What is Stranger Things about?

Stranger Things was created by the Duffer Brothers as a blend of investigative drama and supernatural aspects presented with a horror sensibility while incorporating references to eighties pop culture. Stranger Things is an American science fiction horror television series made by the Duffer Brothers, who additionally act as show runners and are executive producers alongside Shawn Duty and Dan Cohen. The first season was released on Netflix on July 15, 2016. Its second, third, and fourth seasons continued in October 2017, July 2019, and May and July 2022, respectively. In February 2022, the series was restored for a fifth and final season, but then got delayed due to WGA strike and subsequent SAG/AFTRA strikes. Season five will reportedly be released by mid-2025.

Set during the 1980s, primarily in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, the series focuses on various secrets and supernatural occasions happening around the town and their impact on a group of children and grown-up characters. It stars Winona Ryder, David Harbor, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Cara Buono, Matthew Modine, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Joe Keery, Dacre Montgomery, Sean Astin, Paul Reiser, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, and Brett Gelman.

The Duffer Brothers developed Stranger Things as a blend of insightful and supernatural components portrayed with horror sensibilities while injecting references to the pop culture of the 1980s. A few thematic and executive components were inspired and crafted by Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, David Lynch, Stephen King, Wes Craven, and H. P. Lovecraft. They additionally took inspiration from experiments led during the Cold War and conspiracy theories, including secret government experiments.

One of Netflix's flagship series, Stranger Things, has drawn record viewership on the streaming platform. The series has been widely praised for its characterization, atmosphere, acting, soundtrack, coordinating, composing, and homages to 1980s films. It has gotten various awards and nominations, including nominations from the Golden Globe Awards, British Foundation Television Awards, Director's Guild of America Awards, Essayists Guild of America Awards, and Grammy Awards, as well as wins from the Primetime Emmy Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, American Film Institute, Critics' Choice Television Awards, and People's Choice Awards.

What is the plot synopsis of Stranger Things?

Stranger Things is set in the fictional rural town of Hawkins, Indiana, during the 1980s. The close by Hawkins Public Lab apparently performs logical research for the US Department of Energy, yet subtly does experiments in the paranormal and supernatural, including those that include human guinea pigs.

Unintentionally, they have made a portal to an alternate dimension, “the Upside Down.” The impact of the Upside Down begins to influence the accidental occupants of Hawkins in disastrous ways.

What is the seasonal overview of the Stranger Things?

Season 1

The first season started in November 1983. Will Byers is kidnapped by an animal from the upside down. His mother, Joyce; the town's police chief, Jim Hopper; and a group of workers search for him. A psychokinetic young lady named Eleven escapes from the research facility and is found by companions of Will. Eleven becomes a close acquaintance with them and helps them in their endeavors to track down Will.

Season 2

The subsequent season is set a year after the fact, in October 1984. Will has been protected, yet he starts having premonitions of the fall of Hawkins brought about by an animal in the Upside Down. When it is found that Will is as yet being possessed by a substance starting from the upside, his loved ones discover that there is a bigger threat to their universe.

Season 3

The third season is set a while later, in the days paving the way to the Fourth of July festivities in 1985. The new Starcourt Mall has turned into the focal point of consideration for Hawkins's inhabitants, putting most of the other neighborhood stores bankrupt because of the mall's popularity. Hopper turns out to be progressively worried about Eleven and Mike's relationship and turns out to be exceptionally protective of his daughter. Unbeknownst to the town, a mysterious Soviet research facility under Starcourt looks to open the doorway to the Upside Down. Meanwhile, the Mind Flayer uses Billy and controls his mind for further offerings, which is essential for the Mind Flayer.

Season 4

The fourth season is set a while later, in March 1986. Joyce, Will, Eleven, and Jonathan have moved to Lenora, California, for a fresh start. In California, Eleven battles with the deficiency of her powers and being bullied at school. Meanwhile, in Hawkins, a being from the Upside Down, later named Vecna, starts killing the occupants of Hawkins, opening new portals between the two universes in the process. Planning to stop Vecna, Dr. Sam Owens and Dr. Martin Brenner take Eleven to an office to help her regain her powers. Meanwhile, Joyce and Murray fly to Russia to save Hopper from the Gulag in Kamchatka.

What is the verdict on Stranger Things as a whole?

Rotten Tomatoes provided the show with a general score of 92%, while Metacritic provided the show with a general score of 74. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the first season an approval rating of 97% considering 91 reviews and a weighted rating of 8.12/10. The site's comments read, “Invigorating, heartbreaking, and sometimes frightening, Stranger Things goes about as a habit-forming homage to Spielberg films and rare 1980s television.”

The New York Times has compared the show to Rob Reiner's Stand By Me, relating their nostalgic feel by “finding that timeless second where everything appeared scarily new.” Review aggregator Metacritic provided the first season with a standardized score of 76 out of 100 considering 34 critics, specifying “for the most part ideal reviews.”

On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has an approval rating of 94% considering 150 reviews and a typical rating of 7.86/10. The site's comments read, “Stranger Things' sluggish structure in its sophomore season adjusts snapshots of humor and a nostalgic pleasantness against a developing horror that's successful thanks to the show's full-bodied characters and reminiscent tone.” On Metacritic, the subsequent season has a standardized score of 78 out of 100 in light of 33 critics, specifying “for the most part great reviews.” Thus, the ratings of the other two seasons were quite similar, resulting in the general score of 92%.