It used to be somewhat rare for genre-heavy TV shows to become mainstream conversation pieces, but the sci-fi horror of Stranger Things almost instantly permeated pop culture's nucleus when it debuted on Netflix last year, and if recent stats are true, it's up there with the most popular shows on television. So it would make sense that the highly anticipated second season, in which creators Matt and Ross Duffer continued to draw influences from King of Horror Stephen King, that the esteemed author himself would continue his praise for Stranger Things.
Outside of all his fictional epics, nonfiction essays and the like, Stephen King is a daily treat on Twitter (assuming his constant readers don't mind hearing his unbridled opinions on all manner of things outside of stories), and his tweets are are often digital version of the book-jacket blurbs that writers undoubtedly love to receive. And it's hard to imagine a way for the Duffer brothers to take the above criticism and not get extremely excited by it.
To come up with something in the world of horror and have Stephen King say, "That's how you do it." I mean, it's like an Iron Chef asking for a family recipe. Granted, it's almost old hat for Matt and Ross Duffer at this point, since King was also a pretty big fan of Season 1. And who can blame him, since both seasons have thematically borrowed from different sections of King's bibliography. (As well as from the Ghostbusters clan.)
Sure, not everything Stephen King likes is considered pop culture gold by everyone else, but he's generally on the mark when it comes to the horror genre. And he knows he's got his own set of critics out there who challenge his opinions, which is addressed here.
What we're really hoping now is that the Duffer brothers will write up a role in Season 3 where Stephen King gets to show up for either a short bit, similar to his cameo in Mr. Mercedes, or for an actual arc. He did it in Sons of Anarchy, sort of, so why not here?
Both seasons of Stranger Things can be streamed right now on Netflix, where you can also find Stephen King-adapted originals like Gerald's Game and 1922. If you're in need of some Stranger Things spoilers, we got the scoop from the Duffer brothers about Dart's fate, about who they originally wanted to kill off, and what the chances of a spinoff are. And if you want to know what other new shows are coming soon, head to our fall TV premiere schedule.
