Before the sci-fi series “Stranger Things” premiered on Netflix, it had already been overlooked by several traditional studios. Its creators were first-time show runners, unknown young actors were cast in the lead roles, and although the show starred children, it was not for children.
That was nine years ago.
The 1980s-set show about a monster wreaking havoc in fictional Hawkins, Indiana struck a chord with global Netflix subscribers. Since then, “Stranger Things” has become one of the channel's most culturally significant shows, with its fourth season garnering 140.7 million views in its first three months and ranking third among its top English-language series. He was instrumental in growing new business arms for Netflix, including live events, a Broadway production, and inspired brands eager to partner on licensed products. The global franchise allowed Netflix to build a universe around the central characters and create its own version of “Star Wars.”
Rayna Lynn Chacón, 26, from Los Angeles dresses as Eleven from “Stranger Things” during the Netflix x CicLAvia event.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
“Stranger Things” also helped cement Netflix's reputation as a place that places big bets on original ideas that, if successful, can attract loyal fans and expand its subscriber base around the world.
Netflix took a chance on brothers Matt and Ross Duffer. The couple never imagined the series, which first premiered in Silver Lake at Mack Sennett Studios, would take off like it did.
That didn't go unnoticed by Matt Duffer, who took the stage at the final season premiere inside the historic TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood earlier this month. It was the same place where “Star Wars” premiered in 1977.
“For me, as a nerd, this is a dream come true,” Duffer told the audience.
In an interview, Bela Bajaria, Netflix's chief content officer, praised the success of the series: “You could go for an original story and turn it into an important franchise that has enormous global appeal.”
Other Netflix shows, like “House of Cards,” have certainly captured the zeitgeist before, but co-CEO Ted Sarandos said he believes “Stranger Things” stands above some previous hits.
““This was much closer to a 'Star Wars' moment,” Sarandos said, speaking onstage at the premiere of the final season of 'Stranger Things' in Hollywood earlier this month. “This is a show, and these are culture-moving characters, who spawned live events and consumer products and spin-offs and sequels…Everything from the first episode of the first season to 'The First Shadow,' the Broadway show, the origin story of the Upside Down, has been and continues to be a notable addition to entertainment culture.”
The past four seasons of “Stranger Things” landed in Netflix's Top 10 last week, Netflix said. From 2020 through the second quarter of 2025, “Stranger Things” generated more than $1 billion in global streaming revenue for Netflix and was responsible for more than 2 million new subscriber acquisitions, according to estimates from Parrot Analytics, which tracks streaming data. Netflix declined to comment on Parrot's estimates.
“Every streaming service needs that anchor series to drive customer acquisition and help define original programming,” said Brandon Katz, director of content insights and strategy at Greenlight Analytics, adding that for Hulu it was “The Handmaid's Tale” and for Disney+, “The Mandalorian.” “'Stranger Things' has certainly been that for Netflix. Every few years it airs, Netflix knows there is a guaranteed high ceiling of acquisition, retention and audience power,” Katz said.
Participants bike past a Demogorgon sled during the Netflix x CicLAvia event.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
“Stranger Things” also helped Netflix expand into licensed products, with brands eager to partner with the platform. There are themed breakfast foods, Lego sets and Eggo clothing.
The series “has been a catalyst for Netflix to explore all the ways a single entertainment property can become a global lifestyle property,” said Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University.
Its popularity has also helped other creative collaborators.
Artists whose songs appeared on the show rose up the charts. Kate Bush's “Running Up That Hill” appeared in the fourth season and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, 37 years after its original release, Netflix said. Metallica's 1986 song “Master of Puppets” also broke the UK Top 30 for the first time after playing during the Season 4 finale, the streamer added.
The series has been recognized with more than 65 awards and 175 nominations. Netflix estimates that “Stranger Things” has helped create 8,000 production-related jobs in the United States during its five seasons and, since 2015, has contributed more than $1.4 billion to the US GDP. In California, Netflix estimates that the series contributed more than $500 million to GDP.
Netflix is making a big marketing push with fan events in 28 cities and 21 countries as the series comes to an end. On Sunday, the streamer hosted a bike ride on a stretch of Melrose Avenue in partnership with CicLAvia, where 50,000 fans were encouraged to dress in '80s attire or as a “Stranger Things” character. On Thursday, a “Stranger Things” float appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The company began a gradual rollout of the final season with four episodes debuting Wednesday. Three more episodes will arrive on Christmas Day and a two-hour finale on December 31 on Netflix. The finale will also be shown in more than 350 theaters in the US and Canada on December 31 and January 1.
“Stranger Things” fans Kelly Audrain and Jason Serstock said they've been watching the show since the beginning to refresh their memories of the entire story, and they were still on Season 2 earlier this month. The couple attended the premiere of the final season in Hollywood.
“The whole costume and everything was so perfect that you feel like you've been transported back to the '80s,” said Audrain, 29, who was dressed as “Stranger Things” character Eleven, wearing a pink dress and sporting a mock bloody nose.
Lilia Lupercio, 53, left, Audrey Haluska, 15, center, and Janet Lupercio, 45, right, of Downey pose for a photo against a “Stranger Things” backdrop.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
Netflix is expanding the show's universe with the animated series “Stranger Things: Tales from '85” next year. In April, Netflix's play “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” hit Broadway. The company also opened “Stranger Things” pop-up stores, hosted live experiences and will feature immersive experiences at its Netflix House locations, including “Stranger Things: Escape the Dark” in Dallas. In Las Vegas, Netflix will offer themed meals like Surfer Boy Pizza at its Netflix Bites restaurant.
The Duffers recently told Deadline that a spinoff is in the works at Netflix. Bajaria declined to share anything about it, but said, “I think the world is really rich and there are still a lot of stories there.”
But there are challenges ahead. Netflix, considered the leader in subscription streaming, has completed two important emblematic series this year: “Stranger Things” and the Korean drama “Squid Game.” Analysts say the company will need to keep releasing popular shows and movies to keep subscribers coming back.
Netflix has successfully expanded its “Squid Game” franchise to include the reality competition series “Squid Game: The Challenge,” where over 95% of viewers also tuned into the scripted series. Other popular franchises such as the Addams Family series “Wednesday,” the pirate tale “One Piece” and the Regency-era romance “Bridgerton” are ongoing. Netflix's hit animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” is getting a sequel.
Separately, Netflix made a bid for parts of Warner Bros. Discovery, with interest in Warner studios in Burbank and HBO, according to people familiar with the matter. If the acquisition is successful, it would greatly expand Netflix's library of titles and intellectual property.
While the Duffer brothers still have projects with Netflix, they recently signed an exclusive four-year deal with Paramount for feature films, television and streaming projects. Some industry observers saw this as a loss for Netflix.
Omar Chávez, 42, left, and Jenna Chávez, 28, right, of West Hollywood walk past a sign during the Netflix x CicLAvia event.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
“The Duffers are very young and just beginning their journey,” said Tom Nunan, a former studio and network executive. “I have no doubt that they will release more hits and a greater variety of hits in the future,” he said, adding that the brothers' work at Paramount could compete with Netflix.
But Bajaria noted that the Duffers still have a few projects in the works at Netflix, including the sci-fi series “The Boroughs” and the horror series “Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen.”
“They will always be part of the Netflix family and I'm excited that we still have more things with them,” Bajaria said.
Times staff writer Meg James contributed to this article.
