15 Best Shows Like Stranger Things

Debuting on Netflix in 2016, "Stranger Things" took the world by storm. Co-created by the Duffer Brothers, the series' mix of '80s retro nostalgia, teen drama, and gut-bursting horror blends genres and is full of action, thrills, chills, and even some laughs and romance. Debuting with a mostly unknown cast that was supported by former '80s icons like Winona Ryder and Matthew Modine, "Stranger Things" centers on a group of kids who uncover a sinister conspiracy when one of them disappears into a dark nether realm in November 1983.

"Stranger Things'" massive success turned Finn Wolfhard and Millie Bobby Brown into stars, with the latter playing the character of Eleven, a mysterious young girl with supernatural powers. She eventually joins the group of friends who rescue her and is ultimately raised by down-on-his-luck Sheriff Hopper (David Harbour). With the series coming to a close with its final season in late 2025, you might be looking for other, similar shows to watch next. Worry not — we're here to help.

Not every show similar to "Stranger Things" is a horror story, and some don't even have any fantastical elements. One such case in point is "Hanna," a TV adaptation of the 2011 thriller that told the story of a teenage girl raised to be an assassin by her ex-CIA father. Ultimately, it's revealed that there is much more to Hanna than meets the eye, and her father's involvement with a sinister government program to breed an army of super soldiers may hold the secret to who she really is.

In the expanded television version, starring Joel Kinnaman and Esme Creed-Miles, Hanna's origins are revealed fairly early on, while she's pursued by CIA agent Marissa Wiegler (Mireille Enos), former head of UTRAX, the super soldier program. A gripping thriller about a young girl with incredible abilities and a dark past where she was manipulated by those around her, there are plenty of direct comparisons to be made to "Stranger Things," especially with Hanna's relationship with Erik mirroring that of Eleven and Sheriff Hopper.

Like a version of "Stranger Things" without all the horror elements, "Hanna" should satisfy anyone looking for action, mystery, and a terrifying teenage protagonist.

Fantasy and science fiction traditionally have a lot in common, and the monsters and netherworlds in shows like "Stranger Things" aren't that far off from aliens and parallel realities. To that end, we recommend "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew," a more family-friendly adventure than you might expect after the more mature fare like "The Mandalorian" and "Andor." Here, the franchise focuses on the younger generation, with a cast of kids on an outer space adventure  — like a sci-fi version of "Stranger Things" with notes of "The Goonies" for good measure.

Like the Netflix series, Disney+'s "Skeleton Crew" involves a group of kids who make a startling discovery. It opens on the privileged planet of At Attin, where we meet Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), and KB (Kyriana Kratter). Stumbling upon a derelict starship, the kids zip off into outer space but quickly get lost and are unable to find their way back home. A chance encounter with a roguish Force user named Jod (Jude Law) may be their ticket home, but questions arise as to how much they can really trust him when it's revealed he's more space pirate than Jedi.

You'd be forgiven for wondering why we're recommending "Riverdale" to viewers of "Stranger Things." After all, the latter is a horror story full of devilish monsters from beyond, while "Riverdale" is a teen drama based on "Archie," a children's comic filled with characters gossiping about school crushes and high school formals. But the comic book show has more in common with "Stranger Things" than you'd expect, particularly in the back half of its impressive seven-season run.

It's true, at the outset "Riverdale" feels like any other CW series, with a cast of young, beautiful characters involved in high school romance and typical teen drama. But as it progresses, things get a lot ... stranger. Season 2 introduces a sinister villain known as the Black Hood, and subsequent stories focus on the Gargoyle King, both of whom are central to dark, conspiratorial stories on a show that initially appeared to be something like "Beverly Hills 90210" or "The O.C."

As the show's darker elements come to the fore, so too does the weirdness. Believe it or not, later seasons introduce parallel realities, evil twins, and even time travel.

In addition to "Riverdale's" off-the-wall sci-fi merriment, consider watching "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina." Not only are both shows set in the same fictional world, but "Sabrina" might be an even closer comp for "Stranger Things" than "Riverdale," as the central character, the titular teenage witch, isn't an ordinary adolescent but is in fact a young girl with incredible powers.

Kiernan Shipka of "Mad Men" fame stars as Sabrina Spellman, and, far from the family sitcom vibe of the '90s "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" with Melissa Joan Hart, this version is a more serious, much darker supernatural drama. Throughout the show's overarching storyline, Sabrina deals with coming to terms with the nature of her identity as half witch, half mortal, while a number of emerging dangers threaten her and her family. In addition to the series' four-seasons, Sabrina turned up in a pair of episodes of "Riverdale" late in that series' run.

If you want a weird, fantastical show with a decidedly retro vibe that stars teens on a mission, check out "Paper Girls." Based on the acclaimed Image Comics title from writer Brian K. Vaughn (co-creator of "Y: The Last Man") and artist Cliff Chiang, the series follows a group of teenage girls in the late 1980s who, as the title suggests, deliver newspapers. But during one fateful paper run, they're unwittingly pulled into a conflict that ultimately spans multiple time periods.

