Stranger Things: Season 1

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 34 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 2260 Ratings

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8.9

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8.9	User Score Universal acclaim based on 2260 Ratings

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Stranger Things: Season 3

Now Playing: Stranger Things: Season 3

Season Details & Credits

Netflix | Season Premiere Date: July 15, 2016

Starring: Cara Buono, Matthew Modine, David Harbour

Summary: Set in Indiana, a young boy named Will (Noah Schnapp) disappears into thin air in 1983 and the search for him that includes Will's best friend Mike (Finn Wolfhard), leads to top secret experiments and a strange little girl (Millie Brown) in the woods.

Creator: Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer

Genre(s): Drama, Action & Adventure, Horror, Suspense, Science Fiction

Season 1 Episodes

9.5
S1:E8. Chapter Eight: The Upside Down
Air Date: July 15, 2016
9.3
S1:E7. Chapter Seven: The Bathtub
Air Date: July 15, 2016
8.7
S1:E6. Chapter Six: The Monster
Air Date: July 15, 2016

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

David Wiegand

Jul 12, 2016

Stranger Things reminds us of a time marked by a kind of no-strings escapism. And as it does so, we find ourselves yearning for it because the Duffers have made it so irresistibly appealing. There may be other equally great shows to watch this summer, but I guarantee you won’t have more fun watching any of them than you will watching Stranger Things. Read full review

Joshua Alston

Jul 13, 2016

Balancing style and substance is always challenging for a series like Stranger Things, but the show is perfectly calibrated. It feels like watching a show produced during the era in which it’s set, but with the craft of today’s prestige television. Read full review

Maureen Ryan

Jul 11, 2016

This promising drama often has ambiguous and even sad things on its mind, and the familiar contours of its plot are most effective when they serve as a cover for somewhat deeper explorations. Read full review

Mitchel Broussard

Jul 13, 2016

Thanks to Ryder and her ability to make you tear up over rainbow Christmas lights, the show’s ultimate resolution resonates far more emotionally than it does cerebrally. Read full review

Emily Nussbaum

Aug 16, 2016

This is astoundingly efficient storytelling, eight hours that pass in a blink, with even minor characters getting sharp dialogue, dark humor, or moments of pathos. Read full review

Willa Paskin

Jul 12, 2016

As with J.J. Abrams’ ode to Spielberg, Super 8, Stranger Things is extremely watchable and a little empty, a paean to the Duffer brothers’ own youth masquerading as a compliment to a master. Read full review

Ken Tucker

Jul 15, 2016

Things spends too much repetitious time trying to convince us that Mike, Dustin, and Lucas are cute kids, and the show’s sense of foreshadowing when it comes to revealing something that’s supposed to scare the daylights out of us becomes an exercise in tedium. Read full review

SEE ALL 34 REVIEWS

User Score

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8.9

User Reviews

Zanemorrowusa

Jul 15, 2016

A spectacular mix of E.T., Super 8, X-Files, and more mystery supernatural Sci-Fi shows and movies. Stranger Things is powerful, stunning, and thrilling throughout the entire series.

60 of 72 users found this helpful6012

JhosepKingsley

Jul 22, 2018

Impossible not to love this series. It has everything a fanboy wants ... From suspense to romance. Very good use of colors, majestic shots and performances that will leave you speechless.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

tvnewsguido

Aug 3, 2016

We've reached peak television. This show is mostly perfect.

It is a nostalgia fest of synthesized soundtrack and Spielberg kids on a Sci-Fi adventure in their backyard. Unlike other recent attempts to emulate the period ('Turbo Kid' comes to mind), 'Stranger Things' Season 1 neverWe've reached peak television. This show is mostly perfect.

It is a nostalgia fest of synthesized soundtrack and Spielberg kids on a Sci-Fi adventure in their backyard.

