If you’re looking for a creepy and entertaining show to binge-watch before the next batch of Stranger Things episodes arrive on Netflix, any one of these will be perfect. After a wait of more than three years, fans rushed to watch Stranger Things Season 5 Part 1 when it began streaming on the platform on November 26, 2025. While the season got off to a bit of a slow start, Episodes 3 and 4 have all the captivating battles, unsettling surprises, and heartwarming character moments that the hit series is known for. There’s no doubt that after watching the big Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) twist in Season 5, Episode 4, “Sorcerer,” it’s impossible to be patient.
The Stranger Things release schedule isn’t ideal (and that’s a huge understatement). Part 2 will be released on December 25, 2025, followed by the series finale on December 31. But although it would have been great to binge-watch all eight episodes in one go, at least the wait between Parts 1 and 2 gives fans some time to discover some other equally compelling series.
‘It: Welcome to Derry’
Fall 2025 was all about new Stephen King movie adaptations, with The Long Walk and The Running Man giving audiences new takes on the horror author’s classic stories. HBO’s prequel It: Welcome to Derry is not only worth watching, but it’s a perfect series for Stranger Things fans who want another scary story about clever child characters helping each other face a threat in their otherwise picturesque small town.
Both Derry and Stranger Things have cruel and seemingly unstoppable villains at the heart of their stories, and Pennywise is as unforgettable as ever in this iteration. Most importantly, both shows focus on the strong relationships between the young characters, which balances out the scares. It: Welcome to Derry premiered on HBO Max on October 26, 2025, and the Season 1 finale aired on December 14th. Although there has been no official Season 2 renewal at the time of this writing, co-showrunner Andy Muschietti is hopeful for a three-season story.
‘Wednesday’
Wednesday Season 2 may not have captured fan interest as much as Season 1, and Lady Gaga’s appearance is brief and disappointing. Still, Stranger Things fans who are counting the days until they can see how Will uses his newfound powers will have a great time catching up on all 16 episodes of the Jenna Ortega-starring Netflix series.
Ortega has proven her acting prowess in projects as versatile as slasher films Scream (2022) and Scream XI and the dark 2021 drama The Fallout, and she’s impressive in every scene as clever Wednesday Addams. Wednesday finds the infamous Goth character attending Nevermore Academy with students who are as strange as she is. The show populates her world with the beloved quirky Addams Family members and some newcomers, like her kind roommate and werewolf Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers). Both Stranger Things and Wednesday strike a nice balance between eerie and heartwarming. The series began streaming on Netflix in November 2022 and has been renewed for a third season.
‘The Midnight Club’
Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass are arguably his greatest horror series, but his fourth Netflix outing has a few things in common with Stranger Things (and is also less appreciated than it should be). The Midnight Club follows terminally ill teenagers living at a hospice called Brightcliffe Manor who tell creepy stories at night and who are there for each other as they come to terms with the brief amount of time they still have on earth.
Although The Midnight Club is more straightforward horror than Stranger Things, which delves into sci-fi elements like the Upside Down setting and all its monsters, both series focus on the significant and meaningful friendships between the young characters. Creatures like Vecna and the ghosts at Brightliffe are terrifying, but their presence helps the characters work through big themes like life, death, and self-actualization. Since there are only 10 episodes and Netflix canceled The Midnight Club after Season 1, it’ll be a quick binge-watch before Stranger Things Season 5 Part 2.
‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Season 1 began streaming on Disney+ in December 2024 and tells the story of child characters Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), and Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) who team up to go back to At Attin, the planet where they’re from. With only eight episodes, it’s another fast and entertaining binge that will scratch that Stranger Things itch before the next journey in Hawkins starts.
While it’s unclear if a Season 2 is going to happen, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Season 1 has the touching, moving tone of Stranger Things. It might not have been 2024’s biggest TV release, and it doesn’t get talked about all that much these days. Still, it doesn’t have a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes for nothing. Skeleton Crew will be appealing to anyone searching for a sweet story about friends who share a common goal.
‘From’
The small town in From might be even scarier than Hawkins, Indiana, and that’s saying something. The memorable setting of the Epix/MGM+ series will appeal to fans who have been coming up with theories about the Upside Down since Stranger Things first arrived on Netflix in the summer of 2016. Both shows feature a perfectly unnerving atmosphere and create a haunting sense of dread in every scene. Just like Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and her friends are stuck in Hawkins thanks to the military quarantine in Stranger Things Season 5, the residents of From‘s tiny town are unable to go anywhere.
The series has been considered an underrated hidden gem ever since Season 1 premiered in February 2022, and fans are waiting for From Season 4, which should be out in 2026. Since there are so many strange mysteries, it’ll be hard to watch just one episode of From, and it’ll take your mind off those big questions about Vecna, Will, and if Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) will ever wake up from her coma.
‘Locke & Key’
All three seasons of Netflix’s Locke & Key dive into the Locke family’s journey through loss and grief as Nina (Darby Stanchfield) and her kids begin living in their creepy old family house that rivals any horror film mansion. The magical elements make Locke & Key, which is an adaptation of Gabriel Rodriguez and Joe Hill’s comic book series, more than just another generic story about a family starting over in a small town.
The family misses their husband/father and finds out more about his life and death as time goes on. Like Stranger Things, the show handles serious topics like personal tragedies, but also features a fun and unsettling main villain and plenty of magical moments. Dodge (Laysla De Oliveira) is as powerful and memorable as Vecna, and it’s fun learning about the different keys, from the Animal Key to the Anywhere Key. Although it doesn’t quite match the high quality of Stranger Things, Locke & Key Seasons 1 through 3 will be an entertaining watch before Vecna is back on the small screen.
- Release Date
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2016 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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Netflix
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
