When did Stranger Things come out?

We’ve been fighting the forces of evil in Netflix’s best fantasy series for years. So, when did Stranger Things come out?

Watching Stranger Things characters like Dustin, Eleven, Will, Luke, Mike, and Max, grow up in front of our eyes has turned the concept of time into an elastic band — time flies in the Upside Down.

Armed with childhood nostalgia and natural 20 Dungeons and Dragons rolls, the TV show’s story only spans a few years. In real life, however, it’s been much longer for the Stranger Things cast members, who are struggling to look like they’re still high schoolers.

That’s not to mention the series toying with interdimensional travel. And, Season 5’s battle against Vecna took the scope to another level. So, here’s exactly when Stranger Things came out.

When did Stranger Things come out?

Stranger Things came out on July 15, 2016, when Season 1 was released on Netflix.

Netflix

It’s nearing a decade since Stranger Things Episode 1 first streamed into our living rooms, introducing us to a nostalgic world inspired by 80s movies.

You might be wondering why it has taken almost a decade to produce five seasons of such a popular TV show; Stranger Things was one of Netflix’s first prestige titles, following on from the groundbreaking House of Cards and Orange is the New Black. In this streaming era, the time needed to complete new seasons lengthened due to higher production value and longer episode running times.

Stranger Things and its ilk deviate from traditional network television in those ways, however, COVID-19 also impacted Stranger Things. Showrunners The Duffer Brothers had to stop production on Season 4 just one month into filming.

Eventually, production continued, with months added to the break between Seasons 3 and 4. This accounted for the stark physical differences in the cast.

Nothing forces you to come to grips with mortality like watching children become adults on TV. It’s best not to think about it. Instead, join us in learning everything we know about the Stranger Things season 5 release date. We’ve also answered the questions, is Stranger Things based on a true story and does Max die in Stranger Things?

Or, if you need more small screen content, here are all the best TV shows of 2024, and the most binge worthy shows you can dive into right now.