Five Netflix shows to watch if you miss ‘Stranger Things’
It has been over a month since Stranger Things wrapped up, and the silence after that finale feels really loud. The reason why it still feels weird is that the show sat in your routine for years. You opened Netflix expecting Hawkins to throw one more demogorgon at you, only to realise the journey is actually done.
Plenty of us have already finished our rewatches, multiple in fact. Some went in for “one episode” and ended up deep in the early seasons again. Remember the first scene? The one with the water sprinkler? We don’t realise it often, but all it takes is a bunch of little kids to pull us right back in. And what follows is the whole run, which reminds you why the show had that hold in the first place.
Now the comfort marathon is over, and the empty space is real. You want something that carries the same mood, but you also don’t want a replica of the original. You want something with mystery. You want teamwork and strange secrets and characters who move like they are solving problems beyond their age.
Netflix actually has shows that match that feeling. They have their own tone, their own world, and their own cast, yet they still hit that same nerve you miss after the finale. So here are five titles that can fill that Stranger Things void without actually replacing it.
Five Netflix shows to watch if you miss Stranger Things:
Dark (2017-2020)
One of the first shows that comes to mind, which actually matches the rhythm of Stranger Things is Dark. You want something with deeper mystery? Dark is the first stop. The show begins with a missing boy in a small German town, and that single event leads to a bunch of open secrets that reach across families. Strange incidents start repeating in patterns that make people question what is normal in their own lives, and the town reveals connections nobody expected. But what’s so cool about it is that the story stretches across different points in time while maintaining the character arcs that keep you invested.
The link to Stranger Things shows up through the atmosphere. You’ve got the town secrets, the young characters constantly getting into danger. It has the same feeling of a community pushed to its limit like our Hawkins’ heroes did, and at the same time, you also get clues hiding in plain sight.
Locke & Key (2020-2022)
Following the multiple-layered mystery in Dark, you get Locke & Key, which still remains one of the most underrated shows on Netflix. It offers a smoother shift into a supernatural setup without dumping a whole lot of magic on you. The story follows the Locke siblings as they move into their old family home, where they find keys that unlock powers they do not fully understand. Each key carries a different effect, which opens the door to danger that grows quickly once the kids realise someone else wants those powers for darker reasons.
Stranger Things fans will notice the overlap through the young leads facing threats they never trained for. You’ve got kids discovering the keys to the kind of magic which feels believable. The bond between siblings and their friends will remind you of the connection between the Wheeler siblings and the rest. It gives you supernatural elements but also keeps in touch with the emotions.
The Midnight Club (2022)
Sliding from keys and hidden powers into something more realistic, we bring you The Midnight Club. The story follows a group of teens living in a hospice facility, where they share stories at night to stay connected. But then, strange events begin creeping into their routine, pushing them into mysteries linked to the building they live in. This is yet another classic where children bond with each other and face things beyond their calibre.
The Stranger Things link shows up in the group dynamic yet again, but the most impressive factor here is the loyalty between the characters. It also lets you sense that young people often see danger before adults catch on. And of course, there is suspense and emotion, giving you episodes that move from soft to discomforting very quickly. And it’s just one season, so it’s an easy watch.
The Umbrella Academy (2019-2024)
Moving into a louder world full of strange powers, The Umbrella Academy shakes the pace up again. Yet another Netflix classic which ended sooner than it should’ve. But here, you get a dysfunctional family of adopted siblings who grew up with strange abilities and now reunite after years apart. So this time, we’ve got a bunch of Elevens from the very start. Their return pulls them straight into a threat that ties into their past.
Stranger Things fans will recognise the shared energy in the teamwork, along with the childhood history weighing on the present. But the most fascinating part of The Umbrella Academy is the unexpected twists you face along the way with the characters, which force you to think about what you would have done if you were there.
The A List (2018-2021)
Ending the list with something that blends mystery and teen drama, The A List takes you into a summer camp on a remote island where nothing behaves the way it should. New arrivals sense tension from day one as strange behaviour spreads. The island reacts to the characters in ways that raise questions quickly. As the group digs deeper into the truth, friendships shift for good and bad, and secrets surface faster than anyone expects.
The connection to Stranger Things appears through the isolated setting full of hidden danger and the young cast dealing with threats before the adults notice anything. You keep on seeing all these small clues in the beginning, only to realise they’ll become bigger problems later. It is the type of show you can binge easily because the questions show up early, and the answers never feel far away.