Though Stranger Things has ended, it’s unlikely anything will replicate its success anytime soon. The show, which premiered in 2016, quickly became a global phenomenon and a major part of popular culture. Even after just one season, many considered it the best science fiction series on Netflix, and its popularity continued to increase.
The charming cast and the town of Hawkins, Indiana, became hugely popular throughout the decade, and fans constantly debated who would end up with whom – focusing on characters like Mike, Eleven, and Will. Now that Stranger Things has finished, it will be hard to find another show that captures the same magic.
I Am Not Okay With This
A Troubled Teen Grapples With Heartbreak & Mysterious Powers
The Netflix series I Am Not Okay with This is based on the graphic novel of the same name. It centers on Sydney Novak (Sophia Lillis), a teenager struggling with the recent and unexpected loss of her father. As she navigates her grief, her friendship with Dina (Sofia Bryant) begins to fade, and she finds herself increasingly attached to the quirky and lonely Stanley (Wyatt Oleff), leading to feelings of discontent with her life.
The story takes a turn when the teenage girl discovers she has telekinetic abilities, coinciding with her developing feelings for Dina. The show, a unique blend of coming-of-age story and thriller with LGBTQ+ representation, quickly gained a dedicated following. Unfortunately, it was unexpectedly canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving many fans disappointed and still upset about it.
School Spirits
A Promising Student Finds Herself In A Club Of Ghosts
I remember when Stranger Things first came out and introduced us to a whole group of new actors – though Winona Ryder was already a star, of course! But School Spirits is a bit different. It’s got some faces I definitely recognize, like Peyton List and Milo Manheim, which is cool. Honestly though, even after three seasons on Paramount+, I think it’s still a bit of a hidden gem – and I can’t believe more people aren’t talking about it!
Unlike Stranger Things, which featured fantastical monsters, the mystery in School Spirits centered more on ghosts and what happens after death. Also, while the ghosts at Split River High each represented a different era, the show didn’t have a consistent visual style – something that really helped Stranger Things become so popular and memorable.
Silverpoint
One Boy Seeks Justice For A Group Of Missing Children
When Stranger Things first came out, its unique storyline was a big hit, and many shows that followed, like the British series Silverpoint, borrowed similar ideas. Silverpoint centers around a group of determined teenagers investigating the disappearance of children, which ultimately leads them to a supernatural portal reminiscent of the Upside Down in Stranger Things.
Despite the similarities, the two shows had noticeably different feels. Stranger Things featured young characters but wasn’t afraid to tackle mature topics, scary situations, and violent deaths. Silverpoint, on the other hand, is much more suitable for younger viewers – think of it as a lighter, family-friendly version of Stranger Things for fans, or just another overlooked fantasy show for everyone else.
Goosebumps
A Modern Twist On A Familiar Favorite
Before becoming known for her controversial role as Dr. Trinity Santos in HBO’s popular drama, The Pitt, Isa Briones played Margot in the Goosebumps remake. The 2023 series updated classic R.L. Stine stories with new, season-long storylines. The second season, Goosebumps: The Vanishing, noticeably drew inspiration from the show Stranger Things.
The story of Goosebumps: The Vanishing follows a group of teenagers who vanish without a trace in 1994. The series features several creepy monsters, though they’re different from those in shows like Stranger Things – think haunted cars and creatures that crumble to dust. Unfortunately, The Vanishing was also the last Goosebumps story ever made.
The Midnight Club
The Adventures Of An Ensemble Cast Of Scary Storytellers
Mike Flanagan is known for creating scary and memorable shows like The Haunting of Hill House and The Fall of the House of Usher. However, he also made a fantastic, but often overlooked, thriller called The Midnight Club. The show centers around a group of teenagers with terminal illnesses who live in a hospice and spend their nights sharing spooky stories.
