The Timeline

Season 1

Set in: 1983 | Released: 2016 | Episodes: 8

On November 6, 1983, 12-year-old Will Byers vanishes on his way home after a game of Dungeons & Dragons. His disappearance unearths a dark secret lurking beneath the surface of Hawkins. His mother, Joyce, becomes convinced he is communicating through the electricity in her home, while Police Chief Jim Hopper uncovers a conspiracy at Hawkins National Laboratory involving a young girl with telekinetic powers named Eleven.

Eleven escapes the lab and is found by Will's friends—Mike, Dustin, and Lucas. They hide her in Mike's basement, and she reveals that Will is trapped in a dark, parallel dimension she calls the "Upside Down," hunted by a faceless monster they dub the "Demogorgon." Meanwhile, Will's brother Jonathan and Mike's sister Nancy team up to hunt the monster after it takes Nancy's best friend, Barb.

The season culminates in a convergence at the middle school. Eleven sacrifices herself to disintegrate the Demogorgon, vanishing in the process. Joyce and Hopper enter the Upside Down to rescue Will, pulling him from the alien vines just in time. Life seems to return to normal, but Will coughs up a slug-like creature, revealing that the connection to the Upside Down is far from severed.

Key Events

  • Will Byers vanishes into the Upside Down.
  • Eleven escapes Hawkins Lab.
  • Joyce communicates with Will through Christmas lights.
  • The Demogorgon is defeated, but Eleven disappears.

🎵 Iconic Tracks

"Should I Stay or Should I Go" - The Clash
"Heroes" - Peter Gabriel

💡 Trivia

The Duffer Brothers auditioned 906 boys and 307 girls for the main roles.

🍅 Reception

Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Audience Score: 96%

Season 2

Set in: 1984 | Released: 2017 | Episodes: 9

Set around Halloween 1984, a year after Will's rescue, Hawkins is still recovering. Will is suffering from "episodes" where he flashes into the Upside Down, seeing a colossal Shadow Monster (the Mind Flayer) looming over the town. Hopper has been secretly hiding Eleven in a cabin in the woods to protect her from the government, causing tension between her and Mike, who calls her on the radio every night.

A new girl, Max, arrives in town, shaking up the boys' dynamic. Dustin finds a strange creature he names Dart, which grows into a "Demodog" and reveals that the Upside Down is spreading via a network of tunnels beneath the town. Will becomes possessed by the Mind Flayer, acting as its spy.

The group realizes they must burn the virus out of Will and close the Gate to kill the hive mind. Eleven returns from a journey of self-discovery (where she meets another test subject, Eight) to save her friends. While Joyce overheats Will to expel the entity, Eleven channels her rage to seal the massive rift at Hawkins Lab. The season ends with the Snow Ball dance, but the Mind Flayer watches ominously from the Upside Down, still alive.

Key Events

  • Max Mayfield arrives in Hawkins.
  • Will is possessed by the Mind Flayer.
  • Dustin raises a "Demodog" named Dart.
  • Eleven closes the Gate at Hawkins Lab.

🎵 Iconic Tracks

"Rock You Like a Hurricane" - Scorpions
"Time After Time" - Cyndi Lauper

💡 Trivia

Bob Newby was originally intended to die much earlier in the season.

🍅 Reception

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Audience Score: 90%

Season 3

Set in: 1985 | Released: 2019 | Episodes: 8

It's the summer of 1985. The new Starcourt Mall has become the center of life in Hawkins, putting local stores out of business. Romance is in the air for Mike and Eleven, much to Hopper's chagrin. However, the Mind Flayer has found a way back. It begins possessing rats and eventually people, starting with Max's stepbrother, Billy Hargrove, to build a physical body capable of killing Eleven.

Dustin, Steve, Robin, and Lucas's sister Erica discover a secret Soviet base beneath the mall. They learn the Russians are trying to reopen the Gate. Meanwhile, Nancy and Jonathan investigate a story about rabid rats that leads them to the "Flayed."

The season climaxes in the Battle of Starcourt. The kids fight the massive Flesh Monster in the mall atrium using fireworks. Eleven loses her powers after being bitten. In the Russian bunker below, Hopper and Joyce try to destroy the machine keeping the Gate open. Billy sacrifices himself to save Eleven from the Mind Flayer. Hopper appears to perish in the explosion to close the Gate. The Byers family and a powerless Eleven move away from Hawkins, splitting up the party.

Key Events

  • The Russians build a secret base under Starcourt Mall.
  • The Mind Flayer builds a physical body from melted people/rats.
  • Billy sacrifices himself to save Eleven.
  • Hopper appears to die closing the Russian gate.

🎵 Iconic Tracks

"Material Girl" - Madonna
"Never Ending Story" - Limahl

💡 Trivia

The Starcourt Mall was a real abandoned mall in Georgia that was rebuilt for the show.

🍅 Reception

Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Audience Score: 86%

Season 4

Set in: 1986 | Released: 2022 | Episodes: 9

Spring 1986. The group is scattered: Eleven and the Byers are in California, Hopper is a prisoner in Russia, and the rest are in Hawkins. A new threat, Vecna, begins gruesomely murdering teenagers in Hawkins, opening a small gate with each kill. He targets those with hidden trauma, eventually setting his sights on Max.

In California, Eleven is taken by Dr. Brenner to the "Nina Project" to regain her powers by reliving her repressed memories. She discovers that Vecna is actually Henry Creel (One), the orderly who tricked her into freeing him. In Russia, Joyce and Murray launch a daring rescue mission to break Hopper out of the gulag, fighting a Demogorgon in the process.

The Hawkins group enters the Upside Down to kill Vecna while he is in a trance. Eddie Munson distracts the Demobats with a metal concert but dies protecting the town. Eleven "piggybacks" into Max's mind to fight Vecna psychically. They manage to injure him, but Max is clinically dead for a minute, allowing the fourth gate to open. The four gates tear through Hawkins, causing a massive "earthquake." Max is left in a coma, and the season ends with the Upside Down bleeding into the real world, setting the stage for the final battle.

Key Events

  • Vecna's identity is revealed as Henry Creel / One.
  • Max is targeted by Vecna but saved by music ("Running Up That Hill").
  • Eddie Munson is framed for the murders.
  • The Upside Down begins to bleed into Hawkins, causing an "earthquake".

🎵 Iconic Tracks

"Running Up That Hill" - Kate Bush
"Master of Puppets" - Metallica

💡 Trivia

Vecna's makeup took over 7 hours to apply each day.

🍅 Reception

Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Audience Score: 89%