Stranger Things Season 2
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The second season of the
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
television series ''
Stranger Things ''Stranger Things'' is an American television series created by the Duffer brothers, Duffer Brothers for Netflix. Produced by Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment, the Stranger Things season 1, first season was released on N ...
,'' marketed as ''Stranger Things 2'', was released worldwide on the streaming service
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
on October 27, 2017. The series was created by the
Duffer Brothers Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer (born February 15, 1984), often credited as the Duffer Brothers, are both American television writers, directors, and producers. The brothers are identical twins and work on all their projects as a pair. They are best ...
, who also serve as executive producers along with
Shawn Levy Shawn Adam Levy (; born July 23, 1968) is a Canadian and American filmmaker and actor. He is the founder of 21 Laps Entertainment. His work has spanned numerous genres, and his films as a director have grossed a collective $3.5 billion worldwid ...
, Dan Cohen and Iain Paterson. This season stars
Winona Ryder Winona Laura Horowitz (born ), known professionally as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Having come to attention playing quirky characters in the late 1980s, she achieved success with her more dramatic performances in the 1990s. Ryder's L ...
,
David Harbour David Kenneth Harbour (born April 10, 1975) is an American actor. His accolades include nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He began his career acting in Shakespearean theatre productions. Aft ...
,
Finn Wolfhard Finn Michael Wolfhard (born December 23, 2002) is a Canadian actor, musician, and film director. He is known for playing Mike Wheeler on the Netflix series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present). He also played Richie Tozier in the horror film ...
,
Millie Bobby Brown Millie Bonnie Brown Bongiovi ( Brown; born 19 February 2004), known professionally as Millie Bobby Brown, is a British actress and producer. She gained recognition for playing Eleven (Stranger Things), Eleven in the Netflix science fiction ser ...
,
Gaten Matarazzo Gaetano John "Gaten" Matarazzo III ( , ; born September 8, 2002) is an American actor. He began his career on the Broadway stage as Benjamin in '' Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'' (2011–12) and as Gavroche in ''Les Misérables'' (2014–15) ...
,
Caleb McLaughlin Caleb Reginald McLaughlin (born October 13, 2001) is an American actor. He gained international recognition playing Lucas Sinclair in the Netflix series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present). He began his career playing young Simba in the Broadw ...
,
Noah Schnapp Noah Cameron Schnapp (born October 3, 2004) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Will Byers in the Netflix science fiction horror series ''Stranger Things''. In addition to his work in television, Schnapp had a supporting role in ...
,
Sadie Sink Sadie Elizabeth Sink (born April 16, 2002) is an American actress. She began her acting career in theater, playing the title role in the musical '' Annie'' (2012–14) and young Elizabeth II in the historical play '' The Audience'' (2015) on ...
,
Natalia Dyer Natalia Danielle Dyer (born January 13, 1995) is an American actress. She is known for starring as Nancy Wheeler in the Netflix science fiction horror series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present). She has also appeared in the Peacock comedy thril ...
,
Charlie Heaton Charles Ross Heaton (born 6 February 1994) is an English actor. He is known for starring as Jonathan Byers in the Netflix science fiction horror series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present) and for his roles in feature films like '' As You Are'' ...
,
Joe Keery Joseph David Keery (born April 24, 1992), known professionally in music as Djo, is an American actor and musician. He became known for playing Steve Harrington in the science fiction series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present), and has since sta ...
,
Dacre Montgomery Dacre Kayd Montgomery-Harvey (; born 22 November 1994) is an Australian actor. Montgomery began acting in short films as a teenager before making his feature film debut in the adventure comedy ''A Few Less Men'' (2017). In 2017, Montgomery star ...
,
Cara Buono Cara Buono (born March 1, 1971) is an American actress. Emmy-nominated for her role as Dr. Faye Miller in ''Mad Men'', she has played Karen Wheeler in the horror sci-fi series ''Stranger Things'' since its premiere in 2016. She also portrayed ...
,
Sean Astin Sean Patrick Astin (; born February 25, 1971) is an American actor. His acting roles include Mikey Walsh in '' The Goonies'' (1985), Billy Tepper in '' Toy Soldiers'' (1991), Dave Morgan in '' Encino Man'' (1992), Daniel Ruettiger in '' Rudy'' ...
and
Paul Reiser Paul Reiser (; born March 30, 1956) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He played the roles of Michael Taylor in the 1980s sitcom ''My Two Dads'', Paul Buchman in the NBC sitcom ''Mad About You'', Modell in the 1982 film ''Diner (1982 f ...
.
Brett Gelman Brett Gelman (born October 6, 1976) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Murray Bauman in Netflix's horror-supernatural series ''Stranger Things'' and as Martin in the BBC comedy '' Fleabag''. Gelman began his care ...
,
Linnea Berthelsen Linnea Berthelsen (born 13 July 1993) is a Danish actress, who is best known for her recurring role as Kali, also known as Eight, the sister of Eleven in the second season of the science-fiction horror Netflix original series ''Stranger Things ...
,
Matthew Modine Matthew Avery Modine (born March 22, 1959) is an American actor and filmmaker. He shared the Venice Film Festival‘s Volpi Cup for Best Actor as part of the ensemble cast of Robert Altman film ''Streamers'' (1983). He went on to play lead rol ...
, and
Priah Ferguson Priah Nicole Ferguson (born October 1, 2006) is an American actress from Atlanta, Georgia. She is best known for her role as Erica Sinclair on the Netflix's series ''Stranger Things''. Ferguson began acting at a young age and her career spans TV ...
also appear in recurring roles. The season received highly positive reviews, particularly for its story, character development, production values, visual effects, performances (particularly those of Harbour, Brown, Schnapp, Keery, and Astin), and darker tone compared to the previous season, but criticized the Lost Sister plotline.