Unlike other recent attempts to emulate the period ('Turbo Kid' comes to mind), 'Stranger Things' Season 1 never gives into the urge to do an 80's parody. This IS an 80's movie and these same characters and performances would be at home in 'Poltergeist' or 'ET.'

There are a few slow bits but, in 8 hours of content, a few slow bits don't amount to much when there's this much to enjoy.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

Charlemagne

Aug 25, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. So the show is very good (I just binge watched the whole thing), but...

That monster is seriously low quality. It's not even frightening because it is such low quality - both the low budget cgi look and the 'character/spirit/soul/art' of the thing. It reminds me of a low budget Resident Evil monster. Aliens - now _that_ is a monster!

Also I don't appreciate them ripping stuff off (aka 'paying homage', aka 'fan service'), it takes you out of the immersion.

And the rules of the upside-down don't make any sense. If this monster is flesh and needs to eat (and breed) then what has it been eating in the upside-down... if the creature is as presented then there should be an army of them and an ecosystem of other creatures. Also the upside-down had to have become a copy of the real world at a fixed point in the past (which isn't compatible with the 'monster as animal' narrative), because it's not a continuous copy of the inanimate real world (without people) because the inanimate real world things in it can be changed without changing the real world. A parallel universe inhabited by people that was invaded by monsters isn't possible either because that world would have diverged significantly over the invasion and subsequent fighting. The upside-down is presented as a mash-up of bad dreams where nothing needs to make sense... and ends up not being scary or immersive because it's not believable to the thinking awake viewer.

Also it's good that they mention MKUltra... maybe some people will look it up after watching the show. But they presented a greatly toned down version of it compared to the real thing - isn't fiction suppose to exaggerate reality? Since when do you tone it down? When the reality is so horrible that people would avert their eyes to preserve their comfortable illusions (costing the show makers money). MKUltra wasn't just the US government feeding _volunteers_ LSD... it was experiments conducted on unwilling Americans and Canadians by both countries that ran until they were dead or driven insane.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

evilhippo

Jul 16, 2016

I went into this show with quite low expectation but was very presently surprised. It manages to be taut, dark and scary whilst also being real, goofy and funny, which is no small achievement. The young cast are a true credit, indicating some excellent direction. I would recommend thisI went into this show with quite low expectation but was very presently surprised. It manages to be taut, dark and scary whilst also being real, goofy and funny, which is no small achievement. The young cast are a true credit, indicating some excellent direction. I would recommend this without hesitation.… Expand

7 of 8 users found this helpful71

tomrchuchill02

Nov 8, 2017

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A high-quality production with high-quality actors and really cool scenes, story wise i would say It could have been better, the first season had moments that I felt long… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

bdu754

Aug 10, 2018

The show is highly overrated. Unless you like 80's references, this show is not for you.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

SEE ALL 302 REVIEWS

Seasons & Episodes

74

Series Overview
Season 5

71
- Season 5 Overview
  Air Date: November 26, 2025
Season 4.5

74
- Season 4.5 Overview
  Air Date: July 1, 2022
Season 4

69
- Season 4 Overview
  Air Date: May 27, 2022
Season 3

72
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: July 4, 2019
Season 2

78
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: October 27, 2017
Season 1

76
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: July 15, 2016
- 9.5
  S1:E8. Chapter Eight: The Upside Down
  Air Date: July 15, 2016
- 9.3
  S1:E7. Chapter Seven: The Bathtub
  Air Date: July 15, 2016
- 8.7
  S1:E6. Chapter Six: The Monster
  Air Date: July 15, 2016
- 7.7
  S1:E5. Chapter Five: The Flea and the Acrobat
  Air Date: July 15, 2016
- 9.3
  S1:E4. Chapter Four: The Body
  Air Date: July 15, 2016
- 9.4
  S1:E3. Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly
  Air Date: July 15, 2016
- 8.4
  S1:E2. Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street
  Air Date: July 15, 2016
- 7.7
  S1:E1. Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers
  Air Date: July 15, 2016