9 Shows Like Stranger Things to Watch Next
Key takeaways
- For a tangled small-town mystery: Start with Dark.
- For young heroes caught up in sci-fi adventure: Try Paper Girls.
- For a much more intense monster-survival story: Choose All of Us Are Dead.
- The best choice depends on what you want more of: kids and teens facing the unknown, eerie mysteries, unusual powers, parallel worlds, or full-throttle horror.
Table of contents
- 9 Shows Like Stranger Things to Watch Next
- Key takeaways
- Table of contents
- For a small-town mystery: Dark
- For young heroes and sci-fi adventure: Paper Girls
- For teen friendship and unusual powers: I Am Not Okay with This
- For supernatural teen sleuths: Dead Boy Detectives
- For more intense creature horror: All of Us Are Dead
- For an unsettling supernatural puzzle: Archive 81
- For parallel worlds and fantasy: His Dark Materials
- For powered characters and found family: The Umbrella Academy
- For paranormal investigations: The X-Files
- Which show should you watch first?
If you’re looking for shows like Stranger Things, start with Dark for a tangled small-town mystery, Paper Girls for young heroes caught up in sci-fi adventure, or All of Us Are Dead for a much more intense monster-survival story. Each shares part of the Netflix hit’s appeal, but none recreates its exact mix of friendship, nostalgia, supernatural horror, and adventure.
The best choice depends on what you want more of: kids and teens facing the unknown, eerie mysteries, unusual powers, parallel worlds, or full-throttle horror. Here are nine series to consider, with the key difference to keep in mind for each.
| If you liked this part of Stranger Things… | Try… |
|---|---|
| The small-town mystery and clues that connect | Dark |
| A young ensemble in a sci-fi adventure | Paper Girls |
| Teenagers with supernatural abilities | I Am Not Okay with This |
| Ghosts and paranormal investigations | Dead Boy Detectives |
| Creature horror and survival | All of Us Are Dead |
| A disorienting supernatural puzzle | Archive 81 |
| The idea of another world | His Dark Materials |
| A found family with extraordinary powers | The Umbrella Academy |
| Investigations into the unexplained | The X-Files |
For a small-town mystery: Dark
The closest match for viewers who enjoy Stranger Things’ web of secrets is Dark. The German-language series begins with disappearances in a small town and builds toward a complicated science-fiction mystery involving time travel. Like Stranger Things, it makes the community and its hidden connections central to the story; unlike it, the focus is less on a group of kids and more on an intricate, adult-oriented puzzle.
Choose Dark if you like tracing how characters and events fit together, and you don’t mind keeping close track of a dense plot. It’s a strong pick for mystery over nostalgia or light adventure. Just know that its mood is bleaker and its story demands more attention than Stranger Things does. JustWatch’s guide to shows like Stranger Things highlights the series’ town mystery and time-travel premise.
For young heroes and sci-fi adventure: Paper Girls
If the kid-group dynamic is what you miss most, try Paper Girls. It follows young characters drawn into a time-travel adventure, giving it some of the same appeal as watching young friends confront a world far bigger and stranger than they expected.
The similarity is in the youthful ensemble and genre thrills, not in a direct Hawkins-style setting. Paper Girls is a better fit if you want a fast-moving sci-fi premise than if you’re looking specifically for supernatural monsters or a small-town conspiracy. Tom’s Guide includes it among its picks for shows like Stranger Things.
For teen friendship and unusual powers: I Am Not Okay with This
I Am Not Okay with This is a good choice if you’re drawn to the coming-of-age side of Stranger Things and its characters with extraordinary abilities. It centers on a girl navigating adolescence and telekinetic powers, bringing the personal awkwardness of growing up into a story with a supernatural edge.
This is a closer fit for viewers interested in one teenager’s experience than for those seeking a large ensemble of friends solving a mystery together. It also leans into the emotional turbulence of adolescence rather than trying to reproduce Hawkins’ blend of adventure and creature horror. JustWatch’s recommendations point to its mix of teen life and powers.
For supernatural teen sleuths: Dead Boy Detectives
In Dead Boy Detectives, teenage ghosts investigate supernatural cases. That combination of young protagonists and paranormal mysteries makes it an easy choice for viewers who like the strange, unexplained side of Stranger Things.
