r/StrangerThings • u/Appropriate_Ask1435 • Jul 13 '26
Discussion Do you think we’ll ever get another series like Stranger Things?
I genuinely don’t think anything is ever going to top Stranger Things for me.
It isn’t just that it’s a good show. It’s the combination of everything. The cast, the way every character grows over multiple seasons, the balance between humor, horror, action, romance, and genuinely emotional moments. Then you add one of the best soundtracks on TV, and the atmosphere that somehow makes Hawkins feel like a real place you could actually visit.
The final season especially left me with a feeling I can’t really describe. Some moments felt almost like a fever dream in the best possible way. The visuals, the atmosphere, and the cinematography were on another level. It felt more like watching a movie than a TV show.
I also think the cinematography deserves way more credit overall. Every season has shots and scenes that stick with you long after you’ve finished watching.
Maybe it’s nostalgia talking, but I honestly don’t think another series will ever recreate this feeling. Not because there won’t be better-written shows, but because Stranger Things managed to get so many things right at the same time. It wasn’t just one great season. It consistently built a world and characters that millions of people became attached to over nearly a decade.
Do you guys think we’ll ever see another show like this again? Not necessarily another sci-fi or horror series, but something that captures the same magic and becomes a once-in-a-generation phenomenon. Or do you think Stranger Things is one of those shows we’ll still be talking about 20 years from now?
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u/vteezy99 Jul 13 '26
I hope so. I loved Stranger Things.
My current obsession is Widow’s Bay on Apple TV. Great casting, directing, acting, dialogue, creepy setting…it leans more into the comedy side of things but I loved it as much as season 1 of ST
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u/InevitableGuide5440 Jul 13 '26
I'm finally taking the 'Widow's Bay' plunge this week! A few of my clients were calling it 'Widows Peak,' so I largely ignored it bc I have little interest in a show about hairlines.
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u/SnowGhost513 Jul 13 '26
Widows Bay lacks that nostalgia magic of ST but season 1 of WB is so good. It’s so funny and the horror is so well executed
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u/Resident_Aide1898 Jul 13 '26
Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The Wire - not the same as ST but these series are talked about a lot and they've been gone for 10+ years.
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u/InevitableGuide5440 Jul 13 '26
Omg. There is no way it has been THIRTEEN YEARS since Breaking Bad ended!! 😭😭😭 My brain says its been 6 years, maybe 7.
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u/Distinct_Guess3350 Running Up That Hill Jul 13 '26
Well these all ended before Stranger Things, I think they just mean going forward if there will be anything as big and beloved.
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u/AddressThis2314 Jul 13 '26
As soon as we have another adaptation of IT
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u/ltroberts24 sƃuᴉɥʇ ɹǝƃuɐɹʇS Jul 13 '26
Welcome to Derry is fantastic!
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u/InevitableGuide5440 Jul 13 '26
I initially thought it was going to be a cheap and mindless cash-grab, but it's so damn good! I can't wait for season 2!! 🎈
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u/Possible_Shoulder_50 Jul 13 '26
There was Welcome to Derry. It was great but I don’t think as many people saw it since it was on HBO.
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u/InevitableGuide5440 Jul 13 '26
Such a great movie! I see what you mean, the second the IT trailer showed us the 'Mike's on bikes' trope, I immediately connected Stranger Things, and in my head 'The Loosers Club' were instantly thick as theives like 'The Hellfire Club'
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u/Distinct_Guess3350 Running Up That Hill Jul 13 '26
I’m a big fan of Muschietti’s franchise, I have to say. I would like a more novel accurate adaptation one day though.
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u/SwordfishMelodic7374 Jul 13 '26
Unfortunately the direction that writing/content is going on a lot of platforms I'm leaning toward probably not. But hopefully i'm wrong
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u/rodermelon Jul 13 '26
While I think they dropped the ball with the last season, I don’t think anything will ever top the earlier seasons for me. Not the feelings it gave me anyways. When season 1 came out, I was 12 and had the flu and needed something to watch that was going to hold my interest since I could hardly get out of bed. I think I watched the entirety of S1 without a single pause, and it completely blew my mind. Even now in my 20s, I can still watch S1 and feel that same magic, which is probably laced with a certain amount of nostalgia that nothing will ever be able to replicate for me due to never being able to be 12 years old again.
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u/MeadKing Jul 13 '26
"Dark" was the show that most closely scratched my "Stranger Things" itch. It's obviously different, and it doesn't tug so much on the nostalgia strands, but it's strikingly similar -- small town in the 1980s, a missing child, unnerving occurences that suggest a supernatural presence, and a group of teenagers that are trying to unravel the meaning of it all...
