Netflix is eager to get their next Stranger Things off the ground, and they’re not the only ones. The 2016 series ran for five seasons over the course of nearly a decade and was a consistent attention grabber. Equally consistent was its breaking of records. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the entire series amassed a massive 8.65 billion minutes of view time throughout the week of 12/29/25 to 1/04/26. Even when the show was taking a year or two break, it continued to print money via clothing, board game, frozen pizzas, stickers, video games, and any number of other captured merchandising opportunities.
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All of the streamers want their own lucrative series like Stranger Things, and as has become obvious with their upcoming spinoffs, that includes Netflix itself. Their cash cow will continue to be viewed for years, but it wouldn’t hurt at all to have something similar that is fresh and just as popular. The five shows that follow, they could be a juggernaut, be it for Netflix or another streamer.
5) Crystal Lake
The Jason Universe started off with the short film “Sweet Revenge,” but it begins in full with this year’s Crystal Lake, the prequel series starring the great Linda Cardellini. And, like Stranger Things, this new era of the Friday the 13th saga could be one of its most lucrative yet. They’ve already gotten started with the merchandising tie-ins, with Angry Orchard having a Jason-themed cider back when the short film was first released.
As for why this one could be even better than Stranger Things, it too has its sights on replicating an ’80s vibe, and that’s the era when Friday the 13th was at its very best and most beloved. “Sweet Revenge” showed that those behind this new universe have their eyes set on merging the old with the new, and that’s what Jason needs after so many years dormant.
4) The Boroughs
The Duffer Brother’s production company, Upside Down Pictures, has three projects en route for 2026. Those are Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, The Boroughs, and one we’ll get to in a bit.
All three of them have their reasons for seeming like potential breakouts, but when it comes to The Boroughs it mostly comes down to casting and sharing a similar nostalgic vibe with Stranger Things. If takes place in a retirement community and features a few residents joining forces to stop some sort of cosmic threat from stealing their remaining time. It has the group dynamic of Stranger Things and even seems to have a bit of the ’80s minor classic Cocoon spun in for good measure. Toss in the ensemble cast of Bill Pullman, Jena Malone, Alfre Woodard, Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, and Dee Wallace and this one could definitely be a new favorite.
3) Spider-Noir
2026 is the biggest year for on-screen Spider-Man yet. Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the second season of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and the most intriguing of the lot, Spider-Noir, they’re all going to be fantastic.
Nicolas Cage has already proved he knows how to play this noir detective version of Spider-Man. He did it extremely well in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Now, eight years after that movie, he’s going to become the literal star of the show, and the trailer released by Prime Video is extremely exciting. This very well could be the biggest show of the year if the reviews are solid, and there’s no reason to believe they won’t be.
2) Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen
Like The Boroughs, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen comes from the Duffer Brothers and their Upside Down Pictures. However, its cagey trailer teases something that looks like it could have come from the mind of Mike Flanagan.
One of the appeals of Stranger Things, especially in its early days, was that its events were something of a mystery to the audience. There was a novelty factor in not being told much about what they’re about to watch. With Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen all we know is that there’s a wedding and, well, what the title conveys.
1) Lanterns
Lanterns, one of the 2026 additions to DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, is going to be every bit as popular as Peacemaker, if not even more so. This is its own things with two phenomenal leads, as opposed to a spinoff of a movie that, quite unfortunately, didn’t do particularly well.
Everything seems to be lining up for Lanterns. Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker Season 2 were all hits with critics, Kyle Chandler and Rebel Ridge‘s Aaron Pierre are both fantastic actors, and Nathan Fillion is returning as Guy Gardner. Toss in the presence of No Country for Old Men‘s Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, and Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro and this thing has some wildly impressive on-screen talent onboard.
Which of these shows are you the most excited for? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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Image Courtesy of Prime Video -
Image Courtesy of Netflix
