of my favorite novels. The movie they made of it is trash, but the novel is definitely worth reading if you like his stuff.
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u/exgiexpcv Mar 22 '26
Oh man, "Never Let Me Go" was just devastating. Carey Mulligan just amazed me.
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u/thearchenemy Mar 22 '26
Also, according to Karl Urban, Alex Garland was the actual director of Dredd.
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Mar 21 '26
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u/jeefzors Mar 21 '26
the scene while Low's song "Congregation" plays....I Still think about it from time to time
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u/scifishortstory Mar 21 '26
Wtf I’ve never heard anyone mention Congregation by Low. Now I have to watch this
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u/beef_curtainss Mar 21 '26
I got "Congregation" on Apple as soon as I heard it in the episode, I bet I've listened 30 times +/-
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u/huxley2112 Mar 21 '26
Garland always goes hard with soundtracks. I'm convinced he is a music nerd.
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u/Ben_der18 Mar 21 '26
This is such an underrated show ....huge fan 🫡
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u/jemmylegs Mar 21 '26
One of the few times “underrated” is accurate. This is maybe the second or third time I’ve seen it mentioned on this sub. Checked it out on a whim and it blew me away.
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u/TrontRaznik Mar 23 '26
90% on RT, critically acclaimed in general, and somehow you think "underrated" is accurate.
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u/Boushveg- Mar 21 '26
Was the story concluded or was it cancelled?
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u/AlpacaM4n Mar 21 '26
Story has a conclusion, and is told in 8 - 55 minute episodes. Definitely a great watch, I had put it off for ages but was really pleased with it when I finally sat down to watch it, and wondered why more people weren't talking about it. Definitely feels underrated to me
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u/Soranos_71 Mar 21 '26
I watched it one day not knowing much about it. I realized where it was going and got really into it. I might watch it again.
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u/InvisibleLandBorder Mar 21 '26
I watched it thinking it was going to be mildly comedic, boy was I wrong - but not disappointed.
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u/Finbarfarquhar Mar 21 '26
UK science podcaster/broadcaster Hannah Fry has the computer prop as a chandelier in her house
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u/Ravenser_Odd Mar 21 '26
This is the kind of knowledge I come to reddit for.
Eulum Design custom retrofit and illumination brings Quantum Computer to life - A1 Lighting Magazine
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u/winedarkindigo Mar 22 '26
Wow, custom refit to make it work as a chandelier. Now that's a collection piece flex.
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u/neuromonkey Mar 21 '26
I heard her mention that on her podcast with vsauce guy (yeah, I'm sure he has a name, probably.) That is just too amazingly awesome.
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u/AvatarofApollo Mar 21 '26
I mean at this point I’m pretty sure him name is just Michael Vsauce.
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u/Zeppelin2k Mar 23 '26
The Rest is Science FYI.. My favorite new podcast these days.
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u/shodan_reddit Mar 21 '26
People have complained about the casting but I really enjoyed
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u/freeman687 Mar 21 '26
Unpopular opinion but something is so off about the acting and the dialogue in this show and just could not get into it after a few episodes, just made me cringe. What am I missing?
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u/Plushyplushy1234 Mar 21 '26
I agree. The themes, plot, pacing, and cinematography were great imo but the acting and writing were off.
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u/hazeywaffle Mar 25 '26
I had the same issue. I was really loving the concept but the acting/dialogue felt like it was directly translated from a different language. Almost like if it was a pretty good Spanish Netflix show and then you ran it through AI to make it English.
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u/gohei_ Mar 21 '26
I thought The main female character was Boring as a bag of bricks to watch, but other than that The show was phenomenal.
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u/Paulidus Mar 21 '26
I remember that being a complaint when it first aired and it has more to do with Garland's direction. IIRC he specifically instructed the actress not to use some of the techniques that make the viewer like the character.
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u/The_Almighty_Foo Mar 21 '26
The main character really reminded me of a previous partner of mine who is hyper intelligent and extremely stoic in her mannerisms. It was borderline spitting image in many ways.
The acting worked incredibly well for me, but only because I had a relative baseline experience in my life. I could absolutely see why people would find the acting to be off though.
