Stranger Things season 2 will be set a year later and A LOT has happened

Stranger Things turned our world Upside Down (ahem) last year leaving us wanting more and now a few more details are starting to creep out about Stranger Things season 2, including when it’ll be set and just what has happened since Will Byers returned.

As first reported by HollywoodLife (via Screen Rant), actor David Harbour (good guy cop Jim Hopper) made waves with a season 2 reveal during a Fan2Sea Comic-Con cruise: “It’s a year later in the story, so there are several things that happened last year… There are certain people in the town that know what happened, and then certain people that don’t,” before adding, “[T]here’s a lot of fallout with who knows what.”

It sounds like Stranger Things will try and open up the town of Hawkins, Indiana. The fictional Midwest location was largely untroubled in season 1 by, y’know, a mysterious institute on their doorstep and several people going missing or dying. These things tend to get noticed eventually…

It seems Jim, who previously had the hots for Winona Ryder’s character Joyce Byers, has a new love rival in the shape of an old classmate of Jim and Joyce, played by newcomer Sean Astin. In fact, he’s “Winona’s new boyfriend… much to the chagrin of the Chief of Police.” Expect tension and probably plenty of fisticuffs between Jim and Joyce's new man.

Expect plenty of mysterious goings on (and Winona Ryder looking generally anxious) when Stranger Things season 2 returns on Netflix later this year.

Image: Netflix

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.