Stranger Things is an American streaming television series created by the Duffer Brothers for Netflix, which features an ensemble cast. It is set in the fictional rural town of Hawkins, Indiana, in the 1980s. The Hawkins National Laboratory ostensibly performs scientific research for the United States Department of Energy, but secretly conducts experiments on the paranormal and supernatural, frequently employing human subjects. These experiments inadvertently create a portal to an alternate dimension known as the Upside Down, which begins to affect the residents of Hawkins in calamitous ways. The first season was released in its entirety on Netflix on July 15, 2016, followed by the second season on October 27, 2017, and the third season on July 4, 2019. The fourth season was released in two volumes on May 27 and July 1, 2022, respectively. The fifth and final season was released in three segments: two volumes on November 26 and December 25, 2025, respectively, followed by the finale on December 31.
Throughout its run, the series has received positive reviews and numerous accolades for its writing, acting, direction, production values, visual effects, and soundtrack. Stranger Things has been nominated for many awards, including 64 Primetime Emmy Awards (13 wins), four Golden Globe Awards, four Grammy Awards, four Critics' Choice Television Awards (one win), 13 Saturn Awards (four wins), two Producers Guild of America Awards (one win), three Writers Guild of America Awards, and two Peabody Awards (one win). It was also selected by the American Film Institute as one of its top 10 television programs of the year for the first two seasons.
The main cast has been nominated for three Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series nominations, winning in 2017. Millie Bobby Brown is the most nominated member of the cast. Brown, David Harbour, and Winona Ryder have received individual Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for their performances in the series. Brown and Harbour also received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations, while Harbour and Ryder were each nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
Total awards and nominations for the cast
+ Actor Character Nominations Awards Millie Bobby Brown Jane "Eleven" Hopper 32 12 Winona Ryder Joyce Byers 11 3 Finn Wolfhard Mike Wheeler 11 1 David Harbour Jim Hopper 10 2 Caleb McLaughlin Lucas Sinclair 10 2 Noah Schnapp Will Byers 9 5 Gaten Matarazzo Dustin Henderson 8 2 Natalia Dyer Nancy Wheeler 4 1 Charlie Heaton Jonathan Byers 4 1 Joe Keery Steve Harrington 4 1 Sadie Sink Max Mayfield 4 1 Cara Buono Karen Wheeler 3 1 Maya Hawke Robin Buckley 3 1 Dacre Montgomery Billy Hargrove 3 0 Joe Chrest Ted Wheeler 2 1 Matthew Modine Martin Brenner 1 1 Rob Morgan Powell 1 1 John Paul Reynolds Callahan 1 1 Mark Steger Monster 1 1 Joseph Quinn Eddie Munson 1 1 Sean Astin Bob Newby 1 0 Jamie Campbell Bower Vecna 3 0 Jake Busey Bruce 1 0 Catherine Curtin Claudia Henderson 1 0 Cary Elwes Larry Kline 1 0 Priah Ferguson Erica Sinclair 1 0 Brett Gelman Murray Bauman 1 0 Andrey Ivchenko Grigori 1 0 Michael Park Tom Holloway 1 0 Shannon Purser Barbara "Barb" Holland 1 0 Francesca Reale Heather Holloway 1 0 Paul Reiser Sam Owens 1 0
Awards and nominations