Its case-focused structure and comic tone set it apart, though. Rather than building toward the same kind of long-running town mystery, it puts more emphasis on investigating individual supernatural problems. Try it if you want an offbeat paranormal adventure; look elsewhere if you want the tense, slow-building mystery of Hawkins. Netflix’s Tudum recommendations include the series among its suggestions.
For more intense creature horror: All of Us Are Dead
For viewers who want the monster danger turned up, All of Us Are Dead follows South Korean students trying to survive a zombie outbreak. It shares the young-cast-in-peril setup with Stranger Things, but its focus is more directly on immediate survival and horror.
That difference matters: this is a more graphic, horror-forward choice, not a gentler substitute for the show’s mix of friendship, jokes, and sci-fi. Pick it when you’re in the mood for high-stakes teen survival rather than a mysterious threat that unfolds over time. Netflix’s guide to shows like Stranger Things also recommends it.
For an unsettling supernatural puzzle: Archive 81
Archive 81 suits viewers who prefer strange clues and creeping dread to a big group adventure. Its story combines a missing-child mystery with unsettling supernatural elements, creating a darker, more disorienting watch than Stranger Things.
There’s an important caveat: the series lasted one season, and its story was not continued. If you’re looking for a mystery that carries through several seasons, that may be a drawback. If you’re open to a short, eerie puzzle with an unresolved continuation, it could be the right fit. Netflix’s recommendation list includes Archive 81, while Tom’s Guide notes its one-season status.
For parallel worlds and fantasy: His Dark Materials
Part of Stranger Things’ appeal is the possibility that another world exists just beyond the one we know. If that idea interests you more than the show’s small-town setting or teen friendships, His Dark Materials offers a parallel-worlds adventure grounded in fantasy.
The difference is its framework: this is an expansive fantasy story, not a sci-fi mystery about kids investigating strange events close to home. It’s a good option if you want imaginative world-building and otherworldly stakes rather than a Hawkins-style ensemble. JustWatch’s guide includes it for viewers drawn to alternate worlds.
For powered characters and found family: The Umbrella Academy
The Umbrella Academy is a natural pick if you want more extraordinary abilities and a group of people who have to deal with one another as much as with the danger around them. It follows siblings with unusual powers, so the appeal is less “kids uncover a monster” and more “dysfunctional family tries to manage chaos.”
That shift makes it a better match for viewers who enjoy powers, group dynamics, and a found-family feel than for those looking for small-town horror. It shares Stranger Things’ interest in unusual abilities, but its central relationships and overall premise are different. The series appears in The Cinemaholic’s recommendations for shows like Stranger Things.
For paranormal investigations: The X-Files
If the government secrets and unexplained threats are what keep you watching Stranger Things, consider The X-Files. Its investigative duo looks into paranormal cases, connecting it with the conspiracy and monster-of-the-week elements that surface in the Netflix series.
The format is a major difference. The X-Files is adult-led rather than centered on a group of kids, and its investigations offer a different rhythm from Stranger Things’ ensemble storytelling. It’s a useful choice if you want more cases about the unexplained, not necessarily more teen friendship or ’80s-inspired adventure. Time’s list of shows like Stranger Things includes it as a related pick.
Which show should you watch first?
Use the part of Stranger Things you most want to revisit as your guide:
- For the most intricate mystery: Start with Dark.
- For young characters on a sci-fi adventure: Try Paper Girls.
- For teen life mixed with supernatural powers: Choose I Am Not Okay with This.
- For a darker, more frightening watch: Pick All of Us Are Dead.
- For paranormal cases with a comic edge: Try Dead Boy Detectives.
- For alternate worlds and fantasy: Go with His Dark Materials.
- For extraordinary abilities and a messy found family: Watch The Umbrella Academy.
- For a more adult-led investigation: Start The X-Files.
These recommendations match different parts of Stranger Things, rather than serving as exact replacements. Streaming catalogs also vary by country and change over time, so check the services available in your region before choosing where to watch.
If you want one straightforward starting point, go with Paper Girls for a young ensemble in a sci-fi adventure, Dark for a more demanding mystery, or All of Us Are Dead if you’re specifically after monster horror.