Premise

In the fall of 1984, one year after his disappearance,
Will Byers William Byers is a fictional character from the American science fiction horror drama television series ''Stranger Things''. He is portrayed by Noah Schnapp. The character appeared in a recurring capacity in the first season before being pro ...
finds himself the target of the Upside Down as a large tentacled entity called the "Mind Flayer" possesses him and "Demogorgon dogs" or "Demodogs" terrorize the citizens of Hawkins. Will's family and friends alongside Jim Hopper, Mike's sister Nancy, Nancy's boyfriend
Steve Harrington Steve Harrington is a fictional character from the Netflix television series ''Stranger Things'', portrayed by Joe Keery. Though initially characterized as a stereotypically unlikeable jock, Steve has progressed throughout the series into a mo ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
n newcomer
Max Mayfield Britt Max Mayfield (born September 19, 1948) is an American meteorologist who served as the director of the National Hurricane Center from 2000 to 2007. As director, Mayfield became a trusted voice in preparing for weather-related disasters, par ...
and a missing
Eleven Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number) * One of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''Eleven'', a 1970 collection of short stories by Patricia Highsmith *''Eleven'' ...
, must join forces to contain the threat.


Cast and characters


Main

*
Winona Ryder Winona Laura Horowitz (born ), known professionally as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Having come to attention playing quirky characters in the late 1980s, she achieved success with her more dramatic performances in the 1990s. Ryder's L ...
as
Joyce Byers Joyce Byers (née Maldonado) is a fictional character from the Netflix science fiction horror drama television series ''Stranger Things'' and is played by Winona Ryder. She is portrayed as a resilient and fiercely protective mother to her son ...
*
David Harbour David Kenneth Harbour (born April 10, 1975) is an American actor. His accolades include nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He began his career acting in Shakespearean theatre productions. Aft ...
as Jim Hopper *
Finn Wolfhard Finn Michael Wolfhard (born December 23, 2002) is a Canadian actor, musician, and film director. He is known for playing Mike Wheeler on the Netflix series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present). He also played Richie Tozier in the horror film ...
as Mike Wheeler *
Millie Bobby Brown Millie Bonnie Brown Bongiovi ( Brown; born 19 February 2004), known professionally as Millie Bobby Brown, is a British actress and producer. She gained recognition for playing Eleven (Stranger Things), Eleven in the Netflix science fiction ser ...
as Eleven / Jane Ives / Jane Hopper *
Gaten Matarazzo Gaetano John "Gaten" Matarazzo III ( , ; born September 8, 2002) is an American actor. He began his career on the Broadway stage as Benjamin in '' Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'' (2011–12) and as Gavroche in ''Les Misérables'' (2014–15) ...
as Dustin Henderson *
Caleb McLaughlin Caleb Reginald McLaughlin (born October 13, 2001) is an American actor. He gained international recognition playing Lucas Sinclair in the Netflix series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present). He began his career playing young Simba in the Broadw ...
as Lucas Sinclair *
Noah Schnapp Noah Cameron Schnapp (born October 3, 2004) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Will Byers in the Netflix science fiction horror series ''Stranger Things''. In addition to his work in television, Schnapp had a supporting role in ...
as
Will Byers William Byers is a fictional character from the American science fiction horror drama television series ''Stranger Things''. He is portrayed by Noah Schnapp. The character appeared in a recurring capacity in the first season before being pro ...
*
Sadie Sink Sadie Elizabeth Sink (born April 16, 2002) is an American actress. She began her acting career in theater, playing the title role in the musical '' Annie'' (2012–14) and young Elizabeth II in the historical play '' The Audience'' (2015) on ...
as
Max Mayfield Britt Max Mayfield (born September 19, 1948) is an American meteorologist who served as the director of the National Hurricane Center from 2000 to 2007. As director, Mayfield became a trusted voice in preparing for weather-related disasters, par ...
