Highlights
- Netflix is expanding the Stranger Things universe with a new prequel, Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure, scheduled to premiere in 2028.
- Set in Marion, Nevada, in 1955, the series will explore events decades before the original show's story.
- Creators Matt and Ross Duffer are teaming up with writer Kate Trefry for the new project as the franchise continues beyond its five-season run.
Stranger Things may have reached the end of its original story, but Netflix is not ready to leave its supernatural universe behind. The streaming platform has announced a new prequel, Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure, which will take viewers back several decades before the events surrounding Hawkins.
Scheduled to premiere in 2028, the series will be set in Marion, Nevada, in 1955, introducing a different location and an earlier period in the franchise's fictional timeline. The project brings back Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer, who will work alongside writer Kate Trefry, serving as co-creator and showrunner.
Netflix announced the prequel on November 6 as part of its annual Stranger Things Day celebration. The date marks November 6, 1983, when Will Byers disappeared in the fictional town of Hawkins, setting the events of the original series in motion.
What is Netflix's new Stranger Things prequel about?
Unlike the original series, which follows a group of friends in Hawkins as they encounter supernatural forces, Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure will explore a different setting and period. Its 1955 timeline places the story decades before the events audiences have followed across the five-season series.
The move gives the creators an opportunity to expand the franchise's mythology while introducing new characters and stories. However, Netflix has not yet revealed detailed plot information or announced the cast.
The Duffers' involvement also connects the new project to the creative team behind the original series. Trefry, who has previously worked on Stranger Things, will lead the prequel as co-creator and showrunner.
How Netflix is expanding the Stranger Things universe
The new prequel is part of Netflix's wider efforts to keep the franchise alive beyond its original television run, which concluded in 2025. The company has already explored different formats, including the animated series Stranger Things: Tales From '85 and the stage production Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
These projects offer audiences different ways to revisit the supernatural world while exploring stories outside the original series. The stage production, in particular, expands the franchise's history through a story set before the events in Hawkins.
With Other Worlds, Netflix is taking the expansion further by developing another live-action series with a new setting and timeline. The approach allows the streaming platform to build on the recognition of an established franchise while giving its creative team room to explore different characters and mysteries.
Will Stranger Things continue after season five?
The original Stranger Things series concluded its five-season run in 2025, but its ending does not mark the end of the wider franchise. Netflix's latest announcement confirms that the company intends to continue exploring the fictional universe through stories that go beyond the original characters and their experiences in Hawkins.
The strategy reflects the growing importance of established entertainment franchises in the streaming industry, where familiar titles can attract audiences while introducing new stories and characters.
However, the success of future spin-offs will depend on whether they can offer something fresh rather than simply repeating the formula of the original. With its 1955 setting and new location, Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure will have the opportunity to establish its own identity while retaining the supernatural mystery associated with the franchise.
For fans waiting to return to the world of Stranger Things, the next chapter is expected to arrive in 2028.