Confronted by a dangerous and enigmatic group called the Old Watch, the girls — Tiff (Camryn Jones), Erin (Riley Lai Nelet), Mac (Sofia Rosinsky), and KJ (Fina Strazza) — are shocked to find themselves in 2019 alongside future versions of themselves. To stop the Old Watch, the girls have to team up with their adult selves in an adventure that takes them to 1999, 2019, and back again.

With just one season and eight episodes, "Paper Girls" is perfect for a weekend binge. Thanks to its brevity, the story never drags, but be warned: While the story wraps up nicely, it also teases a second season that never came.

From its story and tone all the way down to the font used for the title, "Stranger Things" owes a debt to Stephen King. So if you want a similar show from the master of horror himself, check out "Haven," a 2010 horror series based on the King novel of the same name. This show, however, isn't centered on a cast of teen heroes, as it's a broader ensemble of characters who inhabit the strange New England town the series takes its name from.

At the heart of "Haven" is Emily Rose as Audrey Parker, an FBI agent sent to the backwater burg of Haven on a case. When she arrives, she discovers a town plagued by bizarre phenomena and what many believe to be supernatural occurrences. Her investigations slowly unfurl a web of the bizarre that makes her question not just the nature of the town but herself as well, as she uncovers evidence of her own mysterious past, which she knew nothing about. Eventually, she discovers that she may not even be the person she believes she is.

A show whose strangeness may even outstrip "Stranger Things," "Haven" is a satisfying blend of the Duffer Brothers' Netflix series and procedural dramas like "The X-Files."

"Stranger Things" fans may have already watched "The Boys," considering it's one of the most popular shows on streaming, but being a superhero series aimed at a much more adult audience — thanks largely to its excessive violence, sex, and gore — the Venn diagram between the two shows isn't exactly a full circle overlay. If you haven't seen Amazon's over-the-top offering, you're in for a treat because it has a darkly humorous and satirical tone punctuated by shocking horror.

Based on the controversial comic book by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, "The Boys" is one of those shows that imagines the real world if it had superheroes and supervillains in it. The overarching plot is centered largely on the conflict between Billy Butcher, an embattled former soldier with a hatred of super-powered people, and the world's most powerful superhero, Homelander, whose team of so-called heroes is wreaking havoc on society.

As Butcher's team of antihero agents takes on Homelander and the Vought Corporation that created the Justice League-esque team, The Seven, secrets are uncovered about the dark history of superheroes. And it's this history that "Stranger Things" may find most intriguing, as there are parallels to be drawn between Homelander and Eleven. Be warned, though, "The Boys" is definitely not for the faint of heart, with some truly controversial moments that may churn more sensitive stomachs.

Next on our watchlist is Marvel's "Agatha All Along," a Disney+ streaming series starring Katheryn Hahn, Aubrey Plaza, Patti Lupone, and Sasheer Zamata as a group of otherworldly witches in a world of superheroes. A "WandaVision" spin-off, the series recaps prior events enough that it can be watched on its own, so don't fret if you're not fully caught up on the goings-on in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Like "Stranger Things," much of "Agatha's" action takes place in an alternate realm, as Agatha Harkness (Hahn) recruits a new coven to walk the mythical Witches' Road in an effort to regain her magical powers. But to complete her mission, she'll have to confront uncomfortable truths about herself and her dark past while uncovering the secret of a strange teenage boy (Joe Locke) who doesn't seem to have a name.

With a more grim tone than some may have expected and a story that dives deeper into horror and the supernatural than anything else in the MCU, "Agatha All Along" almost feels like a spiritual sister series to "Stranger Things."

Netflix sci-fi thriller "Dark" ran for three seasons and 26 episodes and remains one of the best shows ever produced by the streaming service. Beloved by fans for its chilling vibe and mind-bending story, it almost feels like it was deliberately created as a more adult-focused companion to "Stranger Things," as it also utilizes parallel realms and alternate dimensions to tell a story that spans decades.

Set in the German town of Winden, the series kicks off with the mysterious disappearance of a number of its citizens. This sets off a complex chain of events that involve a wormhole found in a dark cave and the Kahnwald, Nielsen, Doppler, and Tiedemann families. Though we first meet everyone in 2019, the show soon flits back to the 1980s and, eventually, all the way back to 1953, where we meet the families' ancestors via time travel. Along the way, we also explore multiple timelines and alternate versions of the same characters in a story that's difficult to describe, let alone synopsize, without giving away all of its secrets.

A critical darling, "Dark" is a sci-fi series that may be tough to understand but is incredibly rewarding if you're willing to invest the time and energy.

Not only will "Wayward Pines" appeal to fans of "Stranger Things" for its story of a bizarre town where nothing is as it seems, but more than just being similar in story, tone, and genre, the Duffer Brothers contributed scripts to four episodes of the show. Airing a year before they'd launched "Stranger Things" on Netflix, it's easy to see how "Wayward Pines" paved the way for Eleven and her friends, making it not just worth watching but an essential chapter in the Duffer Brothers' career journey.

