Netflix Is Doubling Down on Its ‘Stranger Things’ Cast

When Netflix likes something, it REALLY likes something. And unsurprisingly the streaming giant’s latest obsession seems to be one of its biggest hits: Stranger Things. Since the premiere of the beloved homage to ’80s nostalgia, Netflix has released five new projects starring the cast of Stranger Things with at least four new projects on the way.

From its very first originals, Netflix has proven it’s unparalleled when it comes to investing in talent. The Season 4 reboot of Arrested Development spun into several Netflix originals starring its iconic cast. Will Arnett helmed and starred in his own Netflix comedy, Flaked, and he continues to voice everyone’s favorite depressed horse on BoJack Horseman. Shortly after Arrested Development, David Cross revived a version of the cult Mr. Show with the premiere of W/ Bob and David. And Jason Bateman may be the biggest recipient of the Netflix boost. Bateman’s Ozark has now become an award-nominated staple for the streaming service.

But Netflix’s Stranger Things investment is far more than a couple of one-off projects. It’s growing into a mini in-house empire of talent that’s finally coming to fruition this year. Shannon Purser was the first to benefit from the Stranger Things bump. Two years after fan favorite Barb was killed off in Stranger Things’ first season, Purser re-emerged as the star of Sierra Burgess Is a Loser in 2018. That Netflix original had the double whammy of Purser and streaming’s it-boy Noah Centineo.

That was followed by the kids’ show Carmen Sandiego in January of 2019, which stars Finn Wolfhard as the player controlling Sandiego throughout her various missions. Natalia Dyer, the actress behind the wide-eyed Nancy, was the next to follow with her role in the supernatural satirical thriller Velvet Buzzsaw. Even Sean Astin has benefited from Netflix’s love of casting in-house. Astin first appeared on Netflix as the lovable and unfortunate Bob Newby in October of 2017. Roughly six months later he made another streaming appearance, this time as the narrator for The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants. Almost a year later Astin starred in his own comedy series, No Good Nick, which premiered in April.

However, that’s just a taste of all the Stranger Things side projects Netflix has to offer. This July David Harbour is set to star in the mockumentary special Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster, Frankenstein. That will be followed by Gaten Matarazzo’s announced supernatural prank show, Prank Encounters, which is set to premiere sometime this year. Stranger Things newcomer Sadie Sink is even benefiting from the Netflix love. Sink’s horror feature Eli was purchased by Netflix in December of 2018 and is expected to be released sometime in 2019.

That’s not even including Netflix’s deal with Stranger Things director-producer Shawn Levy. Around the premiere of Stranger Things 2, Netflix made a deal with Levy and his production company 21 Laps Entertainment. The deal is rumors to be for four years and has a seven-figure number attached to it. It also marked the first time Netflix made an exclusive deal with a producer for a series wholly owned by the streaming giant. Its more notable deals with creators like Shonda Rhimes, Jenji Kohan, Ryan Murphy, and Kenya Barris don’t fit that description.

Of course it’s not like Netflix is pivoting to only Stranger Things focused projects. The streaming service releases a staggering amount of new original content each week, and it appears there are no signs of that stopping anytime soon. It only makes sense that some of it would include the young and formerly unknown actors cementing Netflix as a TV staple. Also, when something works for Netflix, the streaming service is a master at making the most of it. Just look at Netflix’s number of originally branded shows and movies about cartels following the success of Narcos. When something works for Netflix, it rarely lets up.

And Stranger Things is working. Roughly a year after the release of its second season, Stranger Things was still being reported as one of the most watched shows on streaming. We’re not saying that Millie Bobby Brown is guaranteed to have a The Amanda Show-style sketch series on Netflix at some point in the future… But we’re also not counting it out.

Watch Stranger Things on Netflix