The End of An Era: What Set “Stranger Things” Apart

A character resembling Eddie Munson (Quinn) standing in an abandoned city, rugged and visibly exhausted. Eddie Munson became a main part of the cast in season 4 and started a Dungeons and Dragons Club at Hawkins Highschool called the “Hellfire Club” Photo Credits: Unsplash

Jax Marsh, Staff Writer for The Powderhown

“Stranger Things” came out almost 10 years ago, on July 15, 2016. Since then, the show has accumulated 5 seasons with the latest installment released on New Year’s Eve of 2025. Each season unravels the story of a group of kids growing up together and encountering other-worldly creatures and dimensions. The main cast includes Eleven (Brown), Mike (Wolfhard), Lucas (McLaughlin), Max (Sink), Will (Schnapp) and Dustin (Matarazzo). Since the Netflix show’s release, the series has experienced immense success, totaling 1.2 billion views across its 5-season span.

Over the course of 10 years, the Duffer Brothers, the creators and directors of the show, have reached audiences with themes of nostalgia and friendship. I watched this show with my brother, who was born in the 2010s, and my dad, who was born in the 1970s. It was interesting to hear my dad say “Oh, I remember that!” and “I had that same car,” while watching the show. I felt like it was particularly rewarding for him because he got to revisit memories from his childhood that he’d previously forgotten. 

For my younger brother, he connected with the show because of its sci-fi qualities and how it managed to combine friendship and adventure with horror. He also enjoyed how “each season ramped up the show’s uniqueness” (Sam Marsh, 10).

There will be NO SPOILERS in this review, so I’m going to summarize my own thoughts of the show without giving anything away:

I feel like this show is definitely worth the watch. I started watching “Stranger Things” when Season 3 came out, and it has always kept me intrigued and antsy for each upcoming episode. Even this season, which many viewers thought was lackluster compared to previous seasons, I could not wait to watch each episode, which I believe is the main appeal of this show. 

Although there are great acting and technical aspects of this show, I don’t believe that is what makes it a favorite across so many countries. I think that the combined feeling of nostalgia and friendship unites newcoming horror fans and passive TV-enjoyers to come together and watch something that everyone can watch. While there are some scary moments, I thought “Stranger Things” did a great job at keeping everything well-paced and family-friendly to offset the jumpscares and other scary scenes.

A friend of mine started watching “Stranger Things” less than a week ago, and he’s already on season 4 of the show. He watches it every night, and we always talk about what his thoughts are after each episode. That’s what I believe is so special about shows like this--- it brings you back and keeps you watching the show, but because of its immense popularity and widespread appeal, it’s a great show to discuss with friends and family.