Board 8 > Why is Stranger Things so damn popular?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Like it's definitely a great show, but I don't understand how it's been taking the country by storm. Like I can't go five feet on the Internet without hearing about the show. I know 80s nostalgia and all that, but it's still weird how popular it's been.
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Never seen it
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It's probably the best homage to classic Steven Spielberg/King movies after a decade or so of other films missing the mark (Super 8, etc)
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BetrayedTangy posted...

it's

BetrayedTangy posted...

a great show

BetrayedTangy posted...

and

BetrayedTangy posted...

80s nostalgia

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Because it's good and tons of people have Netflix. I'm probably not as big on it as others since I don't care about most of the cast at all

Like I said I get that, but there's a lot of other great shows going on too. None of which are getting the same level of merch and advertising that Stranger Things is getting. And that's not even getting into all the weird sexualization of the main cast.
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Well it DID just recently get another season which is the kind of thing that generates tons of talk happening. If that doesn't do it uh I don't really know. It's just a hit with people

there's a lot of other great shows going on too.

Which ones in particular?
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Is there anything that's similar in genre that's as recent and as good as Stranger Things? Because I'd watch that too, but right now it's kind of the best thing I've seen on.

Cuz Steve Harrington is a BOSS.
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It's certainly one of the best shows I've ever seen so I don't really understand the question
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Rick and Morty
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Just to name a few, and aside from Rick and Morty. None of them have gotten the same amount of hype. Even when their new seasons air. All four of these I consider significantly better than Stranger Things
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I love Brooklyn Nine-Nine too and also think it's better than Stranger Things

But I think sitcoms in general have trouble getting a lot of hype which is what those all are. I feel like comedy is harder to be a hit for everyone. I feel like the only current comedy that has gotten much talk is The Good Place and that's probably because it extends itself a bit outside the comedy standard and has a strong overarching plot with it.
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Great cast, stylish, feel-good comeback performance from Winona Ryder, solid marketing campaign that benefited from word-of mouth, broad appeal across age demos, availability on a platform with over 100 million active accounts - everything broke well for Stranger Things.

Paratroopa1 posted...

Is there anything that's similar in genre that's as recent and as good as Stranger Things? Because I'd watch that too, but right now it's kind of the best thing I've seen on.

Riverdale, kind of, although it's more romantic than Stranger Things, and not as good. If you want to extend it to other mediums, Super 8 is a pretty decent movie, and Oxenfree is an incredible adventure game.

BetrayedTangy posted...

Rick and Morty
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Just to name a few, and aside from Rick and Morty. None of them have gotten the same amount of hype. Even when their new seasons air. All four of these I consider significantly better than Stranger Things

Of these shows, Rick and Morty is frequently the highest rated cable show, It's Always Sunny has been so successful it's lasted 12 seasons, B99 has had 5 seasons on network, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt was a break-out hit for Netflix. I think your requirement for successful shows should be a little more broad than zeitgeist-capturing, era-defining television.
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Eleven is probably the only character I'd say I liked. Nancy was pretty bad and the two teenage guys were kinda dumb. Most of the kids were whatever. The "crazy mom" and sheriff were probably the second and third best I guess

Yeah the big thing is the broadness of its appeal, across all ages, which means it's easy discussion on almost any platform.

I can't really recommend Rick and Morty to my parents or even most of my similarly-aged friends. It fits a niche perfect for me and some others, but thats it. Stranger Things, though...I don't know many western people I wouldn't be able to recommend that to.

Also, the kids are charming and very likeable. That helps. They're untainted, they don't have "haters". It leads to a more positive feel when discussing the show I think.

BetrayedTangy posted...

Rick and Morty
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Just to name a few, and aside from Rick and Morty. None of them have gotten the same amount of hype. Even when their new seasons air. All four of these I consider significantly better than Stranger Things

I mean look at that list. I know for a fact my parents both wouldn't get and would actively dislike Always Sunny. It's too depraved for them, and many others, and absolutely fits more of a niche. You can say the same thing for Kimmy Schmidt and maybe even B99.
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Like i have a friend whose 20-something brother loves Rick and Morty. She was watching Pickle Rick with him and hated it. Didn't get it at all. But she loves Stranger Things.

Rick and Morty is fucking amazing but it's ambitious and snappy and super cynical. I don't think there's really anything cynical about Stranger Things. It's dark at times (many times) but not in an incisive, cutting way like R+M. Stranger Things is dark like Harry Potter or something is dark. That also helps it appeal to more of a range of people.
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iiicon posted...

Of these shows, Rick and Morty is frequently the highest rated cable show, It's Always Sunny has been so successful it's lasted 12 seasons, B99 has had 5 seasons on network, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt was a break-out hit for Netflix. I think your requirement for successful shows should be a little more broad than zeitgeist-capturing, era-defining television.

