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‘Stranger Things’ Season 2 Coming, Netflix Boss Says It Would Be ‘Dumb’ Not To Renew It

By Amie LaFleur
Published on: 06:22 PST, Aug 5, 2016

Stranger Things Season 2 is close to becoming reality.

According to a report by the Guardian, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said “we would be dumb not to” renew the buzzworthy Winona Ryder-led supernatural series. While Netflix doesn’t regularly provide viewing figures for its programming, Hastings used the show’s excellent scores on IMDb to illustrate its popularity.

“Because we don’t have advertising, we are under a whole different model to not compare all the shows and rank other shows, because it doesn’t matter what everybody loves most, it matters what you and I love most. You can get approximations… If you look on IMDB, the most popular TV show right now, it’s Stranger Things. So that’s a reasonable proxy. It’s not that there’s no data, just that we don’t give out our data.”

Hastings went on to explain that Stranger Things, which pays homage to 1980s fantasies and thrillers, is a show with a “different angle,” which is why Netflix purchased it.

“Breaking Bad was the good guy gone dark to support his family… You see Winona Ryder going crazy looking for her kid, it’s something, especially with the 80s side of it, [that] hasn’t been done before.”

Stranger Things, which premiered on July 15, has been one of the summer’s most talked-about TV shows. Ryder plays Joyce, a mother desperately searching for her son after he mysteriously disappears while biking home from a friend’s house. The show’s chilling government conspiracy storyline, infectious 80s soundtrack, and nostalgic nods to the decade’s pop culture have pleased critics and viewers alike, leaving both anxiously awaiting news of Season 2.

Last week, series creators Matt and Ross Duffer told journalists at the Television Critics Association tour in Los Angeles that a hypothetical Stranger Things Season 2 would be “darker” than the first season, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Ross said young Will (Noah Schnapp) would have a lot to deal with after his disappearance.

“We kind of hint about where we might go at the end of the season. Will was living in the upside-down other dimension for about a week, and the repercussions of that can’t be good. So a lot of it is exploring that, and this interdimensional rift is still very much open — so that also can’t be good.”

Even though Stranger Things has created a lot of buzz this summer, Matt said he and his twin brother aren’t pushing for an expanded episode order in Season 2. Eight episodes are “manageable” and feel more like a movie.

“We don’t feel like we have to tread water,” he said. “The idea would be do it as much as it feels natural and organic to that story, and then when it feels like you should bring it to a close… I think Netflix would support that.”

As for possible spoilers for Stranger Things Season 2, Ross said they want to ease into the new story, as opposed to starting off with a bang.

“We want to retain the tone, but all of our sequels feel a little different. It’s not about just taking another monster — it’s a bigger, badder monster. We want it to feel a little bit different, a little bit darker.”

Matt added that a second season would be “very different structurally, which is fun.”

While Stranger Things Season 2 hasn’t been officially renewed yet, Netflix has released an 80s playlist for the series on Spotify. Entertainment Weekly reports the retro list includes The Bangles’ “Hazy Shade of Winter,” The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” David Bowie’s “Heroes,” and Foreigner’s “Waiting for a Girl Like You.”

Netflix also promises the creepy original score for Stranger Things, written by Austin synth band Survive, will be released in the near future.

[Image via Netflix]

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