5 Sci-Fi & Fantasy TV Shows to Watch On Netflix After Stranger Things

Stranger Things has dominated popular culture for almost a decade, but Netflix’s flagship TV series is finally coming to an end. The streaming giant is determined to keep the franchise alive, of course; there’s an animated Stranger Things spinoff in the works. But the Duffer brothers themselves are headed to the small screen, and there’ll be nothing to tempt viewers like the ongoing adventures of Eleven and her allies as they battle against Vecna. We’re coming to the (triumphant) end of an era.

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But what to watch now Stranger Things is ending? We’ve put together a list of five TV shows – either complete or renewed – that anyone who loves Stranger Things will find well worth checking out. These are Netflix TV series noted for their unique charm and character, their creativity and originality, and their powerful sense of drama. None of them are quite Stranger Things, but they’re all worthwhile.

5. Locke & Key

Let’s start with Locke & Key, a three-season fantasy TV series inspired by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s excellent comic book saga. A grief-stricken family return to their ancestral home after the tragic murder of husband and father Rendell Locke, and soon discover that they are heirs to the ancient secrets of the Keyhouse. All around this Keyhouse are mysterious keys that grant incredible powers – allowing you to change size, your soul to leave its body, and so much more.

Locke & Key is wonderfully atmospheric, with excellent performances from the young cast; it initially feels like a spiritual successor to Stranger Things Season 1, but quickly evolves into something fresh and unique. Too many Netflix Originals are canceled before they get the chance to fulfill their potential, but Locke & Key‘s three seasons tell a complete story, welcoming you into the Keyhouse, revealing its secrets, and bringing it all to an epic conclusion.

Netflix’s algorithms often prioritize the new releases, but Locke & Key stands apart precisely because it finished three years ago. This is a story you can binge-watch in full, watching the characters (and actors) grow and evolve, enjoying the journey and reacting in surprise to the twists. If you like Stranger Things, this is definitely one show to watch.

4. Wednesday

Starring Jenny Ortega as Wednesday Addams, the hit Wednesday series has breathed fresh life into the Addams Family. The first season premiered to rave reviews in 2022, praised for its incredible Gothic atmosphere and whimsical sense of fun; but that should come as no surprise, since it’s very much the brainchild of Tim Burton. Wednesday Season 2 aired in 2025, and wasn’t quite as successful, with reduced viewership and a lower audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes, but it’s still a fantastic show.

Wednesday is a true heir to the Addams Family mythos, as creepy and kooky as anything we’ve ever seen. Like Stranger Things, it’s a generational saga, initiated when Wednesday Addams is sent to Nevermore Academy – the school where her parents first met. She soon finds herself plunged into real-life murder mysteries galore, dealing with invisible stalkers, and (of course) sharing an unfortunate first kiss. The dynamic between Ortega and co-star Emma Myers, who plays Wednesday’s long-suffering roommate, is absolutely fantastic.

3. Alice in Borderland

Now it’s time for something a little different; Alice in Borderland, a Japanese sci-fi thriller based on a popular manga. Like Locke & Key, Alice in Borderland is a three-season story that’s now complete (although, in this case, the Season 3 finale sets up a potential spinoff that’s sadly unlikely to happen). This time round, though, the premise is even darker; something has gone badly wrong with the world, most people have vanished, and the remainder are forced to participate in deadly, brutal games.

Alice in Borderland toys with many of the Stranger Things tropes. The heroes are based in a twisted version of Tokyo, their relationship with the rest of the world (or, perhaps, the real world) mysterious and uncertain. But it’s also quite distinctive, because this is a psychological survivor-drama in the vein of The Hunger Games, with each task pushing ordinary human beings to breaking point – and sometimes beyond. It’s unmissable.

2. The Umbrella Academy

Perhaps you’re drawn to Stranger Things because of its innovative use of music. If so, you’ll definitely want to check out The Umbrella Academy, another comic book adaptation with a style all of its own. It stars a group of superheroes who are essentially the antithesis of the Avengers, because they’re an utter mess. Expect all the classic superhero tropes to be flipped on their head in this trippy, whimsical show that wrapped after four seasons back in 2024.

Stranger Things Season 5 has played heavily on time travel, and few series actually manage to pull that off well. The Umbrella Academy is an exception, because each season is driven by the Hargreeves family’s desperate attempts to avert one apocalypse after another through time travel, and it all becomes gloriously chaotic. To watch The Umbrella Academy is to sit back and enjoy one of the wildest rides of all.

1. Dark

Finally, in first place we have Dark, widely considered one of the greatest TV series of the 21st century so far. A German sci-fi mystery thriller that ran from 2017 to 2020, Dark plays with so many of the same ideas as Stranger Things, but it does so with a fresh and creative style that’s delighted viewers. Expect missing children, parallel worlds, potential apocalypses, tremendous music, and so much more.

Stranger Things leans hard on ’80s nostalgia, and the adolescent drama hasn’t always worked given the aging of the cast. Dark has something of an edge, then, in that it’s simply a lot more mature and sophisticated. The science-fiction is baked deep into the plot rather than existing in the background, which means everything ties together in a remarkable way, leaving a truly rewarding feeling when you finish the three seasons. Consider this show unmissable.

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