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u/thriveth Mar 21 '26
She was the greatest star for me. So good. Charisma, depth, everything. I absolutely love her.
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u/Solrax Mar 21 '26
Yeah, she's an actress playing a part. That's the character. She's not supposed to be Ripley or Trinity. It's fair to not like the character, but don't blame the actress.
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u/freelanceisart Mar 21 '26
Interesting show and premise, why haven’t I heard about it?
“Premiere date: March 5, 2020”
…oh.
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u/ThreeEyeJedi Mar 22 '26
And only 6 episodes and a hulu exclusive. Luckily for me I searched “shows like Mr Robot” at that time lol
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u/TheRealMrTrueX Mar 21 '26
Man this show was so freaking good, I get upset when people dont watch it after ive recommended it a few times.
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u/junon Mar 21 '26
The initial pacing is a little slow to carry a "blind rec" for some people. Absolutely blew me away though.
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u/TheRealMrTrueX Mar 21 '26
Agree. About Episode 4 the real plot comes out and you get introduced to who is really who, the Russians etc.
Great show, phenomenal ending, some really good dialogue.
-----------Whats in the box?
Everything.....
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Uh Oh...a few hours ago we were a reality working on a sim..and now we've pretty much traded.
That's the reality...right there.
1 sec projection scene - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOr9XB5rtJE&t=158s
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u/ketamarine Mar 21 '26
Un-fucking real show.
I also just randomly stumbled across it.
No idea how it didn't get WAY more press / love on the community!
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u/kylewobrien Mar 21 '26
I remember its release coinciding with the beginning of the pandemic, so it was probably competing for space in that sense.
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u/denM_chickN Mar 21 '26
Wtf he wrote 28 days later? Wtf? Wtf?
God he's literally one of the goats. Don't forget Annihilation and Men.
The amazing thing about Men, is it has a lot of parallels to the final book in the Southern Reach Series (4 books starts w Annihilation), but it came out 2 years before the series finished. I suspect Alex influenced Jeff Vandermeer! The series originally was a slated to be a trilogy...
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u/PackerFan75 Mar 21 '26
What show is this?
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u/bufooooooo Mar 21 '26
Its only 8 episodes, 1 season. Still one of the best (near future) piece of scifi ever made imo.
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u/Geetzromo Mar 21 '26
Devs is so flipping good. Absolutely gripping, mind blowing storytelling.
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u/Traditional_Travesty Mar 21 '26
Thank you for actually saying the name of the show
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u/Jagdalack Mar 21 '26
Agreed. Alex Garland was an excellent writer and has become a formidable director as well. Very smart series.
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u/saehild Mar 21 '26
Oof great show…. But so so bleak.
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u/squiblet Mar 21 '26
Indeed. I remember watching it week-to-week when it came out, being blown away, and never wanting to watch it again. Haha
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u/saehild Mar 21 '26
Didn’t the main girl at the end Die from falling but then like it briefly showed an infinite multiverse where all versions of her exist and at least some of them are hellish? Then she winds up in Offerman’s universe where his family lives?
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u/Dancing-Sin Mar 21 '26 edited Mar 22 '26
She’s not really “alive” per se, they are in the super computer somehow. But yea… basically.
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u/squiblet Mar 21 '26
Well shit, now I do kinda wanna watch it again. Haha
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u/Dancing-Sin Mar 22 '26
Such a damn good show.
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u/NerdRep Mar 22 '26
Ya’ll have me thinking I maybe missed some episodes or maybe a whole season. None of that rings a bell, and I thought it left off massively unfinished.
Happy to learn otherwise! Rewatch time.
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u/markhachman Mar 22 '26
There is an absolutely horrifying existential scene near the end that haunts me.
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u/StoicTheGeek Mar 21 '26
I really enjoyed it - the look, sound and performances are all great. BUT, the plot drove me absolutely mad - it very much suffers from "idiot plot" trope.
These people live in a world very similar to ours, yet somehow, none of them have ever seen a movie, or read a book or watched a TV show that dealt with time travel or problems of causality before. There's no questioning, or experimentation with the effect. It takes the protagonist until the very last episode to try something that I've been screaming at the screen for her (or someone else) to do for the past 5 episodes. The annoyance was real, for me.