While The Midnight Club featured spooky, self-contained stories, the show’s main plot – a mystery unfolding within a hospice – was particularly compelling. The central conspiracy felt similar to the secret experiments seen in Stranger Things. Sadly, the show was canceled after just one season, meaning the core mystery was never solved.
Emergence
A Police Officer Takes In A Young Amnesiac With No Home
At first, police chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour) wasn’t the most popular character on Stranger Things, but his relationship with Eleven quickly won over audiences during seasons 2 through 5. Some fans noticed strong similarities between that connection and the 2019 sci-fi series Emergence, particularly because the main character in Emergence had the same job as Hopper.
The TV series Emergence centers on Jo Evans (Allison Tolman), a solitary police chief who takes in a young girl named Piper (Alexa Swinton) after a plane crash. As Piper starts to display strange abilities, Jo becomes her protector, but keeping her safe becomes difficult when shadowy figures begin searching for Piper, who appears to be the result of a secret experiment. Despite its intriguing premise, Emergence was short-lived, lasting only 13 episodes.
Paper Girls
A Totally Tubular Friend Group Battles Inter-Dimensional Time Lords
As a sci-fi fan, I’ve noticed a lot of recent shows seem to borrow heavily from Stranger Things. But every now and then, something comes along that stands on its own and is just as compelling. Paper Girls is one of those shows – it’s a really great adaptation of the comic book it’s based on, and it definitely has that same vibe that drew so many of us into Stranger Things in the first place. It shares a lot of similar themes, which is probably why it’s often brought up in the same conversation.
Both shows share a similar 1980s vibe, center around a close group of friends, and are set in a small town in the Midwest. While Stranger Things features battles against monsters from a fantasy role-playing game, Paper Girls follows its characters as they travel through time and space to save the people they care about. Paper Girls had the potential to be a great follow-up to Stranger Things, but unfortunately, it was canceled after just eight episodes.
Yellowjackets
Teen Soccer Stars Succumb To The Darkest Versions Of Themselves
When Yellowjackets began, it deliberately kept many details unclear, encouraging viewers to develop their own ideas about what occurred. The show centers on a high school soccer team who must fight for survival in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash, and quickly, the survivors begin to lose their sense of morality.
| Critical Response To Yellowjackets | |
|---|---|
| Season | Rotten Tomatoes Score |
| Season 1 | 100% |
| Season 2 | 94% |
| Season 3 | 84% |
| Season 4 | TBD |
Whether due to the stress of being isolated or something truly supernatural, the show Yellowjackets rapidly evolved from a mystery similar to Stranger Things into a disturbing and intense story about trauma, mental breakdown, and the complexities of female friendships. Its popularity also establishes Yellowjackets as a unique and powerful force in television, unlike anything else.
Hysteria!
The Horrors Of The Midwest In The Late 1980s
Hysteria! seemed poised to become the next Stranger Things. Set in 1989 Michigan, the show blended paranormal events with psychological suspense. While Stranger Things takes place in Hawkins, Hysteria! centers around a group of characters battling demonic possession in the town of Happy Hollow, where a series of strange deaths and disappearances are unsettling the community.
The first season of Hysteria! ended with hints of a promising continuation, but unfortunately, Peacock decided not to renew the show. While it shared some similarities with Stranger Things, Hysteria! also had a unique comedic style that could have allowed for interesting new storylines, making its cancellation particularly frustrating.
Locke & Key
Fighting Magical Demons Becomes A Family Affair
Unlike some similar shows like Stranger Things that ended too soon, Locke & Key had a planned three-season run and completed it. If you enjoyed the fantasy and supernatural aspects of Stranger Things, Locke & Key is a great choice.
Locke & Key centers on a mother and her three children who move into their ancestral home in Matheson, Massachusetts, after the father’s death. As they explore Keyhouse, they discover magical keys that unlock doors—and accidentally unleash a dangerous entity that puts them all at risk. Though it didn’t become as widely popular as Stranger Things, Locke & Key is a show that deserves more recognition.
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2026-03-31 04:52