Stranger Things 

is an American science fiction horror drama television series created by

the Duffer Brothers, who also serve as showrunners and are executive producers along
with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. Produced by Monkey Massacre Productions and Levy's 21
Laps Entertainment, the first season was released on Netflix on July 15, 2016.
The second and third season followed in October 2017 and July 2019 respectively, and
the fourth season aired in two parts in May and July 2022. In February 2022, Stranger
Things was renewed for a fifth and final season.
Set in the 1980s, the series centers around the residents of the fictional small town of
Hawkins, Indiana, as they are plagued by a hostile alternate dimension known as the Upside
Down, after a nearby human experimentation facility opens a gateway between it and the normal
world. The ensemble 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 and Brett Gelman.
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 pop
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 and H. P.
Lovecraft. They also took inspiration from experiments conducted during the Cold
War and conspiracy theories involving secret government programs.
One of Netflix's flagship series, Stranger Things has attracted record viewership on the streaming
platform. It has been critically acclaimed for its characterization, atmosphere, acting, soundtrack,
directing, writing, and homages to 1980s films. It has received numerous nominations and
awards. An animated spin-off series, developed by Eric Robles and produced by Flying Bark
Productions, is in development.[4]

Overview
Stranger Things is set in the fictional rural town of Hawkins, Indiana, in the 1980s. The nearby
Hawkins National Laboratory ostensibly performs scientific research for the United States
Department of Energy but secretly experiments with the paranormal and supernatural, sometimes
with human test subjects. They have inadvertently created a portal to an alternate dimension they
refer to as the Upside Down, whose presence begins to affect the residents of Hawkins in
calamitous ways.[5][6]
The first season begins in November 1983. Will Byers is abducted by a creature from the Upside
Down. His mother, Joyce; the town's police chief, Jim Hopper; and a group of volunteers search
for him. A young psychokinetic girl named Eleven escapes from the laboratory and is found by
friends of Will. Eleven befriends and assists them in their efforts to find Will.[7]
The second season is set a year later in October 1984. Will has been rescued, but he begins
having premonitions of the fall of Hawkins caused by a creature in the Upside Down. When it is
discovered that Will is still being possessed by an entity from the Upside Down, his friends and
family learn that there is a larger threat to their world.[8]
The third season is set several months later, in the days leading up to the Fourth of July
celebration in 1985. The new Starcourt Mall has become the center of attention for Hawkins
residents, putting the majority of other local stores out of business due to the mall's popularity.
Hopper becomes increasingly concerned about Eleven and Mike's relationship and becomes very
protective of his daughter. Unbeknownst to the town, a secret Soviet laboratory underneath
Starcourt seeks to open the gateway to the Upside Down. Meanwhile, the Mind Flayer uses mind
control to make Billy do his bidding.[9][10]
The fourth season is set several months later, in March 1986. Joyce, Will, Eleven, and Jonathan
have moved to Lenora, California for a fresh start. In California, Eleven struggles with the loss of
her powers and being bullied in school. Meanwhile, in Hawkins, a being from the Upside Down—
an entity later dubbed Vecna—begins killing the residents of Hawkins, opening new gates
between the two worlds in the process. Planning to stop Vecna, Dr. Sam Owens takes Eleven to
a facility to help her regain her powers. Simultaneously, Joyce and Murray fly to Russia to rescue
Hopper from the Gulag in Kamchatka.

Cast and characters

Main article: List of Stranger Things characters

The Duffer Brothers, Shawn Levy and the main

cast of season 2 of Stranger Things at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con International

 Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers,[11] the mother of Will and Jonathan Byers. She is

