SummarySet in the 1980s Indiana, a young boy named Will (Noah Schnapp) disappears into thin air 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.
Created By:Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
❮ Stranger Things
Season 1
5 Seasons
Season Premiere:
Jul 15, 2016
Metascore
Generally Favorable
76
User score
Universal Acclaim
8.9
My Score
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Season Episodes
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
85% Positive
29 Reviews
29 Reviews
15% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Jul 12, 2016
100
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.
Jul 11, 2016
83
There are some genuine scares in here but some heartfelt beats, too, along the way to the bloody climax.
User score
Universal Acclaim
93% Positive
2237 Ratings
2237 Ratings
4% Mixed
99 Ratings
99 Ratings
3% Negative
65 Ratings
65 Ratings
Jan 16, 2026
10
There’s something about the first season of Stranger Things that goes far beyond mystery or the supernatural. In my case, it was a direct emotional journey back to childhood. To 1983. To a time when everything felt simpler, cleaner, more real. It’s not just cheap nostalgia: it’s the very specific feeling of recognizing a world where you were happy without even realizing **** series works because it never tries to be cynical. It truly believes in its characters, especially those kids who feel pulled straight out of an era when imagination filled everything. The way they talk, move, relate to one another… it all feels honest. They’re not written like “TV kids,” but like real children, with fears, loyalties, and an innocence not yet crushed by the adult **** greatest achievement is the atmosphere it builds. You don’t need to have lived through the 80s to enjoy it, but if you did, the impact goes straight to the heart. The bikes, the houses, the silences, the way time is spent… everything is placed with real care, without turning into a catalogue of references. Here, nostalgia doesn’t shout, it **** mystery is engaging, of course, but it’s almost secondary. What really matters is the bond you form with the characters and how the series knows how to pace information without losing its humanity. It doesn’t rush, it doesn’t trample over emotions, it leaves space for you to connect. And that, today, feels like a **** may not invent anything new, and it doesn’t need to. Its strength lies in reminding us why certain stories marked us when we were kids, and in recreating that feeling without irony or distance. There’s horror, adventure, sadness… but there’s warmth too.When the season ends, more than the urge to continue, what stays with you is something better: the feeling of having returned, for a while, to a place you thought was lost. And not many series manage that.
Jan 4, 2026
10
Für mich die beste Staffel, da sie noch so viele Unklarheiten hat, sich die Geschichte da erst langsam aufbaut und alles noch sehr mysteriös und ungewiss rüberkommt
Jul 15, 2016
80
For the most part, and in absolute defiance of the odds, Stranger Things honors its source material in the best way possible: By telling a sweet ’n’ scary story in which monsters are real but so are the transformative powers of love and fealty.
Jul 13, 2016
80
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.
Jul 15, 2016
75
Stranger Things never establishes itself as anything more than a reminder of what was, instead of a celebration of past and present.
Jul 15, 2016
40
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.
Jan 2, 2026
10
The season by which all other seasons will be measured in most successful franchises and Stranger Things is no exception. It's an engaging show that hooks you from the get go with an ensemble cast that brings a lot of great elements together. The mystery begins here and we have no idea what is lurking beneath and beyond Hawkins. Pacing is sensational, soundtrack grips you, and there are several doors unlocked and some opened asking you to step on through. Having rewatched recently, it shall stand the test of time. Scripts are tight, there is very little fat to trim at least for my taste and I genuinely enjoyed the spooky throwback goodness. Top marks go to Eleven and Dustin in this season with great performances all around. Special nod to Joyce because she had several of the most memorable moments as well.
Dec 25, 2019
6
I think it was a reasonable first season. Not much risk but can please with good performances and script
Aug 2, 2016
3
Welcome to ET meets Stephen King via The Breakfast Club. Nothing but ideas stolen from better films and shows. Winona Ryder has one level, manic turned up to eleven (no pun intended) and never dials it back. The kids are good but this is crap.
