3 Must-Watch Series If You Love ‘Stranger Things’

Fan of the hit Netflix series Stranger Things? Here are three other series to watch if you’re a fan of shows with the fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, supernatural, and drama combination.

Two you can also find on Netflix (if you haven’t already). The other is on Amazon Instant Video.

1. Dark (Netflix)

Dark could almost be described as a German version of Stranger Things. Almost. The three major parallels are:

1. It involves kids, particularly ones that go missing.
2. It’s also partly set in the 1980s.
3. There’s a major business in town that’s disrupting the flow of things, which causes there to be more going on than meets the eye. (In Stranger Things a lab is the culprit; in Dark it’s a nuclear plant.)

“But did you say it’s German?”

Yes. It is from Germany, which means it’s in German, but it’s been dubbed over in English. No reading involved for those of you who would pass up a foreign language series if reading is involved.

For me the dubbing made some scenes a little awkward. Not because the mouths don’t always match up with the words. They’ve actually done a great job keeping all that as congruent as possible. It’s just that some of the voice-over actors are more smooth than others.

But did any of that detract from me devouring this series? Absolutely not.

It’s engrossing, thought provoking, and riveting.

2. The Kettering Incident (Amazon Instant Video)

This one originates from Australia. It follows a doctor, Anna, working in London whose ill-health causes her to return to her hometown of Kettering, Tasmania.

Anna gets violently debilitating headaches that results in missing time. (As in, she’s unable to account for time that has passed. She’ll start out in one place but “come to” in another hours later and she can’t explain it because she has no memory of that time.)

There’s also a missing persons aspect to the Kettering Incident. Fifteen years earlier, Anna’s best friend, Gillian, went missing. Actually so did Anna, but she was found. However, she was the last person to see Gillian. Anna has no recollection of being separated from her best friend. She can’t remember what happened during the time she set off with Gillian on their bikes to when she was later discovered near an old house.

Needless to say there’s a huge cloud of suspicion over Anna. Most believe she killed Gillian.

There’s no major company or establishment causing the weird phenomenon in Kettering.

“Weird phenomenon?”

Oops. Let me back up a smidge. For whatever reason, the sky over Kettering has two suns. Some say it’s a trick of the eyes because of geographical and atmospheric conditions, but others believe it’s something else.

Because something else is going on in Kettering. Could it have to do with the potential illegally disposed of hazardous waste in the mountains that’s leeching into the water? Or is there an even more otherworldly explanation?

To be honest, the main character grated my nerves a little bit. That’s what stopped me from gobbling this one up as ferociously as Dark (or even Stranger Things). But there was still binging involved. It definitely kept me intrigued trying to figure out what in the heck was happening. Aliens? Mutants? I don’t know! I’m eager to learn when Season 2 will be coming out and if it will answer any of the questions!

3. Glitch (Netflix)

This is another Australian gem. It’s kind of like Les Revenants (a.k.a. The Returned, A&E’s American version. The French original is crazy good if subtitles don’t bother you. Even if they do, it’s worth the bother.)

But back to Glitch. Six dead people suddenly crawl out of their graves, perfectly healthy (not craving brains) but don’t remember who they are and certainly don’t know they’ve been dead. The sheriff’s first wife is among them. They do end up recognizing each other, but he’s since remarried –to her BFF. Awkward.

The others struggle as they first try to discover their identities and then remember their pasts. All the while the search is on to figure out how they’re linked to one another and why they came back to life.

As of this post, the second season was recently released on Netflix. Lucky for you if you didn’t see the first season yet. You can binge both seasons uninterrupted. (Well, except for bathroom breaks and sleep.)

Have you watched any of these?