Andrey Ivchenko as Grigori in a denim jacket with a broken vehicle behind outdoors in Stranger Things.Image via Netflix
As difficult as it is to produce a hit property, it’s arguably more difficult to retain the property’s relevance beyond its initial run. HBO continues to expand the Game of Thrones universe with two spin-offs, and more along the way. But the journey has hardly been smooth. Netflix, on the other hand, is in the same boat as it prepares to dig its heels in and make sure that the Stranger Things brand endures. The blockbuster series ended its nearly decade-long five-season run at the end of 2025, and with it, brought its creators, the Duffer Brothers, closer to their exit. The Duffers are set to begin a creative partnership with Paramount that will allow them to make theatrical films as well as television series.
The final season of Stranger Things was met with mixed reviews, although the reactions weren’t as concerning as those that greeted the final season of Game of Thrones. The Duffers followed up their flagship series by executive-producing the acclaimed horror show Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, starring Camila Morrone. Their next project for Netflix is the sci-fi series The Boroughs, starring Bill Pullman, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Alfred Molina, and others. The show will be released on May 21. However, the Duffers have participated in another long-form project for Netflix between Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen and The Boroughs, and this one is tied directly to Stranger Things.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
Netflix’s Biggest Sci-Fi Property Is Back
This week, Netflix debuted its first Stranger Things spin-off, the animated series Stranger Things: Tales from ’85. The show is set between the events of the mainline show’s second and third seasons, with all the fan-favorite characters returning to solve new supernatural mysteries in the town of Hawkins. Developed by Eric Robles and Jennifer Muro, the 10-episode series opened to mixed reviews on April 23. It currently holds a 65% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, which is lower than any season of the live-action series. In her review, Collider’s Greer Riddell praised the show as “a fun-filled monster side quest that introduces new characters and new threats and reminds us why we fell in love with Stranger Things in the first place.” Despite the mixed early response, fans clearly couldn’t resist checking out the new Stranger Things series. According to FlixPatrol, it was among the most-watched shows both globally and domestically on Netflix following its midweek debut. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