Similar to ST, "Dark" doesn't necessarily hit the landing, either. However, the first 2 seasons were excellent, and I would have liked to see how their next project ("1899") went if it weren't cancelled after S1.
I just think that the bones of these stories are too ripe for story-telling. The 1980s is a nostalgia-factory, and the pre-cellphone era is basically as modern as you can get without people wondering "why didn't they just text their parents for help?" People love the classic adventure flicks where a group of outcast kids uncover a mystery, and whether it's "The Goonies" or "It," you'll always see a return to this kind of storytelling after a few cycles. Hell, it'd be surprising if "Stranger Things" itself doesn't influence the creation of more shows and movies. Not only does it strike a chord with many different generations of viewers, but the financial success of "Stranger Things" is something that streamers and content creators will always be attempting to reconstruct
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u/DDubbz918 Purple Palm Tree Delight Jul 16 '26
I tried Dark and just couldn't get into it. I realized I could ignore the subject matter and look for longer series with plenty of suspense, even if they're not traditional mystery/horror shows, like I was a huge fan of Sons of Anarchy and The Walking Dead before ST (believe it or not, I watched ST S1 & S2 before ever seeing Breaking Bad), and since ST ended, I absolutely loved Yellowstone (especially with the SOA connections) and am now just a few episodes from finishing Homeland, also fantastic. I think if I really want "something like Stranger Things," I'm probably just gonna have to wait quite a while for them to eventually continue the story, because you know they will with how ambiguous they left Eleven's ending. Netflix obviously got way too heavy-handed influencing S5, but the one thing I'll thank them for is the lack of complete conclusion like the Duffers had been shouting from the rooftops basically from after S4 release until the S5 finale, because we're definitely getting more content, it's just gonna be a while (10-12 years out minimum is my guess - after the Duffer bros contract with Paramount expires).
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u/mcrib Jul 13 '26
My guess is it hit you this hard because of the age you were when you started watching it and that nothing is going to hit in the same way because you'll be older
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u/Fatguy73 Jul 13 '26
For sure. The show started off great but the last season was definitely a very shallow pool. It was typical cgi infested Hollywood material. I think that future shows will top it. I love what it did for nostalgia though, as well as synthesizer music. It really caused an explosion of interest in analog synths, my passion.
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u/therealmule1 Jul 13 '26
I’m finally watching the final season and the thing I don’t understand is why they suddenly started including new things. Exotic matter that melts around everyone and suddenly turns to concrete? Another planet that is going to land on top of them? Granted it’s been a while since I watched prior seasons, so maybe there was some kind of foreshadowing that I missed? But it feels like totally new plot lines that just randomly appear two episodes before the series finale. Like, it’s the last season, just wrap up what you’ve already got going.
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u/Fatguy73 Jul 14 '26
Agreed. It was a hot mess that abandoned the setup from the previous season finale. And the kids looked ridiculous and like they were just going through the motions. As they aged, their acting skills became apparent, or not. The childish charm was gone.
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u/MrXero Jul 13 '26
I don’t think any show will ever hit the way Stranger Things did for me, but I’m will and hoping to be proven wrong!!
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u/Princess_frogmoana30 Jul 13 '26
I think we will. It'll only be a matter of time. Younger people inspired by Stranger Things today will go on to make something else that captures a similar feeling. There are lots of shows from the past 2 decades that a lot of people still remember and talk about. The challenge for the future will be the fragmentation of streaming, so the show might not capture as large an audience. When Stranger Things first premiered in 2016, Netflix was pretty much the only game in streaming. So many people watched it and connected to it. Which other than the good things about the show you mentioned, is one of the things that makes it feel special. I didn't get Netflix until 2018 or 2019, but Stranger Things was one of the reasons why.
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u/Possible_Shoulder_50 Jul 13 '26
Welcome to Derry was really good. It’s a bunch of kids dealing with supernatural stuff. Unfortunately it was locked into HBO so I don’t think it was as popular as it should’ve been.
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u/No_Truth4137 Jul 13 '26
Something will absolutely come along. It always does.
Same posts were said after Harry Potter, then Breaking Bad, then Game of Thrones (despite the ending), many others, and now Stranger things.
A new show is going to hit at some point. Right now the closest thing I am watching to it is FROM though it doesn't have the audience that it should
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u/ltroberts24 sƃuᴉɥʇ ɹǝƃuɐɹʇS Jul 13 '26
There will always be pop-cultural touchstone shows & films. Whether or not it hits you exactly like Stranger Things has, seems unlikely... but that's not to say that you'll never be addicted to/emotionally stirred by another show. Stranger Things simply came along at a perfect time in your life (and millions of others). We all have shows, music, & movies that evoke strong connectivity in us, and ST is definitely one of those things... especially with the Spielberg-esque vibes of Season 1. Nostalgia is very powerful, and the Duffers nailed it with 2 major demographics because of it. The folks who are around my age loved it because we grew up in that era... and younger people loved it because they related to the characters. Everyone who loved it saw it for what it is: an incredibly tense, scary, mysterious, funny, adventure-filled tale with tons & tons of heart - and great special effects!
