Ten years ago, Stranger Things turned our world upside down.
We flipped out like the van in Season 1.
When Hopper vanished in Season 3 it mirrored the disappearance of the show’s own quality.
By Season 5, the D&D party was over. That season sucked, even by TV standards.
(Son…I’m not blindly signing up for the whole ‘this is the golden era of television’ narrative. Stranger Things 5 is a valid reason to instantly dismiss all that noise.)
10 Years, yo.
For all the pop culture we consume, it’s a thin pantheon of significant cultural architects.
Stan Lee (and his Amazing Friends) built Marvel.
George Lucas built Star Wars.
JK Rowling built Hogwarts.
Jim Henson > Walt Disney.
Beyond being popular properties — these are original and expanding universes that rewired how we engage the world.
And now…does that pantheon extend to The Duffer Brothers?
Is Stranger Things new IP?
Or is the dream dead…Jim?
Ten years on, it’s not yet retro enough to be classic and not fresh enough to remain relevant.
It’s caught in the upside down of its own marketing.
Hype is for heathens, not believers:
Nostalgia is not synonymous with mythology.
A Spotify playlist is fun, but it’s the music that really lasts.
Sammy Verdict: Anyone can get an A on the first day of school. Starting strong helps but ya gotta finish strong, too.
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Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair podcast: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.
