Stranger Things director Shawn Levy says Netflix took a "huge swing" with the sci-fi show, because "on paper, this made not a lot of sense"

News
By published

Shawn Levy thinks Stranger Things was a "staggering" bet for Netflix

Winona Ryder in Stranger Things season 5
(Image credit: Netflix)

Stranger Things director Shawn Levy thinks the sci-fi show was a massive bet for Netflix – since the show, on paper, didn't really sound like it should work.

Stranger Things debuted in 2016, back when Netflix wasn't quite the pop culture juggernaut it is today.

"But this streaming model, where people could experience a story contiguously and as the eight-hour movie that the Duffers envisioned, that always made tremendous sense," he continued. "Back then, Netflix was a much smaller company. My memory is that the circle of decision-makers was much smaller. And to be clear, the freaking bet the Netflix put on us and this show was staggering – and the kind of huge swing that we don’t see that often at any network or streamer anymore.

"This was an original show with kids, but not for kids; with two 30-year-old, unproven filmmakers; a movie director who had never done TV and whose movie career at that point was predominantly family comedy – on paper, this made not a lot of sense. But it was just that good. It was just that good," he concluded.

Molly Edwards
Molly Edwards
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I'm the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.