Netflix’sStranger Thingshas consistently ranked among the most successful and beloved shows of the past few years, and the impending conclusion to the series has many audiences reflecting on the project’s long-lasting legacy.The show constantly pushed boundariesand defied expectations with its high-stakes, high-reward storytelling as the writers dove deeper and deeper into this fascinating world of fantasy and horror. With some ofStranger Things’best episodes, the show completely revolutionized how audiences interact with episodic television.
Stranger Things’ fifth season will officially be its last, andthe show will surely go out in the most explosive way possible. Thecliffhanger ending ofStranger Thingsseason 4set up plenty of exciting and dangerous ideas for the characters to tackle in the upcoming episodes, which should hopefully lead to a satisfying and fulfilling conclusion that audiences can be happy with. The absence ofStranger Thingswill leave a massive hole in the world of streaming television, but the changes that it’s made to the entire landscape will be felt for a long time.
10Seeing The Stranger Things Cast As Young Kids
The Cast Were Very Young When The Show Started
One of the most endearing features ofStranger Things’ earlier seasons was the young cast, which the show has tried to cling onto ever since. It’s the core aspect of the show that sets it apart from the competition: despite the dark themes, evident horror, and creepy atmosphere, the show managed to maintain a family-friendly tone thanks to the young cast.They’re the beating heart of the show, and those first seasons did a great job of exploiting their youth to make the stakes of the story even more tangible.
Stranger Things Season 5’s Checklist: 10 Things That Need To Happen Before The Show Ends
With Stranger Things ending with its fifth season, there are a couple of things that need to happen for the show to have a satisfying ending.
While the cast are older now, their characters are still much younger than they appear. It’s likely thatStranger Thingsseason 5will include a time jumpto account for all the aging that’s happened off-screen, andaudiences will have to say goodbye to these younger versions of the characters forever. It’s not common for a show with such young actors to find success with adults too, butStranger Thingsbroke the mold with its unique blend of horror and comedy.
9Stranger Things’ Catchy Theme Song
The Synth-Pop Theme Has Become Iconic
The ‘80s aesthetic is a core element ofStranger Things, and this manifests most strongly in the catchy, synth-pop theme song that plays at the beginning of each episode.Music plays a huge role in the show, setting the scene from the first note with its clear nostalgia for the ‘80s. But despite the upbeat nature of the music, there’s also a very tense undertone that keeps the audience on their toes - the notes are low and ominous, which makes for an interesting contrast from the outset.
And it’s not just the title music that’s memorable inStranger Things: the show has plenty of other tunes that became recurring motifs throughout the seasons, harking back to earlier episodes and intentionally reminding audiences of things that have already happened. The show knows exactly how to use music to its own benefit, not just for creating atmosphere and tension, but also for connecting certain scenes and characters through unique notes.Stranger Things’ best charactersall have their own pieces of music associated with them, which gives them another dimension of narrative complexity.
The Time Setting Is Hugely Important To The Show
Stranger Thingsis entrenched in the ‘80s - in fact, the show was partially responsible for a huge resurgence in ‘80s style that popped up in the late 2010s. Audiences were wearingStranger Thingscostumes for Halloween, certain ‘80s pop songs were making their way back up the charts, and the impact ofStranger Things’ aesthetic was felt in plenty of other films and TV shows.The ‘80s were suddenly cool again, and much of that came down toStranger Things’ success.
While it’s true thatStranger Thingshas some excellent writing and outstanding performances, the show undeniably wouldn’t have been as successful as it’s become without its dedication to the ‘80s vibe.
While it’s true thatStranger Thingshas some excellent writing and outstanding performances, the show undeniably wouldn’t have been as successful as it’s become without its dedication to the ‘80s vibe.The uncanny blend of neon colors, poppy music, and bright fashionwith dark, macabre elements of horror is exactly what makesStranger Thingsstand out, and very few projects have managed to capture that in the years since.
7The Excellent Chemistry Of The Stranger Things Cast
The Actors Grew Up Together
The key to any long-running TV show is the chemistry between the cast - if the actors don’t get along behind the scenes, it’s hard to make their characters get along on-screen. Luckily,Stranger Thingsdidn’t have that problem.TheStranger Thingscast membershave all been repeatedly vocal about the off-screen friendships, many of which have been going on since the very beginning of the show.These young actors have grown up together, working the same job throughout their entire teenage years - it’s no wonder they feel such a clear attachment to each other.
And this attachment really shines through in the show. You can feel the affection that these actors have for each other, and it makes their on-screen friendships feel incredibly real and authentic.Despite certain disagreements and short-lived rivalries, these characters all care for each other deeply, and this is what allows the emotional core of the show to thrive.
6Stranger Things’ Expensive Practical Effects
The Show Undeniably Looks Excellent
Stranger Thingshas been an enormous commercial success, and this has allowed Netflix to spend record-breaking amounts of money on the project. The show’s budget is one of the highest ever recorded on the streaming service, andmuch of this goes towards the practical (and special) effects. Even those who aren’t interested in the show can admit that it looks incredible, with characters like Vecna, the Demogorgons, and the Mind Flayer barely standing out from the real-life figures.
