11 Reasons Why We Should All Be Watching ‘Stranger Things’

If you’re one of the handful of people who have yet to make the leap to watch Netflix’s smash hit Stranger Things, then you’ve been missing out on one of the most original new programs to hit TV sets in recent years. Newcomers might think the show is a little gimmick-y (ugh, the eighties . . . ), or that it’s walking well-trod territory (boy goes missing, cops called in, where have I seen this before . . . ? Oh right, everywhere). If you made that assumption, you’d be dead wrong. The unassuming little series packs in the terror of a horror film, the excitement of an adventure movie, a pile of memorable characters, and wraps them all in a truly relatable story covered in a thick 1980s sheen. If you have yet to spend an evening in the town of Hawkins, Indiana, you’ve missed out on perhaps the best new show of 2016.

1. You’ll Like it Even if You Didn’t Like ‘Twin Peaks’

A lot of the reviews and fan raves compare Stranger Things to David Lynch’s cult classic, Twin Peaks. It’s true that both take place in small towns where things aren’t exactly what they seem, and both shows put a premium on small town charm (and lots of coffee), but that’s about where the similarities end. Stranger Things is much more in the vein of Spielberg classics like E.T. Actually, thinking of it like a scary E.T. is a pretty good way to go.