Aftershows are all the rage on television now, and it isn't hard to see why. With shows like Talking Dead pulling in audiences in numbers higher than a lot of scripted shows on television, it seems inevitable that Netflix was going to get in on the gimmick. Netflix's chief content officer Ted Sarandos explained the appeal of aftershows and said the reason why Stranger Things got Beyond Stranger Things essentially boiled down to serving fans:
With the level of fandom on Stranger Things, it's a nice way of extending the series and giving people that extra level of connection with the show when they're all done but want more. . . . We didn't want to interrupt the show with the aftershow. We knew early on that that's not the way people consume Netflix and it's definitely not the way people consume Stranger Things.
For that reason, Beyond Stranger Things was not the typical aftershow. On television, aftershows play after each new episode airs, as there is a pause in the action between the episode viewed and the one following, since another episode won't air until next week. On Netflix, it's all about binging, and one might definitely understand how frustrating it would be to constantly have to skip past the aftershow while trying to watch Season 2 of Stranger Things if one is not interested in watching said aftershow.
As for what the creators of Stranger Things think of aftershows, Matt Duffer admits he was apprehensive about appearing on camera to discuss the show. Once actor Jim Rash was attached to Beyond Stranger Things however, the brothers got on board and Matt admits he actually enjoyed the experience:
It went from me being wary about it to, 'This is actually a lot of fun.'
As for whether or not aftershows will be the standard for Netflix now, Ted Sarandos tells THR he's open to it. Specifically, he mentioned The OA and Black Mirror as potential options, as they feature episodes with layers that can be peeled away and analyzed. It's also possible that shows like these could get a mini-documentary feature like Beyond The Reasons that was released after Thirteen Reasons Why, which Ted Sarandos calls Netflix's first foray into the aftershow format.
Season 2 of Stranger Things and the aftershow Beyond Stranger Things are both currently streaming on Netflix. For even more discussion on Stranger Things, check out our list of details from Season 2 that fans may have missed. Fans can also listen to our Season 2 recap episode on The Cord Cutter Podcast later this week, and check out our November Netflix releases episode in the meantime. For more fall releases and where to watch them, be sure to visit our fall premiere guide.
