Hailey Watson
The wait for Stranger Things Season 5 Part 2 can feel extra long once you’ve already blasted through the first chunk and immediately needed more.
If you’re craving that same mix of creepy mystery, messy friendships, and “just one more episode” momentum, the good news is that TV is full of worthy substitutes.
Some series lean into supernatural rules and puzzle-box plotting, while others focus on trauma, survival, and secrets that refuse to stay buried.
The key is finding shows with strong cliffhangers, a tight sense of place, and characters you’ll miss the second the credits roll.
Below are seven bingeable picks that hit similar notes, whether you want eerie small-town vibes, intense conspiracies, or emotionally heavy horror.
Pick one based on your mood, clear your schedule, and consider this your official holdover watchlist until Hawkins is back on your screen.
1. Dark
A missing child is the kind of mystery that should be solvable, yet this series turns that premise into a labyrinth.
Set in a quiet German town, the story builds dread through forests, secrets, and families who are far more connected than they realize.
The show’s big hook is how it treats the supernatural like a system with rules, consequences, and ripple effects that keep expanding.
As you binge, you’ll notice how tiny clues planted early on become devastating reveals later, which makes “next episode” feel nonnegotiable.
It also nails that Stranger Things feeling of ordinary people being forced to understand something impossible before it destroys them.
Keep a notes app handy if you love puzzles, because the payoffs are incredibly satisfying when everything finally clicks into place.
2. The Umbrella Academy
A dysfunctional superhero family reunion shouldn’t be this addictive, but the chaos is exactly what makes it binge so well.
The siblings are powerful, emotionally stunted, and constantly tripping over old resentments, which creates tension even when the world isn’t ending.
When apocalyptic stakes arrive, the show balances big spectacle with sharp humor and surprisingly tender moments of connection.
If you love a team dynamic where every character has secrets and baggage, you’ll get that same ensemble rush you feel in Hawkins.
The storytelling stays fast, with twists that reshuffle alliances and force the characters into strange, high-pressure pairings.
It’s also stylish in a way that keeps scenes visually fun, so even the darker episodes have energy that pulls you forward.
3. Yellowjackets
A plane crash survival story becomes much scarier when you realize the real danger isn’t only the wilderness.
This series flips between two timelines, showing teenage athletes stranded in the past and the haunted adults they become later.
The tension comes from secrets, guilt, and the creeping sense that something irrational may be influencing what happened out there.
You’ll get the same “what are they hiding?” adrenaline that Stranger Things does so well, except it’s layered with psychological unease.
Each episode feeds you just enough to theorize, then yanks the rug out with a reveal that reframes everything you assumed.
If you like darker character studies and slow-burn dread that suddenly spikes into shock, this is a binge that won’t let you off easy.
4. The OA
A woman’s sudden return after being missing for years is already compelling, but this story becomes stranger in the most hypnotic way.
Instead of offering clean answers, the series invites you into a deeply emotional mystery about identity, belief, and what reality can hold.
The pacing is patient at first, yet it builds a quiet intensity that makes you lean in and follow every detail.
As the story unfolds, you’ll start seeing how trauma, obsession, and hope can shape people into communities that feel both fragile and fierce.
It scratches the same itch as Stranger Things when the show asks you to accept the impossible, then makes it feel oddly personal.
Go in as unspoiled as possible, because the experience works best when you’re discovering the rules at the same time as the characters.
5. The Haunting of Hill House
A family’s past can be the most terrifying monster, and this show proves it with elegance and intensity.
The story moves between childhood and adulthood, revealing how one haunted house left scars that never truly healed.
Rather than relying on cheap jumps, the horror feels emotional, because fear is tied to grief, memory, and unresolved pain.
If you love the way Stranger Things blends scares with heart, you’ll appreciate how this series makes you care before it destroys you.
Bingeing works especially well here, because small background details and repeated motifs gain meaning as the puzzle completes itself.
By the time you reach the final episodes, the show feels less like a ghost story and more like a devastating portrait of survival.
6. Archive 81
Old videotapes become a portal into obsession when a researcher is hired to restore a mysterious set of recordings.
The deeper he goes, the more the show turns into a conspiracy thriller with supernatural edges that feel unnervingly plausible.
You’ll get that same investigative momentum as Stranger Things, where each clue opens a door to something bigger and more dangerous.
The found-footage flavor adds intimacy, because you’re watching someone else’s fear play out with no guarantee they made it out.
Sound design and atmosphere do a lot of heavy lifting, creating a sense that the walls are closing in even during quiet scenes.
If your favorite Hawkins moments are the ones that feel like a puzzle box snapping shut, this is the kind of binge that hooks fast.
7. Locke & Key
A move to an old family house feels like a fresh start until the place begins revealing secrets with a mind of its own.
Three siblings discover magical keys that unlock powers, memories, and doors that were definitely not meant to be opened.
The fantasy elements are fun, but the real binge fuel is how every key creates new rules and new risks that escalate quickly.
You’ll recognize that familiar Stranger Things blend of teen problem-solving, looming evil, and a protective sibling dynamic under pressure.
The show also balances grief and growth, so the emotional stakes land even when the magic goes big and weird.
If you want something slightly lighter yet still packed with mysteries and cliffhangers, this one makes for an easy, satisfying marathon.
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