divorced from Lonnie Byers, the father of Will and Jonathan. In season two, she dates
her old high school classmate, Bob, until his death later in the season. She and
Hopper have feelings for each other.
 David Harbour as Jim Hopper,[11] chief of Hawkins Police Department. After his young
daughter Sara died of cancer, Hopper divorced and lapsed into alcoholism.
Eventually he grows to be more responsible, saving Will Byers after he is taken in
season 1, as well as taking Eleven as his adopted daughter. He and Joyce have
feelings for each other.
 Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler,[12] middle child of Karen and Ted Wheeler, brother of
Nancy and Holly, and one of three friends of Will Byers. He is an intelligent and
conscientious student and is committed to his friends. He develops romantic feelings
for Eleven and later dates her.
 Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven / Jane Hopper ("El"),[12] a teen girl
with telepathic and psychokinetic abilities, a result of being one of Dr. Brenner's
subjects from Hawkins National Laboratory. She escapes the lab and eventually
becomes an adoptive daughter to Jim Hopper taking his surname, and adjusts to
living a normal life with the help of Mike (whom she later dates) and his friends.
 Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson,[12] one of Will Byers' friends. His cleidocranial
dysplasia causes him to lisp. In the second season, he is proud of his new front teeth
and is attracted to Max. In season 3, he gets a girlfriend, Suzie (portrayed
by Gabriella Pizzolo), whom he met at Camp Know Where prior to the start of the
season.
 Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair,[12] one of Will's friends. He is wary of Eleven but
later befriends her. In season two, he is one of Max's love interests and eventually
becomes her boyfriend in season three. He becomes more popular in season 4 as a
result of joining the Hawkins High basketball team, which briefly puts him at odds with
his regular friend group.
 Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler,[12] daughter of Karen and Ted and older sister of Mike
and Holly. Studious and rule-abiding, Nancy finds another side of herself while
investigating the Hawkins Lab and the death of her friend Barbara. In the first two
seasons, she is the girlfriend of Steve Harrington but breaks up with him and then
dates Jonathan Byers. She is an aspiring journalist.
 Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers,[12] the older brother of Will Byers and the son of
Joyce Byers. He is a quiet and kind-hearted teenager, an outsider at school, and an
 aspiring photographer. He is close with his mother and brother, and he becomes the
boyfriend of Nancy Wheeler.
 Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler (seasons 1–3; also starring: season 4),[13] mother of
Nancy, Mike, and toddler Holly. Karen has a brief fling with Billy in season 3.
 Matthew Modine as Martin Brenner (seasons 1 and 4; recurring: season 2),[14] the
scientist in charge of Hawkins Laboratory and training Eleven. Manipulative and
remote, he and his team are searching for Eleven in season 1 after she escapes. He
is referred to as "Papa" by Eleven. In season 4, he returns to help Eleven gain her
powers back and protects her from the government agents hunting her down.[15]
 Noah Schnapp as Will Byers (season 2–present; recurring: season 1),[12] the son of
Joyce Byers and younger brother of Jonathan Byers. He is captured by a monster
from the "Upside Down", an alternate dimension discovered by Hawkins Laboratory
scientists in season 1. He later develops a connection to the upside down and the
Mind Flayer due to his capture.[16][17]
 Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield (season 2–present), Billy's younger stepsister, and
a tomboy who catches the attention of both Lucas and Dustin, eventually dating
Lucas. In season 4, she is one of the teens that is targeted by Vecna.[17]
 Joe Keery as Steve Harrington (season 2–present; recurring: season 1), a popular
high school student and the boyfriend of Nancy Wheeler. He ostracizes Jonathan
Byers but later comes to befriend him. He and Nancy later break up in season two but
remain friends. He is known as the "babysitter" of the group since he is often left to
look after the kids.[18][17]
 Dacre Montgomery as Billy Hargrove (seasons 2–3; guest: season 4), Max's violent,
unpredictable, and abusive older stepbrother. He challenges Steve's popularity. In
season 3, he is controlled by the Mind Flayer and later sacrifices himself to protect
the kids.[17]
 Sean Astin as Bob Newby (season 2; guest: season 3), a former schoolmate of Joyce
and Hopper who runs the Hawkins RadioShack[19] and is Joyce's boyfriend, putting
him at odds with Hopper. He dies at the end of season 2 after being attacked by
Demodogs.[20]
 Paul Reiser as Sam Owens (seasons 2 and 4; guest: season 3), a Department of
Energy executive who replaces Brenner as director of Hawkins Laboratory. He is
stubborn and committed to scientific research, yet empathetic to the residents of
Hawkins and helps Hopper adopt Eleven as his legal daughter. He returns with
Brenner in season 4 to help Eleven gain back her powers and protects her from the
government agents hunting her.[19]
 Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley (season 3–present), a girl who works alongside Steve
at the ice cream store in the mall who later comes out as a lesbian. She and Steve
Harrington are close friends, having worked together at the Scoops Ahoy ice cream
shop and later the video store.[21]
 Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair (season 3–present; recurring: season 2), Lucas's 10-
year-old sister who helps the group. She is revealed to be very smart and have avid
interest in D&D.[21]
 Brett Gelman as Murray Bauman (season 4; recurring: seasons 2–3), a conspiracy
theorist, private investigator, and longtime friend of Hopper's who helps Nancy and
Jonathan in season 2 and Hopper and Joyce in seasons 3 and 4.
 Jamie Campbell Bower as Henry Creel / One / Vecna (season 4), a murderous
psychic being from the Upside Down revealed to have created the Mind Flayer. He
was born as a human named Henry Creel with psionic abilities. After murdering his
family and falling into a coma, he was put under the care of Dr. Brenner. Flashbacks
in season 4 reveal he was sent to the Upside Down by Eleven when she was nine
years old, where he was disfigured by lightning, causing his appearance as Vecna.
After exploring the Upside Down, he created the Mind Flayer and took control of the
dimension.[22]