Why Stranger Things Has Been Such A Huge Hit, Explained By The Show's Creators

• Television
• Science Fiction Shows

"Stranger Things" is ending with season 5, having become a bonafide cultural phenomenon. These days, monoculture often feels like a thing of the past, but when a new season of Netflix's biggest show hits, you can bet that most people are going to pay attention. That's significant not only within the framework of Netflix itself but also culture in general, as it marks a rare moment when our collective attention is wrestled from whatever niche corners of social media we've each fallen into and funneled into the same thing. How did "Stranger Things" become such a big hit? Well, according to director and executive producer Shawn Levy, who's been with the show since the beginning and directed two episodes of the fifth season, it's about a lot more than 1980s nostalgia and Netflix having won the streaming wars.

During a virtual press conference for "Stranger Things" season 5, attended by /Film, Levy highlighted how the show balances spectacle and fantastical elements with more grounded, human stories. "The DNA, the sort of special sauce, I think, is the combination of the epic and the intimate," he said. "I think that as much as people talk about the '80s and the Demogorgons and the darkness and the genre influences, we wouldn't be what we've become if we didn't invest in these characters the way that we do, both in terms of how we tell the story and the way the story is received." The director, who helped get "Stranger Things" off the ground when he purchased the season 1 rights through his 21 Laps Entertainment company, went on to characterize the series as representing "duality" and contrast, "the big and the small, the loud and the quiet." All of that rings true, but there's much more to the show's success.

Stranger Things is the streaming show of streaming shows

While a replacement for "Stranger Things" has now arrived in "KPop Demon Hunters," there's no doubt Netflix is going to miss the show that helped take the company to the top of the streaming game. To look at the most-viewed series on Netflix is to see a somewhat distorted picture. "Wednesday" season 1 is technically its most popular release, with 252.1 million views, while "Stranger Things" season 4 sits at number three with 140.7 million views. But that doesn't represent every season of "Stranger Things" taken as a whole, nor does it convey the cultural impact of the show or the way in which it came to represent the de facto Netflix series. It is the Netflix show. Not only that, it became the Netflix show at a time when streaming took over the entertainment industry. As cables were being cut the world over, "Stranger Things" was at the forefront of it all. As such, alongside everything else, it sort of represents the triumph of streaming itself. It's not just the de facto Netflix show, it's the de facto streaming show. 

Shawn Levy alluded to something similar during the virtual press conference, explaining how "Stranger Things" has influenced the cultural landscape by challenging our notions of what cultural products are supposed to look like. "I think that it's probably broken down ideas of, well, what is a movie? What is a TV show?" he said. "'Oh, that's huge. That's a movie. Oh, that's small, that's a TV show.' I think that those norms and assumptions are much more nuanced now." Levy's point plays into the idea of "Stranger Things" being the quintessential streaming show, as you could say exactly the same thing for streaming in general challenging those same notions.

Shawn Levy says Stranger Things is all about storytelling

Netflix recently announced "Stranger Things: Tales From '85," an animated spin-off that should ensure that "Stranger Things" keeps going forever. For Shawn Levy, however, ensuring an existing hit continues in perpetuity is less important than taking chances on new ideas. "Above all, my hope is that we still live in a storytelling world," he explained, "where networks and studios will take leaps of faith just because something feels special. Not because it's IP or it's calculated." According to the director, he and creators Matt and Ross Duffer had "no idea" that "Stranger Things" would be a success at first. "We didn't do it because we thought it would be a hit," he added "We did it because we knew it could be special. And the rest has been our reward."

While there's a lot of truth to Levy's comments, they also elide important aspects of the show's appeal and its obvious influences. To hear Levy talk, it's as if "Stranger Things" was a wholly original idea that required a leap of faith on Netflix's part, but this is a show heavily reliant on repurposing multiple styles, tropes, and ideas. The most obvious is the '80s nostalgia and the "genre influences" over which Levy so quickly glided at the start of his comments. It's not that "Stranger Things" is cynical in its attempts to emulate the feeling of '80s action, horror, and sci-fi filmmaking, but there is a clear attempt to leverage that aspect in order to appeal to a certain demographic — which has inarguably been a big part of why the show has become so popular. That's to say nothing of the Stephen King of it all.

The first part of "Stranger Things" season 5 is now streaming on Netflix.