Beyond the Duffer Brothers, "Wayward Pines" has plenty of top talent behind the camera, including M. Night Shyamalan, who directed the pilot episode. Based on a series of books and set in a fictional town of the same name, the "Wayward Pines" story begins when U.S. Secret Service Agent Ethan Burke (Matt Dillon) stumbles across the remote town in search of three missing agents. What he finds is a strange community that nobody can leave and a town sheriff whose tyrannical rule includes summary executions. 

The stories that unfold in "Stranger Things" often sound like campfire tales: hideous monsters from another realm, ominous figures with dark agendas, and a young girl with incredible powers. Well, if it was just a spooky story, it might have been one told by one of the characters in the Netflix horror-drama "The Midnight Club." Notable for being produced by Mike Flanagan, who co-wrote the first two episodes and is behind other major hits like "The Haunting of Hill House" and "Midnight Mass," this series follows the stories and mysteries of a group of terminally ill teens who have moved into the Brightcliffe Hospice Care for Teenagers.

Over the course of ten episodes, each of the eight teens takes turns telling ghastly horror stories that serve as stories-within-the-story. While their tall tales play out on screen for us to watch, the teens spend the rest of their time exploring the Brightcliffe Home and discover that they aren't its only residents. They're soon joined by the specters of the teens who've died on its grounds, who help unravel the twisted history of the facility. 

The only foreign entry on our list, "Alice in Borderland" is a Japanese series that debuted on Netflix in 2020. With two seasons under its belt and a third on the way, it takes place in a bizarre alternate reality that, while similar to ours, features a version of Tokyo completely devoid of people. This is where the story unfolds like a mix between "Squid Game" and "Stranger Things," as the series follows its cast of characters through the disturbing alternate realm, forcing them to play twisted games of life and death.

At the outset, we meet Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) and a group of his friends who inadvertently find themselves in a completely empty version of their world. Presented with a series of deadly games, the group must find a way to survive if they want to not only escape to the real world, but also remain alive. The only problem? If they win, they're forced to keep playing, extending their stay in this upside-down realm.

Considering how much "Star Trek" and "Yellowstone" content dominates Paramount+, it might seem logical to assume that the service has little to offer beyond those franchises. But look a little deeper and you'll find plenty of hidden gems, including the supernatural teen drama "School Spirits."

Starring Peyton List of "Cobra Kai" fame, the series is set at the fictional Split River High School, where a young girl was recently murdered. In the opening episode, we meet Maddie (List), whose recent unexplained death has led her spirit to be trapped on the grounds of Split River High. Unable to leave, she soon meets a fellow ghost, Charley (Nick Pugliese), who died many years earlier. Together, the two phantom friends set out to investigate what happened to Maddie, including the big question of who killed her.

Though there aren't any monsters in "School Spirits," the show's dark story and teen melodrama will capture the attention of "Stranger Things" fans as the series' rivalries and feuds go beyond life and death. 

While the works of Stephen King heavily influenced the Duffers' "Stranger Things," they also impacted the work of writer Joe Hill. Which makes sense, since Hill is actually King's son and has carved out his own career as an author, with his most widely known work being the "Locke & Key" comic book he co-created with artist Gabriel Rodriguez. Part mystery, part thriller, part magical horror series, in 2020, it was adapted as a three-season Netflix show starring Darby Stanchfield, Connor Jessup, Emilia Jones, and Jackson Robert Scott.

Stanchfield plays Nina Locke, who is still recovering from the death of her husband, Rendell (Bill Heck), a high school guidance counselor who was recently killed by one of his former students. Reeling from the loss, Nina relocates with her three teenage children — Tyler (Jessup), Kinsey (Jones), and Bode (Scott) — to the Keyhouse, the family's ancestral home in Massachusetts. Once there, the family discovers a number of mysterious keys that can open magical doorways within the house. The only problem? There's a malevolent entity that is searching for the keys for its own demonic purposes.

A girl with superpowers and a number for a name? Check. A group of teens that finds itself tasked with saving the world from an insidious evil? Check. You might think we're talking about "Stranger Things," but these are all aspects of "The Umbrella Academy," a superhero teen drama based on Gerard Way and Gabriel Bà's comic book of the same name. To be fair, it's actually a group of kids who use numbers as monikers, and they quickly get real names. Still, if you want some slick superpower action and mystery-driven time travel drama, "Umbrella Academy" is it.

In this series, we meet a group of former child superheroes and adopted siblings who split up in their teens only to reunite after the unexplained death of their father, Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore). Hargreeves had adopted the superpowered children as infants, raising them to be heroes in an effort to prevent what he believed was a coming apocalypse. After reluctantly banding together once more, the estranged family must learn the truth about themselves and defeat a looming threat that could indeed end the world.