It’s been a week since the credits rolled on “Stranger Things” and if you’re currently staring at your phone waiting for a notification that never comes, you aren’t alone.
We are all living in a state of collective Hawkins-induced grief. Half of my X feed is convinced we haven’t actually seen the end and I’ve spent way too many hours scrolling through the “Conformity Gate” threads.
I was confused and half-believing that the finale was just one of Vecna’s elaborate illusions and that a secret episode is going to drop any second to “fix” everything.
But whether a hidden gate opens or not, the reality is starting to sink in that Stranger Things is over.
If you’re struggling to move on from the Upside Down, here is how I’m filling the void.
I know, nothing will ever truly replace Steve’s hair or Eleven’s stare, but these shows will help you cope with the end of a decade long adventure.
Shows to Watch If You Love Stranger Things
1. For the “Found Family” Craving: Yellowjackets
If your favorite part of Hawkins was the Teens vs. The World dynamic, Yellowjackets is your next obsession. It’s grittier and darker, but it captures that same feeling of “no one believes us but us.”
The Plot: In 1996, a high school girls’ soccer team survives a plane crash in the remote Canadian wilderness. The show follows two timelines: their 19-month struggle to survive (and the dark, ritualistic society they form) and their adult lives 25 years later as they are blackmailed by someone who knows what they did to stay alive.
It feels like if Nancy, Robin, and Steve were stranded in the woods with a supernatural entity that wanted more than just a gate opened. It’s about the trauma of surviving something nobody else understands.
2. For the “Scientific Mystery” Craving: Dark
I’ll be honest I had to keep a notebook next to me for this one, but it’s the only show that made me feel as smart (and as terrified) as the first time we saw the Upside Down.
The Plot: When two children go missing in the small German town of Winden, the search for answers unspools a mystery that spans four generations of four local families.
This is for the fans who loved the Hawkins Lab conspiracy. It’s a German puzzle-box show that it evolves into a mind-bending epic about time and fate. It’s “Stranger Things” for the philosophy major.
3. For the “80s Nostalgia” Craving: Paper Girls
If you miss the bikes, the walkie-talkies, and the neon-soaked 1988 aesthetic, this is the spiritual successor.
The Plot: It literally starts on Halloween morning, 1988. It follows four paper girls who get caught in a war between time travelers.
Like Stranger Things, it captures the magic of kids on a mission, but it does so with a softer, more reflective lens. It’s less about saving the world and more about understanding who you might become and grieving the versions of yourself you leave behind.
4. For the “Stephen King” Craving: IT: Welcome to Derry
We all know the Duffer Brothers were inspired by King, so why not go to the source? This 2025 prequel series is the closest thing to “New Hawkins” we have right now.
The Plot: Set in 1962, this prequel series explores the origins of the curse on Derry, Maine. It follows a group of local kids (including Mike Hanlon’s father) who begin to notice a pattern of disappearances and “bad luck” in the town, eventually coming face-to-face with the awakening of Pennywise the Clown.
It captures that specific Picturesque Small Town with a Secret energy. It’s scary, yes, but like Stranger Things, it’s anchored by a group of outcasts who find bravery in each other.
5. For the “High-Stakes Game” Energy: Alice in Borderland
If your favorite Stranger Things moments were the kids using D&D logic to survive a Demogorgon, you’ll love this. It’s like the “Russian Lab” arc but turned up to a ten.
The Plot: An aimless gamer and his friends are suddenly transported to a deserted, parallel version of Tokyo. To stay alive, they are forced to compete in a series of deadly games where the difficulty is determined by playing cards. If they stop playing, they die; if they lose, they die.
A nightmarish, empty version of Tokyo where people are forced to play deadly games. It’s fast-paced, high-stress, and perfect for when you need to replace sadness with pure adrenaline.
6. For the “Small Town, Big Secrets” Vibe: From
The Plot: A family on a road trip becomes trapped in a nightmarish middle-American town that literally won’t let anyone leave. By day, the residents try to build a community; by night, they must hide behind talismans to protect themselves from terrifying, smiling creatures that come out of the forest.
It’s the closest “spiritual” successor to the eerie, dread-filled feeling of Season 1.
7. For the “Sci-Fi Noir” Fans: Pluribus (New for 2026)
This is the brand-new one everyone is talking about this month. Starring Rhea Seehorn, it’s a grounded sci-fi that feels more “adult,” but it captures that same feeling of a conspiracy bubbling just under the surface of everyday life.
The Plot: Created by Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad), this series follows a novelist (Rhea Seehorn) in Albuquerque after a mysterious alien virus transforms nearly all of humanity into a “peaceful” hive mind called the Others.
It’s mysterious, beautifully shot, and perfect for those of us who grew up with the show and want something that feels a bit more mature now.
8. For the “Kids on a Mission” Heart: Locke & Key
It’s “supernatural comfort food”, a little spooky, very magical, and deeply focused on a family trying to heal while fighting off shadows.
The Plot: After their father’s murder, three siblings move into a gothic mansion filled with magical keys. Each key grants a unique power (like turning into a ghost), but an ancient demon is also hunting the keys to open a door to a much darker dimension.
A family moves into an ancestral home filled with magical keys that grant powers. It has that same sense of “wonder mixed with danger” that made the early seasons of Stranger Things so special.
9. For the “Kids vs. The Lab” Fix: I Am Not Okay With This
If you’re looking for a character who feels like the spiritual sister to Season 1 Eleven, this is it. Sydney Novak is awkward, angry, and has telekinetic powers she doesn’t understand. Sydney feels like Eleven if she had been allowed to go to high school.
The Plot: Sydney is a teenage girl dealing with the usual trials of high school—crushes, grief over her father’s death, and an annoying mom. The only problem? Whenever she gets too angry or stressed, she discovers she has massive, destructive telekinetic powers.
It’s short, punchy, and set in a boring town where something supernatural is bubbling. It’s got that raw, “indie movie” feel that made the first season of Stranger Things so special.
A small heads-up: the show ends abruptly, which can feel frustrating.
10. For the “Ultimate Found Family” Fix: The Umbrella Academy
The Hargreeves are messy, they are dysfunctional, and they’ve accidentally caused the apocalypse more times than I can count but the love between them is as real as the bond between the Party.
The Plot: 43 superpowered infants are born on the same day to women who weren’t pregnant. An eccentric billionaire adopts seven of them to form a superhero team. Years later, the estranged, dysfunctional siblings reunite for their father’s funeral just as a global apocalypse begins to countdown.
It’s unhinged, stylish, and perfect for when you need to replace your Stranger Things sadness with some chaotic superhero energy.
Now, I need your help…
I’m still oscillating between “closure” and “conspiracy theory.” Are you doing a full rewatch of Season 1 to see the Party when they were still just kids in a basement, or are you moving on to something new like Pluribus? Let me know in the comments so we can mourn together.