Created by Joe Barton, ‘The Lazarus Project’ follows George (Paapa Essiedu), a young man who finds himself reliving the same day. He fears losing his mind until Archie (Anjli Mohindra) comes along and explains that he is one of the rare individuals who are aware of time loops and retain their memories when the timeline is reset. She offers him the opportunity to join a top-secret organization, the titular Lazarus Project, that has the technology to make time go backward and uses it to stop world-ending events. While George takes up the offer, he is soon forced to choose between saving the world according to the project’s rules and saving the love of his life. The science fiction thriller drama debuted on Sky Max in 2022 and poses the age-old question of whether it is proper to sacrifice the world for the person you love. If you’ve enjoyed the story, here is a list of shows similar to ‘The Lazarus Project’ for you to choose for your next binge.
10. Terra Nova (2011)
Helmed by Kelly Marcel and Craig Silverstein, ‘Terra Nova’ is set in the dystopian 2149, when pollution and overpopulation have brought life on Earth to the brink of being wiped out. Scientists come up with a way to open a portal to 85 million years in the past, transporting willing people for a fresh start. Among those going back is the Shannon family, who find themselves welcomed by the titular Terra Nova,’ the colony of humans who are determined to make a life on prehistoric Earth. However, the new world comes with its own deadly challenges, as dinosaurs continue to be at the top of the food chain. Like ‘The Lazarus Project,’ the series deals with a probable way to prevent the world from ending by getting a fresh start, though very early.
9. 11.22.63 (2016)
Based on the eponymous novel by Stephen King, ‘11.22.63’ by Bridget Carpenter stars James Franco as Jake Epping, an ordinary high school teacher who gets called upon by an old friend (Chris Cooper). The latter shows Jake a closet that allows him to travel back in time to 1960, and tasks him with stopping the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963. The friend has been unsuccessful in carrying out the mission himself, as the killing presents one of the biggest mysteries of the 20th century. While staying in the past, Jake takes on great risks investigating a murder that is yet to happen, and falling in love with a woman at the same time. He soon realizes that the past does not want to be changed. Much like George in ‘The Lazarus Project,’ Jake finds himself in a rut, trying to change human history while doing right by the woman he loves.
8. The Peripheral (2022)
Developed by Scott B. Smith, ‘The Peripheral’ is loosely based on a book of the same name by William Gibson. The narrative centers around a young woman, Flynne (Chloë Grace Moretz), who is stuck in a small Appalachian town, taking care of her sick mother. She seeks escape in advanced video games and one day finds a VR simulator that transports her to a much darker version of the future. Navigating through changing relationships in an unknown world, she tries her best to make sense of it all, similar to George in ‘The Lazarus Project.’
7. The Time Traveler’s Wife (2022)
Adapted by Steven Moffat from Audrey Niffenegger’s novel of the same name, ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ chronicles the relationship between Henry DeTamble (Theo James) and Clare Abshire (Rose Leslie). Henry has a genetic disorder that allows him to travel through time involuntarily for short periods. He meets Clare at different moments in her life, and she falls in love and marries him. However, travelling through time without any form of control is dangerous for Henry, and the uncertainty of his presence takes a toll on Clare. The show raises questions on determinism and free will, much like what George confronts as part of ‘The Lazarus Project.’
6. Quantum Leap (2022-2024)
Created by Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt, ‘Quantum Leap’ revives the 1989 television series by Donald P. Bellisario in 2022. It revolves around Dr. Ben Song (Raymond Lee), lead physicist of a top-secret government time-travel program known as Quantum Leap. Despite knowing the project is yet to be completed, Ben makes an unauthorized time jump to the past and wakes up in a different body, suffering partial amnesia in the process. His colleague and romantic partner, Addison (Caitlin Bassett), follows Ben as a hologram, guiding him on his journey. Meanwhile, his team in the present attempts to figure out why Ben has gone to the past and tries to bring him back. Similar to ‘The Lazarus Project,’ the show deals with a version of time travel and a man’s quest to correct the past.
5. Timeless (2016-2018)
From the minds of Shawn Ryan and Eric Kripke, ‘Timeless’ opens with a mysterious criminal (Goran Višnjić) stealing a state-of-the-art time machine in an attempt to change the past of the US. To stop him from carrying out his objective, Homeland Security assembles a ragtag team of history professor Lucy Preston (Abigail Spencer), Master Sergeant Wyatt Logan (Matt Lanter), and scientist Rufus Carlin (Malcolm Barrett), who needs to travel back in time to critical events and ensure that they remain unchanged. Like the secret organization Lazarus Project, it becomes the responsibility of the team to protect history as it is.
4. Continuum (2012-2015)
‘Continuum’ by Simon Barry centers around Detective Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols) from the year 2077, who follows a group of condemned criminals from her time to Vancouver in 2012. The group has a nefarious plan to alter the past, thus changing the world in 2077, home to them as well as Kiera. Teaming up with teenage tech genius Alec Sadler (Erik Knudsen) and the Vancouver Police, Kiera races to thwart their plans and figure out a way to return to her own time. The responsibility that she shoulders mirrors that of George in ‘The Lazarus Project.’
3. Travelers (2016-2018)
Helmed by Brad Wright, ‘Travelers’ tells the story of the last surviving humans on Earth hundreds of years into a post-apocalyptic future, who figure out a way to send their consciousness back in time into people living in the 21st century. These travelers take over the lives of the people whose bodies they inhabit, juggling the relationships of their hosts while working on the high-stakes mission of saving humanity from future extinction. They soon realize that leading two lives is not easy work, even as they focus on their work to change history for the better. Similar to ‘The Lazarus Project,’ the series brings up the debate of ethics and morality, as the ‘Travelers’ work to tailor world events to create the perfect future of their desire.
2. Dark (2017-2020)
‘Dark,’ created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, is set in a small and idyllic German town, from where two children go missing without a trace. As their families and friends start to look for them, they are forced to confront the double lives that they lead and their own fractured relationships. The characters involved are linked with the troubled history of the region, where similar incidents of sudden disappearance have taken place in the past and remain to be solved. Attempts at a rational solution of the mystery are seemingly futile, as the incidents depict a supernatural bent. ‘Dark’ keeps the stakes personal for the characters in the face of all odds, similar to ‘The Lazarus Project.’
1. 12 Monkeys (2015-2018)
Loosely based on Terry Gillian’s 1995 film of the same name, ’12 Monkeys’ follows James Cole (Aaron Stanford), a man from a post-apocalyptic future, who jumps back in time to stop a plague that will eventually bring an end to human civilization. Cole seeks assistance from virologist Dr. Cassandra Railly (Amanda Schull), who remains conflicted about hurting people for the greater good. Many parallels can be drawn between the narratives of ’12 Monkeys’ and ‘The Lazarus Project,’ with both shows depicting the desperate attempt of humans to prevent the end of their race. The moral dilemma that Cassandra faces is similar to that which plagues George, as the cost of individual lives is weighed against the future of everyone else.
Read more: The Lazarus Project Season 1 Finale Recap and Ending Explained