One of the biggest shows available to stream concluded in 2025, with a finale that sparked mixed reactions and criticism. But the reactions were not surprising, nor was the way the finale fell through.
If you were upset with the Stranger Things ending, you wouldn’t be alone. As a longtime fan, I hated the ending for many reasons as well. But to cope, I started a similar Netflix show that gets it right from beginning to end. Here’s what you need to know.
My gripe with Stranger Things 5
The ending of Stranger Things 5 was many things, but satisfying was not one of them.
Spoilers for Stranger Things 5 and Dark ahead.
What stuck out like a sore thumb about Season 5 of Netflix’s most popular show to date was the dip in quality between the two volumes, exacerbated by the month-long gap between volume releases. Volume 1 set its successor up for high expectations, ending on a cliffhanger that generated massive hype and, as a result, sparked fan theories that made the actual plot points and twists feel dull.
Add a rushed finale that did little to tie a neat bow on story arcs, forgotten side characters that disappeared like the Demogorgons in the Upside Down, and a main character “death” that held little emotional weight for many viewers, and you’re left with a Duffer-penned final season that felt as flat as its long-awaited climax.
Credit: Netflix
My disappointment with this show, one that I have been attached to since I was a teenager growing up with the main cast, was how far the story and atmosphere strayed from Season 1. Overcrowded by the addition of so many characters (and a Mr. Whatsit plot that I didn’t care for), the simplicity and heart of the show, from the Byers family to the ’80s nostalgia, felt like they took a backseat.
The negative audience reaction was, however, not out of the blue, as Stranger Things made the fatal mistake of having a prominent gap between seasons, especially before its final one. Like BBC Sherlock’s Season 4, this decision led to fan theories and hiatus hype that undermined the impact of the fifth season.
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If you have a bad taste in your mouth after finishing Stranger Things, don’t worry—let me put you onto another Netflix show that may rinse it out.
Why I started watching Dark (and you should too)
Credit: Netflix
Dark is a German sci-fi show that I started watching during my sci-fi run, and I’m glad I started it right after Stranger Things. The two shows share similar traits—Dark features a missing boy, a small town where everything goes wrong, and mysterious phenomena that you may have come across in Stranger Things (think oddly behaving lights and environmental anomalies). Mainly, it’s the ’80s nostalgia (although not as prominent) and an ensemble cast of young characters that make the stakes feel higher.
But what makes Dark appealing is actually how different it is from Stranger Things. While the latter is more of a creature feature/sci-fi horror, Dark is a spider web of time travel and murder mysteries that draws you to the lives of four main families in the fictional town of Winden. Spanning several points in time, the story takes you through a rollercoaster of events involving mysterious disappearances, time machines, and a cave that holds more secrets than Winden’s occupants.
One thing that Dark got right was how close the release of its three seasons was. This made the story feel more coherent when it came to character arcs, because the younger cast’s real age range aligned with those of their characters. Stranger Things had this problem, of course, where delays between seasons made us suspend belief in terms of character aging.
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I would go as far as to say that Dark even has more characters (in a way) than Stranger Things. Dark nails how well each character is fleshed out. This is because you meet new and old versions of the main and supporting cast in Winden, and as complicated as that may sound, it keeps the plot moving in a unique direction.
What strikes me as the most interesting thing about Dark is how it deals with time travel, exploring rules that are not very generic (especially how characters interact with future and past versions of themselves). It’s a fresh watch if you feel fatigued from classic sci-fi shows involving similar themes.
Dark can be a little difficult to watch if you’re not continuously viewing all three seasons, given how intertwined each plot point is to the overarching story, which is why it was my first binge-watch of the year. Like all good shows, it does come with some faults, but I’ll let you make the final verdict if you decide to give it a watch.
If you like sci-fi horror and aligned stories, there are many shows on Netflix and other platforms that you can indulge in after Stranger Things.
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