All good things must come to an end, and Stranger Thingsis no exception. Netflix's hit science fiction series aired its super-sized finale at the beginning of 2026, and in the process brought an end to one of its biggest hits...or so fans thought. Netflix has been eager to continue expanding the Stranger Things franchise in different forms with Stranger Things: Tales From '85, an animated series that takes place between Seasons 2 and 3, and Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a stage play that expands upon the origins of the villainous Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). Creators Ross & Matt Duffer even managed to recapture some of Stranger Things' magic by producing Netflix's latest sci-fi hit, The Boroughs.

It’s no secret that Netflix has had a huge year in 2026, and one of the first massive projects to emerge from the shadows for the streamer was War Machine. The sci-fi epic stars Reacher veteran Alan Ritchson, and after earning over 125 million views during its first month on streaming, Netflix has already announced that a sequel to the film is officially in the early stages of development. This demand for more sci-fi content coming from Netflix subscribers started with the finale season of Stranger Things — Season 5 began airing last November, and it concluded over three parts, with the final episode arriving on Netflix and in theaters on New Year’s Day. It didn’t take long for Stranger Things to come back and assert its dominance over Netflix streaming charts, though, with the first animated spin-off, Tales From ‘85.