Dark Matters: Twisted But True. Sometimes truth is stranger and more entertaining than fiction.

 

I have been watching episodes of Dark Matters during my down time. It stars John Nobel (aka Dr Walter Bishop from FRINGE and Denethor from Lord of the Rings) as host for dramatic and twisted retellings of some of histories darkest scientific times.

I highly recommend this show as it takes you down the creepy and sometimes horrific road of science gone dark. Here is the exert from the show's website of what to expect :

Examine what happens when scientific research goes too far, with the world premiere of Dark Matters: Twisted But True. This series takes viewers inside the laboratory to profile strange science and expose some of history's most bizarre experiments. Hosted by noted science fiction actor John Noble (Fringe, Lord of the Rings), Dark Matters: Twisted But Truedelves into the most unusual research ever conducted, including attempts to crossbreed humans and apes, actual zombie investigations and head transplantation studies. Cutting-edge CGI recreations enable viewers to witness the pivotal moments when brilliant minds face controversy or ethical crossroads on the fringes of science.

"The stories we share in Dark Matters: Twisted But Trueare as outlandish as a great sci-fi script or as disturbing as a classic horror tale — the only difference is that they're all true," said Noble. "The series offers a glimpse into the dark side of science, as well as human nature."

"Dark Matters: Twisted But Trueoffers a fascinating insight into moments of scientific history where individuals went to extreme measures to achieve a breakthrough. It's impossible to turn away from these true stories that you always assumed were just outlandish urban legends," said Debbie Adler Myers, general manager and executive vice president of SCIENCE. "This is real science — just the dark side of it, featuring brilliant minds who eventually took a dramatic turn. John Noble is the perfect tour guide to escort viewers through this bizarre world of research gone horribly wrong, but that in some cases, actually led to technology and science that we use today."

The series premiere features the shocking story of Soviet scientist Dr. Ilya Ivanov, who in the 1920s attempted to start his own "planet of the apes." In an attempt to build an invincible army, Ivanov tried to crossbreed humans with apes to create a race of supersoldiers. Viewers also will be introduced to Morris Jessup, a self-identified UFO expert who attempted to expose what he believed to be a military cover-up involving experiments with invisibility. Finally, unorthodox studies by America's greatest inventor, Thomas Edison, result in a dark and unintended invention which remains infamous today.

Each episode takes you into the heart of three very dark tales of science. Halloween fans will be delighted to find tales of the real life Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, a mad scientist walking in the shoes of Frankenstein, and an interview with a real voodoo zombie who escaped his master.  Here is the season 1 episode guide :

1. The Philadelphia Experiment, Ape-Man Army, Zapped to Death 

2. I Have Einstein's Brain, Unidentified Flying Nazis, Killer Thoughts 

3. Sexy Secret Agent, Full Body Transplant, Honey I Nuked the Planet 

4. It's Alive!, Tripping with Uncle Sam, My Hand is Killing Me 

5. Radio Waves of Death, How to Make a Zombie, Jekyll vs Hyde 

6. 21 Grams, Missing Cosmonauts, Sound of Death 

Season 2 has just begun and they sound absolutely bizarre! :

Lindbergh: American Nazi?, Suicide Song, Living Organ Donor
Premiere: July 14 at 10PM e/p
Charles Lindburgh plans to conquer death, but only for the select few. A song is blamed for 18 suicides. Some donate their dead bodies to science, but science wants one man's body while he was still alive.

Resurrection Row, Operation Brainwash, Rabid Roulette
Premiere: July 21 at 10PM e/p
Robert Cornish's method for cheating death means a murderer could walk free.The CIA pays Ewen Cameron to invent brainwashing at an awful price for his patients. Louis Pasteur creates a rabies vaccine by gambling with the life of a child.

Dr. Lobotomy, Voodoo Rx, Killed by Kindness
Premiere: July 28 at 10PM e/p
Robert Cornish's method for cheating death means a murderer could walk free.The CIA pays Ewen Cameron to invent brainwashing at an awful price for his patients. Louis Pasteur creates a rabies vaccine by gambling with the life of a child.

Amnesiac, Party Poopers, Risky Radiation
Premiere: August 4 at 10PM e/p
Brain surgery creates a perfect amnesiac who can't remember his own life from day to day. A scientist goes to extremes to prove his theory and save lives. A tiny slip while testing the core of an A-bomb releases a blast of radiation.

Positively Poisonous, Medusa's Heroin, Beauty and Brains
Premiere: August 11 at 10PM e/p
Fritz Haber feeds the world and murders it with the same technology. Contaminated heroin freezes addicts like statues and the cure uses fetal brain cells. An actress forsees cell-phones and wi-fi but is too beautiful to be taken seriously.

Creative Evil, Curiosity Killed Dr. Katskee, Bat-Bomb
Premiere: August 18 at 10PM e/p
The Stanford Prison Experiment, one of the most notorious in the history of science. A doctor takes a lethal dose of cocaine as a medical experiment. A dentist tries to bomb Japan with tiny bombs carried by millions of bats.

Tuskegee STD, Do You See What I See?, Cold War Cold Case
Premiere: August 25 at 10PM e/p
US government experiments illegally on black men with syphilis for 40 years. N-Rays will transform physics in France, if they actually exist. 9 skiers found dead with strange injuries. Was it a quarrel, a secret Soviet weapon, or a yeti?

If you have OnDemand, you can catch most of season 1 now, but both season 1 and 2 are in circulation on the Science Channel. You can find out more info on this program on the Science Channel website which can be found via this link HERE.

I hope you find this series as darkly entertaining as I did so hurry over and check an episode out now!.....Well....what's taking you so long? Dr Walter Bishop is waiting!