# Stranger Things (2016)

> A young boy's disappearance pulls a small Indiana town and a group of kids into a mystery of secret experiments and a dark parallel world.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/58780

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 42
- Episode runtime: 51 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: science fiction, horror, drama
- Created by: Ross Duffer, Matt Duffer
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink
- TMDB rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4574334/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: nostalgic, eerie, propulsive, wistful, suspenseful

## What critics say

Acclaimed as a nostalgia-soaked supernatural mystery carried by a standout young ensemble, with the early seasons praised most and later seasons drawing more mixed reactions.

## Synopsis

Stranger Things (2016-2025) is an American science fiction horror drama created by Ross Duffer and Matt Duffer for Netflix. Set in 1980s Hawkins, Indiana, the story follows police chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour) and Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), a mother refusing to accept that her son Will (Noah Schnapp) has vanished. Their search pulls in a band of bike-riding kids, including Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), and Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), who discover a telekinetic girl called Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). Their investigations keep colliding with secret government experiments and a shadowy mirror realm that seeps into the town. Across five seasons the show is one continuing serialized story, with each season building a larger mystery around the same core cast. The tone blends wistful nostalgia with propulsive, creepy suspense and genuine teen friendship. Its look and soundtrack lean heavily on 1980s genre films, and fans of Twin Peaks, The Goonies, and Stephen King adaptations will find a similar blend of small town dread and coming of age adventure.

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- [The Umbrella Academy (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/65131)
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- [The Leftovers (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/48733)
- [The Institute (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/168354)
- [Raising Dion (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/78989)
- [Parallels (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/98858)

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