Harper Hall
10 Shows to Watch to Fill the Gap Once Stranger Things Finally Ends
The countdown to New Year’s Eve suddenly feels a lot heavier this year.
Stranger Things is officially ending, and the thought of saying goodbye to Hawkins is already hitting fans right in the nostalgia.
You can practically feel the collective emotional meltdown brewing.
The bikes, the neon glow, the supernatural chaos, the friendships that felt like comfort food — all of it is about to wrap up for good.
You’re excited to see how it ends, sure, but you’re also wondering what on earth you’re supposed to binge next.
The hole it’s about to leave in your watchlist is enormous.
But the good news is that there are plenty of shows that can soften the blow.
Some bring the mystery.
Some bring the heart.
Some bring the weird.
All of them can help fill the Upside-Down-shaped void headed your way on December 31st.
Let’s find your next obsession before the credits roll for the last time.
1. Dark (Netflix)
You know you’re in for something wild the moment this show suggests time isn’t just a line but a labyrinth.
The story unfolds in the small German town of Winden, beginning with missing children and spiraling into a decades-spanning conspiracy.
Each episode drops new clues that force you to rethink everything you thought you understood.
The characters are raw, flawed, and deeply entangled in tragedies that echo across generations.
The atmosphere is moody and hypnotic.
The show leans heavily into questions about destiny and whether free will even exists.
Dark rewards careful watching.
It’s one of those rare series where every detail matters.
If you loved the eerie mysteries and emotional weight of Stranger Things, this is the grown-up, mind-bending version you’ve been waiting for.
2. Paper Girls (Amazon Prime Video)
A seemingly ordinary morning delivering newspapers becomes unforgettable for four teenage girls in this time-twisting adventure.
Their world flips upside down when they’re caught in the middle of a war between warring factions from the future.
Suddenly, they’re navigating decades they’ve never lived through.
They meet older versions of themselves.
They face big questions about identity and fate.
The show mixes nostalgia with sci-fi spectacle in a way that feels both intimate and epic.
The friendships are genuine and full of heart.
The mysteries are surprising without losing emotional grounding.
If you loved the youth-centric charm and wild twists of Stranger Things, this show feels like its spiritual cousin.
3. The Umbrella Academy (Netflix)
Chaos is simply part of the family dynamic in this strange, stylish superhero series.
The premise follows adopted siblings with extraordinary abilities who reunite after their father’s death.
Old wounds and unresolved rivalries burst back to life immediately.
The world is on the verge of ending — again — and this group may be the only ones capable of stopping it.
The tone swings effortlessly between humor, heartbreak, and absurdity.
Every character is beautifully damaged in their own way.
The show mixes time travel, conspiracies, and deeply personal struggles.
The result is a roller coaster with emotional and cosmic stakes.
If you miss the family-like bonds and supernatural chaos of Stranger Things, you’ll feel right at home here.
4. Locke & Key (Netflix)
Magic hides behind every locked door in this supernatural family drama.
The story follows three siblings who move into their ancestral home after a devastating loss.
They soon discover magical keys that grant impossible powers.
Each key opens the door to wonder, danger, or something far more sinister.
The house itself becomes a character filled with secrets.
The show blends supernatural adventure with real emotional struggles.
Themes of grief, resilience, and identity play out in striking ways.
The tone ranges from whimsical to terrifying within minutes.
If you enjoyed the blend of youthful courage and supernatural danger in Stranger Things, this series offers a beautifully eerie alternative.
5. Twin Peaks (Showtime/Paramount+)
A sense of unsettling quiet blankets the town from the very first scene.
The murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer sends shockwaves through the community.
Strange visions, cryptic clues, and surreal sequences quickly replace any expectation of a simple investigation.
Characters speak in riddles.
Dream logic often takes the wheel.
Coffee and cherry pie somehow become symbols of comfort in the chaos.
The show defined the small-town-mystery genre long before Stranger Things existed.
It plays with the uncanny in a way that sticks with you.
If you crave atmospheric weirdness and lingering questions, this is essential viewing.
6. The OA (Netflix)
A young woman reappears after seven years missing, and nothing about her story makes sense.
She was blind before she vanished.
Now her sight has returned.
She speaks of other dimensions and impossible experiences.
Her tale draws together a mismatched group of followers who become emotionally intertwined in her mission.
The series blends supernatural elements with raw human vulnerability.
It raises questions about trauma and belief.
Its structure is experimental and bold.
If you’re drawn to the emotional intensity and otherworldly mysteries of Stranger Things, this show will leave you thinking about it long after it ends.
7. Fringe (HBO Max)
A strange pattern of bizarre, seemingly unrelated events pushes an FBI division into the world of fringe science.
The team investigates everything from unexplained diseases to alternate universes.
Each case hints at a larger, interconnected conspiracy.
The characters anchor the show with warmth and tension.
The father-son dynamic becomes one of the most compelling emotional threads.
Science fiction and morality collide in fascinating ways.
The world-building grows richer with each season.
The stakes escalate until reality itself starts to unravel.
If you enjoyed government secrets, strange labs, and creepy experiments in Stranger Things, this series is a natural follow-up.
8. Super 8 (Paramount+)
A group of kids making a homemade movie stumbles into a massive cover-up after witnessing a catastrophic train crash.
Their small town is suddenly filled with strange disappearances and military activity.
The kids’ curiosity puts them directly in the path of danger.
The film captures the wonder and terror of childhood in equal measure.
The friendships feel genuine and messy.
The creature at the center of the mystery brings both fear and unexpected emotion.
The entire story has that classic Spielberg sense of adventure.
Even though it’s a movie, it scratches the Stranger Things itch perfectly.
If you want a quick hit of nostalgia and supernatural mystery, this one delivers.
9. Yellowjackets (Showtime)
A high school girls’ soccer team crash-lands in the wilderness, and survival quickly turns feral.
The series jumps between their time stranded and their adult lives decades later.
Secrets and trauma follow them into adulthood.
Relationships fracture under the weight of what happened.
Mystery and psychological horror build with each episode.
Rituals and uncanny events hint at something darker beneath the surface.
The performances are raw and gripping.
The friendships become both salvation and destruction.
If you loved watching teens face terrifying forces in Stranger Things, this show gives you a much darker, more haunting version.
10. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Hulu)
Life in high school becomes a lot more complicated when you’re also destined to fight vampires, demons, and the occasional apocalypse.
Buffy juggles homework with monster battles.
Her friends form a supportive chaos squad that keeps her human.
The show mixes humor with heavy emotional arcs.
Every villain reflects something relatable about growing up.
The world-building is rich and surprisingly heartfelt.
The series handles heartbreak as deftly as supernatural horror.
The tone swings between silly and sincere without losing its charm.
If you miss the blend of friendship, fear, and growing pains found in Stranger Things, Buffy is the comfort-watch classic you need.
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