The story
Hawkins, Indiana, November 1983. When young Will Byers vanishes, his mother, the town's police chief and his three best friends each start searching – and stumble on a government laboratory secretly experimenting with the paranormal. A girl with psychokinetic powers called Eleven escapes from the lab and joins the boys, and together they face a hostile alternate dimension known as the Upside Down. Later seasons follow the town through the mid-1980s.
Why it matters
Netflix bought the whole first season after roughly 15 cable networks passed on a story led by children, and Stranger Things became a flagship for the service, drawing record viewing with each new season. It proved a streaming original could anchor a full franchise, from an animated spin-off to a stage prequel, books and games.
Notable facts
- The Duffer Brothers pitched it to about 15 cable networks, all of which doubted a story led by children would work. (source)
- The series was originally called Montauk and set on Long Island. (source)
- Netflix said 64 million households watched season three in its first month, a record for one of its original series at the time. (source)
- The first-season cast won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. (source)