My point isn't that they're not popular. My point is that Stranger Things is somehow at that level of era defining television despite only having two seasons. A feat that most other shows like Friends or Breaking Bad took multiple seasons to achieve that status.
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XIII_rocks posted...

Like i have a friend whose 20-something brother loves Rick and Morty. She was watching Pickle Rick with him and hated it. Didn't get it at all. But she loves Stranger Things.

Rick and Morty is fucking amazing but it's ambitious and snappy and super cynical. I don't think there's really anything cynical about Stranger Things. It's dark at times (many times) but not in an incisive, cutting way like R+M. Stranger Things is dark like Harry Potter or something is dark. That also helps it appeal to more of a range of people.

Well that's the thing, as I mentioned with my list Rick & Morty was a lot more popular. Despite not having the same mass appeal as Stranger Things. But I get that popularity as most of the fanbase has a really strong presence on the Internet. So the massive amounts of memes and advertising make sense there. But when ST's fanbase is mostly parents the Internet popularity doesn't make sense to me.
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BetrayedTangy posted...

And that's not even getting into all the weird sexualization of the main cast.

?

Though I've never seen the show. Or have Netflix. I know Netflix shows can get weird though.
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LOLIAmAnAlt posted...

BetrayedTangy posted...

And that's not even getting into all the weird sexualization of the main cast.

?

Though I've never seen the show. Or have Netflix. I know Netflix shows can get weird though.

Ah that's the fanbase apparently doing this. For example a magazine named Eleven's actress on of the sexiest actors of all time.
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LOLIAmAnAlt posted...

BetrayedTangy posted...

And that's not even getting into all the weird sexualization of the main cast.

?

Though I've never seen the show. Or have Netflix. I know Netflix shows can get weird though.

Not by the show, by certain segments of the fanbase.
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B99 won 2 Golden Globes in its first season

Also, those are comedies. In terms of drama, Walking Dead accomplished this, if not more, in a couple seasons also....
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BetrayedTangy posted...

XIII_rocks posted...

Like i have a friend whose 20-something brother loves Rick and Morty. She was watching Pickle Rick with him and hated it. Didn't get it at all. But she loves Stranger Things.

Rick and Morty is fucking amazing but it's ambitious and snappy and super cynical. I don't think there's really anything cynical about Stranger Things. It's dark at times (many times) but not in an incisive, cutting way like R+M. Stranger Things is dark like Harry Potter or something is dark. That also helps it appeal to more of a range of people.

Well that's the thing, as I mentioned with my list Rick & Morty was a lot more popular. Despite not having the same mass appeal as Stranger Things. But I get that popularity as most of the fanbase has a really strong presence on the Internet. So the massive amounts of memes and advertising make sense there. But when ST's fanbase is mostly parents the Internet popularity doesn't make sense to me.

It's not mostly parents. It's parents additionally.

Also "the internet" is older now, so "parents" can play a big role in something becoming internet-popular. Most people who have posted ITT are 80s kids, and several have children of their own I think. (I'm a 90s kid but only by 4 months).
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BetrayedTangy posted...

LOLIAmAnAlt posted...

BetrayedTangy posted...

And that's not even getting into all the weird sexualization of the main cast.

?

Though I've never seen the show. Or have Netflix. I know Netflix shows can get weird though.

Ah that's the fanbase apparently doing this. For example a magazine named Eleven's actress on of the sexiest actors of all time.

Well I mean...pedophilia seems to be all the rage these days.

But thanks for the clarifications.
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in a few weeks stranger things hype will die down until the next season. The new season is still pretty fresh so its popular right now
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XIII_rocks posted...

BetrayedTangy posted...

XIII_rocks posted...

Like i have a friend whose 20-something brother loves Rick and Morty. She was watching Pickle Rick with him and hated it. Didn't get it at all. But she loves Stranger Things.

Rick and Morty is fucking amazing but it's ambitious and snappy and super cynical. I don't think there's really anything cynical about Stranger Things. It's dark at times (many times) but not in an incisive, cutting way like R+M. Stranger Things is dark like Harry Potter or something is dark. That also helps it appeal to more of a range of people.

Well that's the thing, as I mentioned with my list Rick & Morty was a lot more popular. Despite not having the same mass appeal as Stranger Things. But I get that popularity as most of the fanbase has a really strong presence on the Internet. So the massive amounts of memes and advertising make sense there. But when ST's fanbase is mostly parents the Internet popularity doesn't make sense to me.

It's not mostly parents. It's parents additionally.

Also "the internet" is older now, so "parents" can play a big role in something becoming internet-popular. Most people who have posted ITT are 80s kids, and several have children of their own I think. (I'm a 90s kid but only by 4 months).

You are all now manually realizing that we are "the internet" and most of us are well within parenting age.
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It's not surprising. It's a Netflix-original show that's actually original, and it has LOST-like appeal with the bonus of extremely uncomplicated characters.
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