Stranger Things: All 4 seasons ranked from worst to best

1. Stranger Things season 1

It’s hard to fully sum up the magic that was created when Stranger Things was born. A nostalgically endearing and yet unbelievably terrifying thrill-ride, its first season opened the doors to the Upside Down in a way every bit as captivating as it was aesthetically-pleasing.

Set in the small town of Hawkins, it introduced us to instantly memorable characters like Joyce Byers and Chief Jim Hopper, or the beloved group of Dungeons and Dragons-playing kids that would find themselves at the heart of the mystery that would unfold in their quiet little town. And as they searched endlessly for their friend Will Byers, they soon discovered that there was evil in Hawkins and not all of it was of this world.

Stranger Things has never produced a bad season, but the truth is that nothing comes close to the perfection of its first. A small and contained story, it’s a gripping thriller that does so, so much with very little, and it flourishes because of that – all while paying tribute to a decade of ’80s properties that will leave even those of us who weren’t born in that decade feeling unbelievably nostalgic.