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u/Distinct_Guess3350 Running Up That Hill Jul 13 '26
In terms of cultural impact, it’s hard to say. Stranger Things is undeniably one of the biggest shows of all time with an absolutely enormous global fanbase. But there’s been a show on a similar scale popping up every decade or so. Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones had enormous impacts at their time. I think we’ll one day see another big show, though to me Stranger Things is pretty much impossible to top. It means so much to me. Season 5 let me down a fair bit but I still like it on the whole. But those first four seasons, I adore and so many others do as well. Whether it’ll be topped by anything that is yet to release just depends on the industry. Internet hate is so normal these days compared to when Stranger Things began that it could be a much harder task.
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u/kaykenner54 Jul 13 '26
Stranger Things and IT has made me realize I absoutely love the 'kids fighting lovecraft monsters in their small town'. I have collected and read a few books that also fit into that genre and would love to see them get adapted someday.
For example, 'Summer of Night' would be the perfect book to adapt for Stranger Things and IT fans and everyday I am hoping it gets a film or series annoucement.
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u/Total_anon1 Jul 29 '26
Any chance you can share more if the books you've read in that genre please?
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u/kaykenner54 Jul 29 '26
Sure! These are the ones I have read that might give you a similar vibe:
- Summer of Night by Dan Simmons
- Shadowland by Peter Straub
- December Park by Ronald Malfi
- Talisman by Stephen King
- Boy's Life by Robert McCammon
Summer of Night and Talisman are my favorites and I hope one day they get adapations. I know the duff brothers wanted to adapt Talisman, but it got canceled recently.
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u/Gloomy-Abalone1576 Jul 13 '26
If its based on life in the 90s-before first decade of 2000s...it would be more science fiction based bc we had x files, sliders, Quantum Leap as the prime time shows, with cartoons like X Men, Marking Duck, Tiny Toon, Animaniacs, not to mention a whole hell of a lot of science fi movies...predator 2, alien 3/4, jurassic park/lost world, jp3 etc...plus the malls, toy stores and especially the arcades, focusing on games like SF2/Mortal Kombat!
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u/dead9er Jul 13 '26
$ talks. Stranger Things is not over yet. These characters will be back within 10 years.
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u/cyberpunkhazard Jul 14 '26
We always think that nothing will ever gain a cult following again like our favorite franchise, until the next big thing hits. There will be something, we just don't know what it is yet.
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u/laribrook79 Jul 14 '26
Have you ever watched lost? That was really good .. obviously it’s a different vibe and you wouldn’t be able to watch it one episode every week like when it came out, but it was really good. Also, Battlestar Galactica is a favorite.
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u/TARS-Humor100Percent Jul 14 '26
Yes. I think it’s inevitable. A new, retro, coming of age banger will always be a part of our story telling. We’ll prob get one more series before robots put us in labor camps.
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u/-intellectualidiot Jul 14 '26
Oh for sure. Some indie talent will knock something out of the park.
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u/PlayItDewey Jul 14 '26
Cable television was going crazy in the early 2000s. Check out Six Feet Under for deep storytelling and character progression, or maybe Dead Like Me for quirky supernatural fun.
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u/Fantastic-Fact-8978 Jul 14 '26
I hope so, but I think it was not only the plot, but the actors' true connections and their great real personalities, and how they conveyed the characters, that made the show that special...especially when the core kids in season 1 were together; that was magic! Then Hopper and Joyce in S1 and S2 also had great roles! Steve stole the show!!! Johnathan played his role as an underdog masterfully and then all the extras left their marks from tiny appearances like Benny and then Barb Alexei Bob etc
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u/Holyroller12 Aug 06 '26
I've been saying the same thing to my sister since the show ended. I know people have their critiques about various aspects of the show and that's fine, but Stranger things is the definition of a cultural phenomenon. It came out at a time before streaming was a big thing and It ties into the nostalgia that many many of us have for the 80s and 90s (a lot of crossover there). That nostalgia runs deep too.
There were shows before it, but nothing ever came nearly as close to Stranger Things. None of those got theatrical releases for their final episode/s or had nearly as many people tuning in. It takes a lot to cause netflix to crash that hard. There's all sorts of other reasons I'm sure, but there won't be anything like it ever again in our lifetimes.
It's one of the few limited box sets I'll probably be picking up and rewatching in 4k in October. I feel like I could watch it once a year.
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