Shows like Stranger Things, man… they just crawl inside your skull and set up camp. I’m slumped on my lumpy couch in Chicago right now, radiator clanking like it’s trying to join the conversation, wind off the lake smacking the windows, and I’ve got a cold Eggo in one hand because the toaster takes forever and Eleven just flipped a van again. Or was that season 2? Whatever. Point is, I swore I’d watch “just one more” episode last Thursday and suddenly it’s Sunday night, my eyes look like I lost a fight with a raccoon, and my cat’s giving me the side-eye from the armrest like “feed me, peasant.” These shows like Stranger Things alternatives? They’re a trap. A glorious, sleep-destroying trap. If you’re anything like me—30-something, American, still low-key mad Blockbuster’s gone—here’s the list of Stranger Things knockoffs that turned my life into a hot mess. I legit face-planted over a sneaker sprinting for the remote last week. No dignity left.
Why Shows Like Stranger Things Alternatives Are My Dumb Addiction
Look, shows like Stranger Things scratch this itch I didn’t know I had—creepy kids, synth music, 80s bikes, heart. I’m sitting here in November Chicago, air smells like wet dog and somebody’s burning leaves two blocks over, and I tried watching one of these Stranger Things alternatives during a storm. Power blinked, I yelped, dumped coffee all over my crotch. 10/10 immersion. But also, I’m 34 and still checking under the bed for Demogorgons. Pathetic. Pro tip from a disaster: put the snacks next to the couch. I paused for Doritos once, came back, dog was licking my scribbled theories off the floor. RIP my color-coded timeline.
- Dark (Netflix): German time-travel brain-melt. Like shows like Stranger Things but if Hawkins had a PhD in depression. I used a pizza box as a whiteboard. Don’t judge.
- The OA (Netflix): Near-death dances and angel crap. So weird. Watched it buried in blankets during a snow day. Sobbed into a sleeve. No regrets.
The Shows Like Stranger Things That Actually Broke Me
Okay Twin Peaks—that’s the grandpa of all this. Lynch cooked up small-town murder weirdness and basically invented Hawkins. I rewatched it last month, radiator banging along like it’s in the Black Lodge, and the backwards talking? I kept hitting rewind yelling “SAY IT NORMAL” till 4 a.m. Then I tried baking cherry pie at 2:30 because vibes. It was charcoal. Tasted like regret and smoke alarms. Another banger: Paper Girls on Prime. 80s paper girls vs. time-travel war. I inhaled it while shoveling Cap’n Crunch—milk went everywhere when the big reveal dropped. Floor still sticky.
Binge-Worthy Sci-Fi Shows Like Stranger Things That Feel Like Childhood (But Make You Paranoid)
- Eerie, Indiana: 90s kid vs. town conspiracies. Criminally slept on. Watched with every light off. Heard a thump. Flipped every switch. Heart rate: 9000.
- His Dark Materials (HBO): Talking animal souls, parallel worlds, armored bears. Thought it’d be cute. Bawled in my kitchen over a bear fight. At lunch. On a Wednesday.
Even More Addictive Mystery Shows Like Stranger Things Living in My Head Rent-Free
Locke & Key—magic keys, haunted mansion, family baggage. Rainy weekend, binged the whole thing. Jumped at floorboards creaking. Told my mom. Now she’s texting me at 3 a.m. with theories. My bad. Watch Locke & Key on Netflix Also Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: teen witch vs. literal Satan. More hexes, less BMX. I paused to google “warding spells.” I’m fine. Totally.
Quick-Hit Supernatural Teen Dramas Like Shows Like Stranger Things
- I Am Not Okay With This (Netflix): Superpowers + hormones. 7 eps. Smashed it in one night. Stared at my ceiling fan waiting for telekinesis. It never moved. Rude.Watch it now
- The Midnight Club (Netflix): Sick kids swap ghost stories. Mike Flanagan, dude. Cried and hid under the blanket.Stream on Netflix
Alright I’m Tapping Out on Shows Like Stranger Things (Till Tomorrow)
Clock says 1:52 a.m., some siren’s wailing down the street like it’s in the damn show. Shows like Stranger Things and these unhinged alternatives wrecked my sleep, my diet, my floor. But my soul? Weirdly full. Advice from a trainwreck: start on Friday. Or don’t. I’m not the boss of you. Grab a show, kill the lights, ignore the dishes. Drop your fave show like Stranger Things in the comments—let’s scream about it. Go rot your brain, you gorgeous mess.
