Diving Into Stranger Things
Photo: Netflix
The release of a long-awaited new season of Stranger Things should be joyous news for Netflix. The show quickly became a surprise smash hit, with its third season shattering the service’s streaming records back in 2019. But recent news about an unexpected loss of subscribers, leading to an even more dramatic drop in Netflix’s stock, has cast a shadow over the return of the massively popular series. With reports indicating that Netflix spent roughly $270 million producing the new nine-episode season, it’s perhaps never been more important for the streamer to get eyeballs on a new premiere. These dire circumstances are forcing Netflix to tackle a problem it likely hasn’t faced in years: attracting new subscribers.
For a long time, the streaming wars were largely a race to catch up with Netflix, but that’s no longer the case. A wealth of new players offering content libraries with comparable size, variety, and quality have finally begun to cut into the DTC giant’s audience share, and a recent hike in Netflix’s monthly subscription fees hasn’t helped. Most viewers are willing to pay for only a few streaming services, and it’s become clear that Netflix is no longer a given when they’re deciding which few they choose. How can Netflix change that? By targeting the people most likely to get a thrill out of their huge investment. We’re looking at the lists Stranger Things ranks high on to get a sense of what fans love about it, and at the shows the series shares fans with to learn which TV audiences Netflix can target to reverse its recent misfortunes and make the most of what should be an incredible TV event.
The fourth season of Stranger Things is set to debut on Netflix on May 27.
Photo: AMC
What Do Fans Love About Stranger Things?
Stranger Things is currently the #1 show on Ranker’s list of The Best Netflix Originals (268K votes). That’s great news for the people who made it, but not particularly helpful or surprising from Netflix’s perspective. It’s also #1 on The Best TV Shows Returning In 2022 (9K votes). That’s excellent news, indicating that a huge amount of anticipation has built up in the three years since the last season of Stranger Things. There’s a good chance a significant portion of those subscribers who ditched Netflix did so forgetting a new season was on the way, and the platform should make a serious effort to reengage those users.
But how will Netflix retain these returning users, or the ones who plan to end their subscription once they’ve binged Season 4? The company needs to create content that is similarly engaging to these viewers. Stranger Things’ #1 spot on the list of Good TV Shows For 13-Year-Olds (21K votes) indicates that a big part of the show’s appeal is that it’s TV-14. More content that can be enjoyed by both adults and older children will strengthen the streamer’s appeal relative to Disney+’s range of IP-heavy PG-13 programming.
On a different note, the fact that Stranger Things is #4 on The Best Conspiracy Shows On TV Right Now (2K votes), #5 on The Best Horror TV Series (3K votes), and #1 on Sci-Fi Shows You Should Be Watching Now (62K votes) indicates just how genre-breaking and adventurous the series is. Netflix might be tempted to play it safe with programming in the coming months, but the company’s biggest successes have come from big risks it took — after all, that’s why Stranger Things is #2 on Insanely Popular TV Shows That Networks Passed On (5K votes).
Who’s Watching Stranger Things?
Whether they’re people who’ve never subscribed to Netflix before, former customers, or current subscribers considering whether to take their streaming dollars elsewhere, the people Netflix needs to reach to maximize Stranger Things’ impact can be organized according to their taste in TV. These categories can help the streamer target its Stranger Things-focused viewers with more precision, or make future decisions about which types of content to produce or buy streaming rights to in order to attract and retain the Stranger Things audience.
FANS OF SUPERPOWERED MISFITS
Those who tune in to Stranger Things have a penchant for other series about oddballs who are looked down on by society either because or in spite of their supernatural powers. Fans of the Netflix series are 6X more likely to also enjoy The Umbrella Academy, which is returning for its third season in June, and super-parenting drama Raising Dion — two series that could seal the deal for this group of past, present, and future subscribers if they’re reminded of them frequently enough. Stranger Things fans are also 4X more likely to watch HBO Max's Doom Patrol, which means Netflix should consider targeting fans of that series on Facebook and AdWords.
These viewers love Stranger Things and… The Umbrella Academy, Raising Dion, Doom Patrol
‘80s KIDS
It’s no shocker that Stranger Things fans are children of the Reagan era. Whether they are ’80s kids themselves or just enthusiastic about kids’ shows from that decade, most people who tune into the sci-fi show probably have a deep appreciation for the pop culture history details in each episode. Fans of Stranger Things are 4X more likely than the average TV viewer to fondly remember the Muppet mayhem of Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock. They’re also 5X more likely to rewatch HBO’s classic Tales from the Crypt, which, like Stranger Things, offers viewers a cornucopia of ’80s stars. And finally, fans of Stranger Things are 3X more likely to watch the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series.
These viewers love Stranger Things and… Fraggle Rock, Tales from the Crypt, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
DARK SCI-FI/FANTASY FANATICS
Unsurprisingly, Stranger Things viewers are fans of similarly dark fantasy and twisted tales of sci-fi. They are 6X more likely to watch HBO’s Westworld, which is set to return for a new season in Summer 2022. Fans of bleak science fiction stories are also 5X more likely to watch Netflix’s Black Mirror, a Twilight Zone for the Twitter age. And finally, fans of dark fantasy are 4X as likely to watch AMC’s Preacher, based on the comic by Garth Ennis and developed by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen (creators of The Boys).
These viewers love Stranger Things and… Westworld, Black Mirror, Preacher
These stories are crafted using Ranker Insights, which takes over one billion votes cast on Ranker.com and converts them into actionable psychographics about pop culture fans across the world. To learn more about how our Ranker Insights can be customized to serve your business needs, visit insights.ranker.com, or email us at insights@ranker.com.
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