The Stranger

An unassuming young rideshare driver is thrown into her worst nightmare when a mysterious Hollywood Hills passenger enters her car. Her terrifying, heart-stopping ride with the stranger unfolds over 12 hours as she navigates the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles in a chilling game of cat and mouse.

The Stranger (2020) is an American mobile thriller series created by Veena Sud, produced for the Quibi short-form streaming platform. Maika Monroe plays Clare, an unassuming young rideshare driver whose ordinary shift turns into a nightmare when a mysterious passenger from the Hollywood Hills climbs into her car. Dane DeHaan plays Carl E., the unsettling stranger whose intentions stay unclear as the night unfolds, while Avan Jogia plays JJ, a figure tied to the chase. Captain Vasquez, played by Roxana Brusso, represents the police presence hovering at the edges of the story. The engine of the series is simple and relentless: Clare wants to survive and escape, and every turn of the road tightens the trap around her. Each short episode advances the ride in real time, moving her through the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles where danger hides in ordinary places. The series runs one season of thirteen very brief episodes, forming a single continuous story rather than separate cases. Its tone is tense, intense and claustrophobic, built on dread and suspense inside a small enclosed space. Fans of Duel, Breakdown and Fargo will find resonance in its confined menace and cat and mouse suspense. Its tight format makes it a quick, gripping watch for anyone craving unrelenting pressure.

Audience reception is negative, with viewers rating the short-form thriller only middling at around 6 out of 10.

• Fargotense single-location cat and mouse confinement, escalating psychological menace, nighttime urban dread
• Duellone protagonist trapped with a menacing stranger, suspense built on escalating ride-along danger
• Breakdowncat and mouse chase with a manipulative antagonist, tense urban thriller pacing

Created by

Veena Sud

Release Date

2020-04-13

Episode runtime

8 min

Rating

6.2 / 10 (58)

What is The Stranger about?

An unassuming rideshare driver is trapped in her car with a mysterious passenger from the Hollywood Hills in a tense game of cat and mouse across Los Angeles.

What is The Stranger like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Stranger as breakneck, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as simple.

Is The Stranger violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Stranger as mild.

What did critics think of The Stranger?

Audience reception is negative, with viewers rating the short-form thriller only middling at around 6 out of 10.

Which shows are like The Stranger?

Shows with a similar feel include Fargo, Duel, and Breakdown.

How long is The Stranger?

The Stranger: 1 season, 13 episodes.

Is The Stranger still running?

No, The Stranger has ended.