It took on average 7 hours to apply Jamie Campbell Bower’s Vecna makeup for season 4, which was achieved through a blend of makeup, prosthetics (including dentures, contacts, and fingernails), and latex, finished with CGI in post.
Many ofStranger Things’ best antagonistshave been partly (or entirely) created using practical effects, which isa marked difference from the CGI monsters that audiences are used to seeingin many Hollywood blockbusters. The threats feel much more real and tangible thanks to the effort that’s put into these costumes and props, immediately separatingStranger Thingsfrom most other horror properties.
5The Feature-Length Episodes of Stranger Things’ Later Seasons
Season 4’s Episodes Reached 90 Minutes In Length
Stranger Thingswas innovative in so many ways: from the visual effects to the unique blending of genres, the show was constantly breaking tradition and forging its own path. And in the later seasons of the show,Stranger Thingsmade another big change that’s since caught on with other prestigious TV shows: feature-length episodes. Most of the stories inStranger Things’ fourth season were pushing 90 minutes, which is an obvious consequence of the streaming age.
These kinds of episode lengths never would have been possible in the age of cable television, but Netflix decided to take a calculated risk withStranger Thingsand it quickly paid off.The episodes were able to tell more self-contained, complex storiesthat gradually built up the story rather than rushing head-first toward the explosive finales. This slower pace was divisive at first, but proved fruitful whenStranger Thingsseason 4 was among the show’s most-watched seasons.
4Stranger Things’ Bingeable Storytelling
The Show Was Among The First To Push For Same-Day Release
Although it’s much more common today for streaming shows to drop every single episode at once, rather than week-by-week,Stranger Thingswas arguably the pioneer of this format. Weekly episodes were still the norm in 2016, when the first season was released, but the show decided to change things up to market itself as a “bingeable” series. This turned out to be a massive success, as the show essentially blew up overnight. Everybody was talking about it, and this wouldn’t have been possible with a more traditional release format.
In the years sinceStranger Things’ success, many other shows have decided to follow suit. This release format has become normal on most streaming services, with plenty of shows releasing overnight and benefiting from a stronger (albeit shorter) period of success and discussion.This is something thatStranger Thingshas essentially mastered, including plenty of exciting cliffhangers between seasons to keep the audience talking about it for months after release.
3The Long-Running Mysteries
Stranger Things Keeps Certain Details Secret From The Audience
Another reason thatStranger Thingshas managed to become so successful over the years is thanks to its long-running mysteries that spread across seasons. Whileeach season manages to tell a self-contained storythat resolves in the finale and keeps audiences satisfied, there are several questions and mysteries that don’t wrap themselves up so neatly. This is something that TV shows have been doing for a long time, butStranger Thingshas some excellent examples.
This kept viewers coming back time after time, and ensured thatStranger Thingsremained relevant long after the overnight success of the first season.
Fromthe mystery behind Henry Creel’s/Vecna’s identityto the genesis of the Upside-Down, there are certain questions that fans had to wait a long, long time to finally get the answers to. This kept viewers coming back time after time, and ensured thatStranger Thingsremained relevant long after the overnight success of the first season.
2Stranger Things’ Many Well-Rounded Villains
The Show Has Plenty Of Iconic Antagonists
AlthoughStranger Things’fourth season revealed Vecna as the mastermind behind all the chaos that’s been happening in Hawkins, it took a long time for Eleven and her friends to figure out which of the show’s many villains was actually in charge.Each season managed to raise the stakes even higher than the last, introducing more powerful villains that landed higher and higher up the chain of command.
With any long-running show, it’s important that each season is bigger and bolder than the last - and that’s always been true withStranger Things.The characters manage to get themselves into increasingly dangerous situationswith more powerful villains, but this never reduces the impact of the villains that came before. The Demogorgon may not be as powerful as Vecna or the Mind Flayer, but they’re frightening all the same.
1Stranger Things’ Immense Pop Culture Relevance
Everybody Is Talking About Netflix’s Huge Hit
Stranger Thingshas proven itself to be one ofNetflix’s biggest-ever shows, and it’s this pop culture relevance that audiences are going to miss the most about the show. For a long time, it felt like everybody in the world was watching it -it was something to discuss with colleagues, theorize about with friends, and recommend to those very few who weren’t already hooked.
While Netflix has no shortage of great shows that can fill the void left behind byStranger Things, that void will be felt nevertheless. It was among the first shows to really take off in the streaming age, gathering a huge fan base and cementing its place in the pop culture zeitgeist forever. This isn’t easily achieved, and it’s hard to imagine that Netflix will find its ‘next’Stranger Thingsquite so easily.
Stranger Things
TheStranger Thingsfranchise is a cultural phenomenon that blends supernatural horror with nostalgic 1980s references. Created by the Duffer Brothers, the series follows the residents of Hawkins, Indiana, as they face the terrifying realities of a parallel dimension known as the Upside Down. Since its debut in 2016,Stranger Thingshas become one of Netflix’s most popular and critically acclaimed series, spawning multiple spin-offs and expansions, including an animated series and a stage play.