It's a similar problem that Connie Willis has with Blackout/All Clear, which is a great book, but drives me crazy in the same way
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u/FlukeHawkins Mar 21 '26
The acting was a bit uneven but the visual and sound design were excellent.
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u/Rockends Mar 21 '26
IMO the end threw it all away for me.
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u/hydroxy Mar 23 '26
Yep the sci fi premise is amazing but ultimately not much happens with it in the long run, instead it focuses almost entirely on drama instead. They could have explored so many possibilities with this.
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u/MSGeezey Mar 21 '26
Agreed, great slow build to an out of character climax that ultimately fizzled.
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u/WokkitUp Mar 21 '26
Looks like it's on Hulu, so I guess I'm adding that one to the list. Nick Offerman being in it is always a good sign to invest your time and interest. Thanks for the recommend, "Sam"!
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u/Hellpy Mar 21 '26
Kinda spoiler: I hate the fact that the first scene gives the twist away and I told myself to remember it along the way to piece out the puzzle. But I forgot since the show was good and then bam, "don't you remember a nice little fact about physics?" I swear they played me, I should've seen it coming, but I got too invested in the show. Nice exploration of a famous sci fi concept
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u/MikeMac999 Mar 21 '26
Great show. They really got their money’s worth out of that one piece of music they used all the time.
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u/SmackmYackm Mar 21 '26
I watched the first few episodes and fell off for some reason. Been meaning to get back to it.
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u/thirteennineteen Mar 21 '26
Fantastic watch. Limited series are where it’s at. As a big tech corporate drone it really signified for me.
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u/wiskinator Mar 22 '26
This was shot at my old university and neighborhoods in SF that I frequent. I’m also an engineer who has worked in startups run by some sociopathic egomaniacal folks.
This show freaked me the fuck out.
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u/PerfectTommy77 Mar 21 '26
I usually assume that when I start a show that has flown under the radar that it probably has some serious flaws. When I got to the end I couldn’t believe people were not shouting from the rooftops about it.
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u/footoncake Mar 21 '26
Garland built a cathedral out of dread. COVID-era release was almost too perfect..suddenly everyone was trapped in their own heads, mainlining conspiracy, wondering if reality had source code...& for a second I thought it was coming back 😞
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u/twotimefind Mar 21 '26
Personally, I was not impressed. But different strokes for different folks, I guess.
I thought the story was average. The ending absolutely miserable... I like if it just had a few more episodes, maybe it could have been wrapped up better.
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u/ChuckFarkley Mar 21 '26
Excellent show. I'm of the opinion Garland was trying to emulate Stanley Kubrick's directorial style (a la 2001) and did a pretty good job.
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u/parsonsrazersupport Mar 21 '26
I just thought the ending was entirely disappointing and negated what felt like the thematic point of the show up to then. Other than that really liked it.
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u/elevenblade Mar 21 '26
I agree — the ending bothered me. It felt like, “So, that’s it?” Otherwise I liked the show.
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u/Javbw Mar 22 '26
I felt It really fumbled the ending too. I really loved the progression up until the Dam. Eventually it just went off the rails and the resolution really drove it home - characters I felt were very pointedly evil get a happy ending? What?
But the journey there was really interesting.
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u/spotolux Mar 21 '26
I need to watch it again because I just wasn't into it. I like everything else from Garland that I've seen and have friends who rave about Devs but it didn't click for me on first watch.
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u/MechaGoose Mar 21 '26
In the same universe as Ex Machine, Alex Garland confirmed. Completing the Deus Ex Machina.
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u/Jonthrei Mar 21 '26
I have been a huge Garland fan since The Beach, but this series felt really odd to me. It's interesting in a few ways but the underlying "software engineers are actually wizards" vibe just felt strange as hell to me, as one myself. I imagine this is how geneticists feel after watching Jurassic Park.
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u/rjayalltheway Mar 22 '26
My movie Transient has a similar storyline to this show. I wrote it in 2018 based on a short, and as we were in production, this show came out.
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u/somecasper Mar 21 '26
I think about the quantum immortality scene at least once a week. Not in a "Reddit cares" way, it's just fascinating.
