5 TV Shows Like ‘Stranger Things’ You Need to Watch

Stranger Things is one series that has captivated audiences in eight spellbinding episodes — and there isn’t any show that comes close to its magnetism.

If you’re anything like us, you spent eight straight hours streaming the series that satiated every sci-fi and fantasy lover’s TV craving. Not to mention, must have been charmed by the runaway Netflix hit that reminded us of that solid allure once seen in iconic films of the ’80s by Steven Spielberg and John Carpenter.

But as we get closer and closer to the highly anticipated second season of Stranger Things set to release this October, you could binge-watch for a second (or third, fourth, fifth, etc.) time, or just tune into something similar to broaden your thrilling, science-fiction horizons.

From paranormal detective pairs to anthologies of chilling tales set in small town, these series each share something in common with the Netflix favorite. And we promise, before Stranger Things is set to release Oct. 27, these series will elicit the same excitement as you wait it out.

The X-Files

The X-Files is one of the most iconic shows of all time. While it recently received the limited season revival treatment, the ’90s sci-fi classic is a show very much on par with Stranger Things. FBI special agents, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully investigate “x-files,” unsolved cases with paranormal twists.

One of the best parts of this FOX drama is how the two play off each other with Mulder believing in aliens and the paranormal, while partner Scully is the skeptic, grounded in science. With 10 seasons and more than 200 episodes, it is also the longest running sci-fi TV series in American television history.

The Twilight Zone

One of the best parts of Stranger Things is that creeping sense of dread that pops up when you least expect and a show that does that extremely well is the ground-breaking anthology series, The Twilight Zone.

Injecting an inimitable eeriness paired with its black and white shot film, the Rod Serling classic explores tales of the twisted and unforgettable. And while the stories all exist in a parallel dimension, they uncover a deep dark truth about human behavior.

The OA

Touted the grown-up version of Stranger Things, this twisted Netflix original centers around an adopted young woman who resurfaces after missing for seven years. But upon her return, she calls herself “The OA,” exhibits scars on her back and is no longer blind. Revealing to a close few in his high school that she was trapped in another dimension, she sets out to rescue the others through an opening in the portal.

The series has received generally favorable critical reception, especially with its directing, visuals and acting. It has also drawn many comparisons to Stranger Things, particularly due to the disappearance of a child and the discussion of another dimensions.

Twin Peaks

This slow-moving, iconic series by David Lynch might have ended in the early ’90s, but it spawned a reboot recently on Showtime. The cult classic beloved by many follows an FBI agent investigating the murder of local girl in the strange, small town of Twin Peaks, Washington. Diving into the world of Twin Peaks’ citizens and unraveling all their secrets, the show does a great job at revealing the dark, supernatural side to what many imagine is a picturesque town. 

Fringe

The short-lived J.J. Abrams cult series, Fringe is one of the closest plot-wise to Strangers Things in that it explores parallel universes outside our own and the oddities that spring from it. While there isn’t a ton of familial and town-related drama, the characters make up for it.

Spanning five seasons and 100 episodes, it follows agents in a fictional Fringe Division of the FBI who use fringe science to investigate a series of ghastly occurrences, related to a parallel universe and alternate timelines.