TV Shows we Love: Stranger Things

The TV show and Netflix cornerstone Stranger Things has captivated audiences since the first episodes were released in 2016. Created by the Duffer Brothers, it straddles genres: fiction, horror, drama, mind bending…

Set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, and starting out in 1983, the show is centred around a group of kids and their search for their friend Will who disappeared one night on his way back home. Not only do they search for him but they do so to an 80s backdrop, also grabbing a nostalgic demographic.

In searching for Will, the youngsters stumble on a portal to another dimension called The Upside Down that is linked to the National Laboratory in the town.

As Will’s mother, Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Hawkins’ police chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour) join the search for him, a young girl called Eleven (Bobbi Browne) with special powers escapes from the lab. When she is found by Will’s friends, she too is roped into the search while managing to span two worlds.

As the seasons pass, the kids grow up and the huge team producing the special effects gets to exhibit more of their talents. The creatures that sometimes share our world also get bigger and nastier. Season 3 ended with the battle of Star Court and, while showing a more human side to some of the secondary characters, ended in a blaze of something other than glory.

After a long hiatus, unless you live under a rock you will know season 4 (at least the first part) has recently landed. This season jumps ahead to spring break, in 1986 but the all-consuming escapism the show is best known for remains.

With the storyline moving outside Hawkins, the characters are split into different groups and find themselves having to work together when apart. The amazing special effects are back and Stranger Things continues to make sci-fi look spectacularly realistic. It will also make you laugh, cry and ponder.