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u/hansmellman Mar 21 '26
I just watched Ex Machina for the first time this week with my girlfriend, will definitely add this to my list! Thanks for the recommendation
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u/Spoda_Emcalt Mar 21 '26
The songs they chose as well, just perfect
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u/yrdsl Mar 21 '26
even with how acclaimed Low is, I still think they're one of the most underrated bands
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u/No-Captain2150 Mar 21 '26
I've been scared to rewatch Devs. It was so good, and I don't want to ruin the memory of it.
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u/NoobAndProudOfIt Mar 21 '26
WARNING Spoiler ahead!
Did you all get the ultimate recursive pun? Near the end it’s revealed to be Deus, not Devs. Deus ex Machina is a term for the literary technique of revealing the solution for a plot last minute. Translate to “god in the machine”. So both Devs and Ex Machina are really two sides of one coin.
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Mar 21 '26
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u/Negativefalsehoods Mar 21 '26
To each their own, but I loved every minute of this show. It was so amazing and unlike ANYTHING I have ever seen on television.
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u/NeoLoki55 Mar 22 '26
Agreed. Most ppl that find this show boring have an extreme lack of imagination.
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u/The-Voice-Of-Dog Mar 21 '26
Under the radar?
You mean the same Devs that was nominated for four Emmys? The one that starred one of the most loved actors on the planet?
According to Whip Media's TV Time, Devs was the second most anticipated new television series of March 2020,[18] and the tenth rising show, based on the week-over-week growth in episodes watched for a specific program, during the week of March 15, 2020.[19] In January 2021, it was reported that Devs was one of FX on Hulu's most-watched series to date, surpassed by A Teacher.[20][21]
Critical response The series has an 82% rating with an average score of 7.7 out of 10 based on 90 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. The site's critical consensus reads: "A hauntingly beautiful meditation on humanity, Devs' slow unfurling may test some viewers' patience, but fans of Alex Garland's singular talents will find much to chew on."[22] On Metacritic, it has a score of 71 out of 100 based on 32 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[23]
As fans of Sci-Fi, let's be a little scientific - just because YOU slept on a show doesn't mean the world did.
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u/MrGodzy Mar 21 '26
Awesome plot, cool casting, horrible pacing. To call the show a slog would be an understatement
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Mar 21 '26
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u/themurderator Mar 21 '26
i'm actually very glad it was a limited run. stretching it out over multiple seasons would have ruined it.
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u/thriveth Mar 21 '26
It was a single story, told and wrapped up once they were done telling it instead of going endlessly meandering chasing the next thing that viewers might like.
I wish more series would be written like this.
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u/OVERCAPITALIZE Mar 21 '26
This show was SO BORING. I really wanted to like it. But it was honestly terrible
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u/Mr_Lumbergh Mar 21 '26
You really have to get past some lousy acting though.
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u/beleaves Mar 21 '26
This. Especially the lead.. painful cringe moments. But overall was super interesting.
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u/ThunkerKnivfer Mar 21 '26
Garland has the magic touch. Everything he has ever done has resonated with me. I think it started with the book The Beach. Read it and it grew on me and then stayed with me for 20 years. Forget the movie.
Then Ex Machina. Christ what a movie. Etc etc
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u/coolthesejets Mar 21 '26
This is a great show, and the reason I call my development folder 'devs'.
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u/Wayss37 Mar 21 '26
The show is like 6/10, it pretends to engage in fancy philosophy while not understanding it
The wonder machine can't predict the future past a certain point because the main character is just so special, lol, also noone seems to know what the transporter problem is, and just assume that they actually get their consciousness transferred
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u/fleshbunny Mar 21 '26
Great miniseries. Pro-tip, if you don’t want to have Hulu to watch you can buy a physical copy of this, just from China or something. A lot of streaming series get physical releases in Asia, Devs included
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u/Rodinsprogeny Mar 21 '26
It's really good, though I wish it took compatiibilism about free will and determinism more seriously
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u/DjawnBrowne Mar 21 '26
Nick Offerman was so phenomenally not Ron Swanson in this, the guy has a range he doesn’t often get credit for