Shows Like Stranger Things – What to Watch After Stranger Things

In this German story, a missing child is once again the catalyst for bringing together different protagonists. In this series, four families find their lives starting to weave together as they unearth a larger mystery while on the search. It does indeed involve supernatural elements and a small town under siege, but there’s also a little time travel to spice things up.

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Produced by the Stranger Things team, this series is based on a graphic novel of the same name by Charles Forsman. The protagonist is a girl named Syd who is struggling with an unrequited crush on her best friend, puberty, high school, and her growing telekinetic powers. Eleven could probably relate, but so could anyone who still remembers their adolescence.

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A young archivist named Dan gets a job restoring damaged videotapes for a grad student named Melody, who is working on a documentary film. in the process, he discovers a mystery. This supernatural horror was canceled after only one season, but it does involve a demonic cult, so still worth viewing.

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A young woman returns to her family after a seven year absence, cured of her blindness and possessing new powers. The OA only lasted for two seasons, but viewers were hooked as they watched her recruit more and more people into her own mystery, hoping to break through the barriers of reality together.

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This psychological thriller has a pretty basic premise: A worker agrees to have his memories of when he is at the office completely separated from his memories at home and on the weekend. Simple, right? But it doesn’t take long for things to start feeling pretty sinister, even on his days off.

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Though Wanda is stuck in some TV vision of the 1950s rather than the 80s, this MCU series has several mysteries woven throughout the show. Plus, there’s that unnerving sense that something isn’t quite right in the wholesome town of Westview, New Jersey, much like Hawkins, Indiana.

Watch on Disney+

Another two-season mystery, Wayward Pines is based on a book by Blake Crouch, so you can still find some closure there, if you need it. The show is about a U.S. Secret Service agent who is investigating the disappearance of two of his colleagues in a small town in Idaho. The pilot was directed by M. Night Shyamalan, so you know something weird is going on.

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This is another show steeped in nostalgia, but this time it’s for the ’90s, which makes it the perfect follow-up to Stranger Things. The first season introduces us to a high school team of star soccer players who struggle to survive in the wilderness after their plane crashes. The series goes back and forth from the woods to modern times, when the survivors are still grappling with what they did back then to get here. Also, there’s cannibalism.

Watch on Showtime

American Horror Story is different every season, and the ninth installment, AHS: 1984, lives in the ’80s, just like Stranger Things. Set at a sleep away camp, the episodes are heavily influenced by the slasher films of that era.

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This isn’t a show heavy on magic or alternate realties, but it is very much about the dynamics between young people in a small community. There’s also a grand mystery to kick off the series as two groups of teens (the rich and working class cliques) try to figure out where one of their fathers has disappeared to and the truth behind a legendary treasure connected to him.

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When Riverdale first premiered as the CW’s new sexy dark spin on the Archie comics, there’s no way viewers could have guessed just how campy, magical, and over-the-top the series would get. This is a world where the uncanny can and often does happen and there’s a mystery around every corner—and if you enjoy the show there’s also The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina to watch, which exists in the same dark universe.

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This older British TV series is a dark comedy about a group of delinquent teens performing community service when a supernatural thunderstorm gives them special powers that mirror their characters. The thunderstorm hits people all over the area, actually, and the show follows the consequences of ordinary citizens suddenly having powers ranging from time travel to controlling milk. These foul-mouthed teens quickly become the endearing heroes we need, and you might just recognize some familiar faces.

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