6 Addictive Shows to Fill the ‘Stranger Things’ Void
“Stranger Things” is without a doubt the best TV show of the late summer and early fall. But if you’re anything like me, now that it’s gone and it’s getting too cold to leave the house, you’re dying to binge on a different show with a similar vibe.
Well, the good news is that plenty of shows fit the bill. They just aren’t currently as buzzed about as “Stranger Things,” so you might not know about them. Some, like “Twin Peaks,” were the smash-hit of their time period. Others, like “Freaks and Geeks,” weren’t appreciated until later.
Either way, you can watch all of them now, so here they are.
1. Twin Peaks, Netflix
This show from 1990, helmed by horror king David Lynch, is the ultimate in supernatural TV series. It centers around Laura Palmer, a teen whose blue-ass body washes up on a pond in a Twilight-esque Pacific Northwestern town.
This show has everything. It’s creepy, it’s funny, and its aesthetic will make you want to throw out your entire wardrobe and start over. And even though I still don’t really understand who killed Laura Palmer, I cannot recommend it enough.
Also, it’s coming back in 2017! So do some research.
2. True Blood, HBO
This show will give you the horror and mystery elements you’re jonesing for, with an added bonus being super duper sexual. Like, True Blood is what brought naked Alexander Skarsgard to the general public. What are you waiting for? Go watch it!
There are two caveats, though: I can’t vouch for anything past the second season because the show got a little weird, and you should definitely never ever watch this show with your parents.
3. Freaks & Geeks, Netflix
Freaks and Geeks isn’t as scary as Stranger Things, Twin Peaks, or True Blood.
Actually, wait, that’s not true — it’s about losers in high school, so it’s scary as fuck. What I mean is it’s not focused on anything supernatural and there aren’t any murders.
But what it does have is two groups of misfits and outcasts making their way through high school in the same time period when Stranger Things was set. In fact, the way the friends interact is so similar, it’s easy to imagine the Stranger Things guys morphing into Sam Weir and friends a few seasons from now.
Freaks and Geeks was cancelled after its first season because it was too pure for this world. But it’s always on Netflix, so go watch it.
4. The Jinx, HBO
If your favorite part of Stranger Things was fearing for your god damn existence and questioning whether true evil really can take human form, then you’ll love The Jinx.
This miniseries from HBO tells the story of Robert Durst, an old-money squillionaire with a penchant for murdering and disembodying whoever sits still long enough, from his wife to his bestie to his neighbor. Allegedly.
The craziest part about The Jinx is that Robert Durst actually agreed to be interviewed multiple times for the series, to talk about all of these murders he’s been accused of but never charged with. Talk about a famewhore. Who does that?!
5. Making a Murderer, Netflix
Similar to The Jinx, Making a Murderer follows the saga of an accused murderer. But in The Jinx, you’re fairly sure Robert Durst did it all. In Making a Murder, though, things are muddier. You’re not even sure of your god damn name by the end.
If you found yourself addicted to the mystery aspects of Stranger Things, Making a Murderer is about to completely destroy your next weekend.
6. The X-Files, Hulu
I’m not gonna lie, I never got that into The X-Files back in its 90s heyday. But tons and tons of people were addicted to it and it’s stayed so relevant over the years that it’s back on TV now. If you’re addicted to the thrill of mysteries, The X-Files gives you a new one every episode, so it might just be the show for you.
