Okay, so no one is going to bring this up yet? This show is amazing. As a kid of the 80s (I was born in '68 and graduated in '86), the attention to detail is spot on. It's a movie that should have been made in the 80s, and been a huge hit. Wynona Rider and Matthew Modine head up the cast.

With no spoilers in this write-up (if others post them, that's up to them), the basic plot is that a boy goes missing in a small Indiana town. At the same time, a strange girl shows up. The town is racked with the mystery surrounding this boy disappearing, his friends befriending the girl (known only as 11), Rider's character's search for her missing son, and how "the upside down" is a place where no one wants to go, but they must in order to find and save the boy. A government group has held the girl hostage in order to exploit her supernatural powers. All the elements converge for a final showdown - or is it There are monsters, there is some ET stuff in it, some Firestarter, a bit of Close Encounters, a dash of Poltergeist, and all around basic 80s supernatural fun.

If you ever loved Stephen King, Steven Speilberg, and the like, you're going to love this show. It's only 8 episodes. Rider and Modine give great performances, and while you know most of the truth while watching, Rider is so convincing, you almost start to believe she's crazy like everyone else is already thinking.

A bit of trivia I found:

If you look closely, the uniforms of the sheriff's department are the exact same as the ones in Jaws, right down to the beige truck the sheriff drives. There are also a lot of nods to King in it (the kids walking down a railroad track), and Speilberg (kids on bikes running from government agents with a near alien in tow).

Right up my alley. That's my son and his girl friend's new favorite show. Gonna check iy out this weekend.

TrivialPursuit said:

I just finished the series the other day. I thought it was great! The attention to 80's detail was pretty good, except for a couple of things. When Nancy and Barb were getting ready to go to into Steve's house (I think this was the scene), Nancy told Barb to "chill." My husband and I were both teens in the 80s, and I asked him, "did we say 'chill' in the 80s?" I don't think that started till the late 80s.

.

Did you notice in the opening credits, the background has those little specks of white flashing (I don't know what they're called) like you'd see on TV back then from no cable connection? I don't know if you know what I'm talking about. I thought that was cool...really making it look like a show from the 80s.

.

The child actors were wonderful! Millie Bobby Brown should be getting a lot of roles from this, if you ask me.

.

You know a TV show/movie/book or whatever is really good, when you are still thinking about it for days afterward and trying to look things up about it online, reading message boards, etc.

.

Most of Netflix's series have been so good!!!!

SuzyHomemaker said:

I just finished the series the other day. I thought it was great! The attention to 80's detail was pretty good, except for a couple of things. When Nancy and Barb were getting ready to go to into Steve's house (I think this was the scene), Nancy told Barb to "chill." My husband and I were both teens in the 80s, and I asked him, "did we say 'chill' in the 80s?" I don't think that started till the late 80s.

I remember a rap song in the early 80s, when rap was having it's genesis in the public, and there was a video called "Chillin'" or "We're Chillin'". I thought it was Kurtis Blow, but I'm not finding that song in his discography. I remember the video being in an underground bar, where the artist was a bartender. They had the A/C cranked, and everything had icicles hanging from it (because, you know - they're chillin'). I remember them even folding their arms across their chest and posin', like rappers did back then, when they said "Cuz we're chillinnnn". For the life of me, I can't find the song or artist right now. But that was the early 80s. However, it might not have been in the lexicon so readily, especially in Indiana.

Also, "Sunglasses at Night" was out in January 1984, just months after the show takes place (it ends in December 1983).

Barb's outfits were a scream, as well as her hair. I knew quite a few girls with mom jeans, and that lacy button up blouse, and that awful hair.

loved it! five stars

Just finished yesterday! Very, very cool. Hoping for more season, but I'd say those are guaranteed.

.

[Edited 7/25/16 14:12pm]

Phishanga said:

Just finished yesterday! Very, very cool. Hoping for more season, but I'd say those are guaranteed.

I would think they'd renew for at least another 2 years. Nothing on the wiki page says anything about ordering a 2nd season yet. It has a 9.2 on IMDB and 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, so it has gotten great reviews from critics and fans alike.

I'm starting 11.22.63 on Hulu.

TrivialPursuit said:

Phishanga said:

Just finished yesterday! Very, very cool. Hoping for more season, but I'd say those are guaranteed.

I would think they'd renew for at least another 2 years. Nothing on the wiki page says anything about ordering a 2nd season yet. It has a 9.2 on IMDB and 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, so it has gotten great reviews from critics and fans alike.

I'm starting 11.22.63 on Hulu.

I think it's a total hit for Netflix. It's getting so much buzz and word of mouth. It will continue.

Season 2 is coming 2017!!!!!

AnnaSantana said:

Absolutely loved it! Usually hate child actors but the central quintet in this were superb. And the soundtrack was one of the best I've heard in years.

Watched it over a friend's last night and was hooked. Great show and it does bring back a lot of funny memories of the early 80's.....especially the wardrobe.

Great show, love the soundtrack but just 8 e´pisodes it's too little

Binge watched the whole thing a while back. Very enjoyable. Good story, characters and the soundtrack is sublime. Looking forward to the second series.