Appealing to Netflix’s binge-friendly formula, Stranger Things debuted last month to overwhelmingly positive reviews, as avid viewers fell in love with both the core cast of characters and the show’s knack for nostalgia.
Indeed, Netflix’s old-school original series evoked memories of everything from Stand By Me to The Goonies to Poltergeist, as members of a small town – Hawkens, Indiana in this case – came together to ward off a dangerous being from another dimension. That dimension was, of course, the Upside Down, a mystical realm that runs parallel to our own. It’s a relentlessly dark and scary doppelgänger, though, one that plays home to a flesh-munching Demogorgon.
Reflecting on the success of Stranger Things, creators Matt and Ross Duffer have spoke about their desire to prod further and further into the Upside Down in a future season, and while Netflix is yet to officially renew the hit series, the Duffer brothers spoke to Collider about the possibility of returning with a new, extended season.
People say, “They need to make way more episodes,” but I like to think one of the reasons it works for people is because it’s paced and it feels like a movie, and that’s because it’s not too long. I think, if we pushed it to 13 episodes, we’d have to start coming up with all these bullshit adventures they’re going on, that aren’t directly tied to the main tension. Eight felt about right. But if we’re developing Season 2 and it feels like seven or nine or eleven, Netflix would support any of those lengths.
Assuming that Stranger Things nabs a deserved second season, the Duffer siblings noted that fans can expect to check in on the core group in a fashion not dissimilar to Harry Potter in that we watch these kids grow up before our eyes, year by year.
Yeah, we would introduce some new characters, but follow this group. We fell in love with the kids and all of our actors, so we want to stay with them. And now we know what they’re capable of. I know that I could throw David Harbour the craziest fastball, and he’ll hit it out of the park. I think we’ll have a lot of fun, if they let us do it.
Stranger Things premiered back in mid-July.