‘Stranger Things’ is back as Netflix finally confirms new spin-off show set in 1950s

A live-action ‘Stranger Things’ prequel that takes fans to the 1950s, long before Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) opened the portal to the Upside Down, has been ordered by Netflix. The series, called ‘Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure,’ will debut in 2028, according to Tudum. Netflix made the announcement on Stranger Things Day, which is November 6, the day in 1983 when Will Byers goes missing in the series. Notably, Seasons 1-4 have been viewed more than 1.2 billion times.

Matt and Ross Duffer, the creators of the original Netflix series, developed the show with showrunner, co-creator, and writer Kate Trefry. Trefry has written for ‘Stranger Things’ since Season 2 and wrote the stage play ‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow.’ Meanwhile, ‘Atonement’ and ‘Darkest Hour’ director Joe Wright will direct the first three episodes and executive produce. Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps, Paul Dichter, Shelley Meals, Andrea Sperling and Pavlina Hatoupis will be executive producers alongside the Duffers’ Upside Down Pictures. In their statement, the brothers said, “It’s Stranger Things, but also thrillingly fresh, with a new setting, new heroes and villains, and new … actually, we’re not allowed to say any more. Now, on to casting. In the meantime — watch the skies, nerds!”

The teaser backs the story to Marion, Nevada, on April 19, 1955. The footage shows a kid’s bike, a broken radio, and cloudy skies over a restricted site. That date is four years before ‘The First Shadow,’ which follows Henry Creel (Vecna) in Hawkins, in 1959. But it also takes the franchise from Indiana to Nevada, about three decades before the premiere of the original show in 1983. The new series is filming in New Mexico, while the original show filmed most of its scenes in towns outside Atlanta, Georgia.

‘Other Worlds’ is a new chapter in a franchise that began in 2016, when ‘Stranger Things’ debuted on Netflix, starring Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, and Millie Bobby Brown as the Hawkins kids. Notably, Sadie Sink joined the series in 2017 during the second season. That chapter closed after season five in 2025, which saw all the kids battle against Vecna. The story continued with the animated series ‘Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85’ that aired in April, set in winter 1985, and ‘The First Shadow,’ the stage play set in 1959 that covers the origins of Henry Creel. ‘Other Worlds’ is the next chapter, making it the first new live-action ‘Stranger Things’ series since Season 5 aired in 2025. All five seasons are available on Netflix.