‘Stranger Things’ Returns as a 1950s Prequel ‘Other Worlds’

Credit: Shutterstock

Fans of ‘Stranger Things’ have good news. Netflix has officially ordered a new prequel series called ‘Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure’. It is set to arrive in 2028. For fans who thought the story had ended with the finale, this is a big surprise.

The news dropped on Nov. 6, also known as ‘Stranger Things Day’. Fans celebrate this date every year because it is the day Will Byers went missing in 1983. To mark the moment, Netflix shared a short, spooky teaser. It ends with lightning splitting the clouds, and a line that says, “Before Hawkins, there was Marion.”

So where does this story take place? It is set in Marion, Nevada, in 1955. That is nearly 30 years before the first season of the show. It is even earlier than the stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow.

Netflix says it is a new adventure with fresh heroes. It promises the same heart, mystery and big moments that made the show a hit around the world. The Nevada setting also ties into a mystery from The First Shadow, so longtime fans have plenty to talk about.

This has been a long wait. A spinoff was first reported back in 2022. The original series ended with its fifth and final season in 2025, so the news comes almost a year after the finale.

The teaser also hides a few fun details. Last year, the Duffers said they were done with the 1980s and with kids on bikes. Still, the teaser shows a bike. The song “Sh-Boom” by The Chords also plays. Fans heard the same song in Season 5, when Max goes back to a memory of Hawkins High. Many will see it as a small nod to Henry’s story.

Who is making it? Matt and Ross Duffer, the brothers who created Stranger Things, are behind it again. They created it with Kate Trefry, who wrote for the show and also wrote The First Shadow. Trefry will serve as showrunner and executive producer. Shawn Levy’s company, 21 Laps, is also involved. The 21 Laps team said it feels thrilled and privileged to keep telling stories from this world.

Jinny Howe, who leads scripted series for the U.S. and Canada at Netflix, said the show has always belonged to the fans. She added that their passion helped make it a worldwide phenomenon.

The Duffers said they have been dreaming of this for years. They called the moment “surreal and exhilarating.” They promised a brand new story that will blow minds and break hearts all over again. Around the finale, they also hinted that the spinoff would look at the time before Henry Creel was exposed to the strange substance that gave him his powers. Henry is the character who later becomes Vecna, the show’s main villain.

We still don’t know much. Plot details are secret, and no cast has been announced. The Duffers said the search for actors starts now. For the moment, all we have is the teaser, the year and the setting. That is already enough to get fans talking.

Here is where the franchise stands today. The original series, the animated show Tales From ‘85 (renewed for a second season earlier this year), and the stage play. Other Worlds will be the first live-action TV spinoff. All five seasons of Stranger Things and Tales From ‘85 are streaming on Netflix, so there is plenty of time to rewatch before 2028. Until then, the Duffers have one message for fans: keep an eye on the sky.