Is Stranger Things the best new series of 2016?

by Daniel Falconer | 23 July 2016

Admission time: I pre-judged Stranger Things. Usually when it comes to television series with a heavy dose of child actors, I'm left rolling my eyes at their inability in front of a camera, wondering how the kids in the roles even managed to secure their positions in the cast in the first place. So, going into Netflix's latest original series I was more than a little sceptical. More fool me.

Credit: Netflix

There are a lot of elements that make up the eight episodes in season one of Stranger Things, but the show would be nothing without its young actors. Naming one without the others would be unfair, as every single kid on screen delivers a stellar, moving, funny and charming performance. Calls have been made for the youngsters here to be a part of The Goonies remake if it ever comes to fruition, and I can't think of a group of kids better suited. Their innocence and friendship is infectious, as a viewer you're willing them to succeed and hoping they can navigate through this odd world without being corrupted. They're characters you can really root for.

The teenagers do a great job as well - especially Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington and Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers. Each give their very best and the characters aren't expendable - the trio each move the story forward in their own way and lead complicated relationships and friendships, intertwined with one another.

Then we have Winona Ryder stepping into the shoes of distressed mother Joyce Byers. It's her big comeback and she couldn't have picked a better role to play. The world has before been dazzled by her many performances but as of late, she's fizzled into the background. Walking back into the spotlight here, she takes Joyce and turns her into a character you just HAVE to empathise with. We know she's not crazy but to those around her, at least initially, there is no other explanation - and she's willing to accept that. She's a woman with a history of mental health problems, willing to turn her house into a Ouija board complete with Christmas lights and paint, and so of course is fighting an uphill battle in order to convince anyone to get on side and help find her son. Just when you think her performance is landing its crescendo, she takes things up another notch. It's just a brilliant display of how acting should be done.

Jim Hopper (David Harbour) may start out as the junkie police officer we've come to expect from shows of this type, but he turns into one of the best-written authoritative figures the sci-fi genre has ever seen. He's a chief of police who actually finds significant clues through investigation without being turned into a bumbling fool. He has his vices, but he works through them and channels his energy into projects for the greater-good when given the opportunity - such as searching for the missing Will Byers (Noah Schnapp).

Set in the 1980s and paying homage to many of that decades most iconic releases - broken down perfectly by Vulture in this incredible feature - this is a series that should resonate with people of all different ages. It's a thriller, sci-fi and horror fan's fantasy.

So, with shows such as American Crime Story and Preacher debuting this year, could Stranger Things have eclipsed them both? I certainly think so. Eight episodes was the perfect number to kickstart the story, with each 40-60 minutes providing a wealth of entertainment. There was never a moment you were waiting for the episode to end and each flew by, leaving you gasping for more. Put it this way - I watched episodes 4 through to 8 in one sitting.

Envisioned as an ongoing series, it's excited to see exactly where Stranger Things will go next. A couple of hints have been given as to the direction we'll see it travel, but the next (predicted) 12 months or so are still going to be an agonising wait.