Stranger Things is an American television series created by the Duffer Brothers for Netflix. Produced by Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment, the first season was released on Netflix on July 15, 2016. The second and third seasons followed in October 2017 and July 2019, respectively, and the fourth season was released in two parts in May and July 2022. The fifth and final season is being released in three parts in November and December 2025. The show is a mix of horror, science fiction, mystery, fantasy and coming-of-age drama. Set in the 1980s, the series centers on the residents of the fictional small town of Hawkins, Indiana, after a young girl with psychokinetic abilities opens a gateway between Earth and a hostile alternate dimension known as the Upside Down at a nearby human experimentation facility. The cast includes Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Cara Buono, Matthew Modine, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Joe Keery, Dacre Montgomery, Sean Astin, Paul Reiser, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, Brett Gelman, Jamie Campbell Bower, and Linda Hamilton. The Duffer Brothers developed Stranger Things as a mix of investigative drama and supernatural elements portrayed with horror and childlike sensibilities, while infusing references to the popular culture of the 1980s. Several thematic and directorial elements were inspired by the works of Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, David Lynch, Stephen King, Wes Craven, H. P. Lovecraft and FromSoftware. They also took inspiration from experiments conducted during the Cold War and conspiracy theories involving secret government programs. Stranger Things has received critical acclaim throughout its run, with many critics praising its characterization, atmosphere, acting, directing, writing, and homages to films of the 1980s, becoming an example of 1980s nostalgia.[6][7][8] It has garnered many accolades. Many publications consider it to be among the greatest television shows ever made. Stranger Things is a flagship series for Netflix, attracting record viewership with each season's release. The series spawned a franchise, including an animated spin-off entitled Stranger Things: Tales from '85,[9][10] a 2023 Broadway production that serves as a prequel titled Stranger Things: The First Shadow, and also inspiring many books, comics, tie-ins, a pop-up shop, and a Dungeons and Dragons board game based on the series.