*
Natalia Dyer Natalia Danielle Dyer (born January 13, 1995) is an American actress. She is known for starring as Nancy Wheeler in the Netflix science fiction horror series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present). She has also appeared in the Peacock comedy thril ...
as
Nancy Wheeler Nancy Wheeler is a fictional character from the Netflix television show ''Stranger Things'', portrayed by American actor Natalia Dyer. She is the sister of Mike Wheeler, the girlfriend of Jonathan Byers, and the ex-girlfriend of Steve Harrin ...
*
Charlie Heaton Charles Ross Heaton (born 6 February 1994) is an English actor. He is known for starring as Jonathan Byers in the Netflix science fiction horror series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present) and for his roles in feature films like '' As You Are'' ...
as Jonathan Byers *
Joe Keery Joseph David Keery (born April 24, 1992), known professionally in music as Djo, is an American actor and musician. He became known for playing Steve Harrington in the science fiction series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present), and has since sta ...
as
Steve Harrington Steve Harrington is a fictional character from the Netflix television series ''Stranger Things'', portrayed by Joe Keery. Though initially characterized as a stereotypically unlikeable jock, Steve has progressed throughout the series into a mo ...
*
Dacre Montgomery Dacre Kayd Montgomery-Harvey (; born 22 November 1994) is an Australian actor. Montgomery began acting in short films as a teenager before making his feature film debut in the adventure comedy ''A Few Less Men'' (2017). In 2017, Montgomery star ...
as Billy Hargrove *
Cara Buono Cara Buono (born March 1, 1971) is an American actress. Emmy-nominated for her role as Dr. Faye Miller in ''Mad Men'', she has played Karen Wheeler in the horror sci-fi series ''Stranger Things'' since its premiere in 2016. She also portrayed ...
as Karen Wheeler *
Sean Astin Sean Patrick Astin (; born February 25, 1971) is an American actor. His acting roles include Mikey Walsh in '' The Goonies'' (1985), Billy Tepper in '' Toy Soldiers'' (1991), Dave Morgan in '' Encino Man'' (1992), Daniel Ruettiger in '' Rudy'' ...
as Bob Newby *
Paul Reiser Paul Reiser (; born March 30, 1956) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He played the roles of Michael Taylor in the 1980s sitcom ''My Two Dads'', Paul Buchman in the NBC sitcom ''Mad About You'', Modell in the 1982 film ''Diner (1982 f ...
as Sam Owens


Recurring

*
Linnea Berthelsen Linnea Berthelsen (born 13 July 1993) is a Danish actress, who is best known for her recurring role as Kali, also known as Eight, the sister of Eleven in the second season of the science-fiction horror Netflix original series ''Stranger Things ...
as Kali / Eight *
Joe Chrest Joseph Chrest (born May 26, 1963) is an American academic and actor. He has had roles in numerous films and television shows including ''21 Jump Street'', ''22 Jump Street'', '' Oldboy'', '' Lee Daniels' The Butler'', '' The Perfect Date'', and as ...
as Ted Wheeler *
Catherine Curtin Catherine Curtin is an American actress. She is best known for her role as correctional officer Wanda Bell in the Netflix comedy-drama series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019). Other notable recurring roles include '' Insecure'', ''Str ...
as Claudia Henderson *
Priah Ferguson Priah Nicole Ferguson (born October 1, 2006) is an American actress from Atlanta, Georgia. She is best known for her role as Erica Sinclair on the Netflix's series ''Stranger Things''. Ferguson began acting at a young age and her career spans TV ...
as Erica Sinclair *
Brett Gelman Brett Gelman (born October 6, 1976) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Murray Bauman in Netflix's horror-supernatural series ''Stranger Things'' and as Martin in the BBC comedy '' Fleabag''. Gelman began his care ...
as Murray Bauman * Karen Ceesay as Sue Sinclair * Arnell Powell as Charles Sinclair * Jennifer Marshall as Susan Hargrove *
Will Chase Frank William Chase (born September 12, 1970) is an American actor, director, and singer, best known for his work on Broadway and for his role as country superstar Luke Wheeler on ABC's ''Nashville''. Early life and education Chase was born i ...
as Neil Hargrove * Tinsley and Anniston Price as Holly Wheeler * Cynthia Barrett as Marsha Holland * Chester Rushing as Tommy H * Kai L. Greene as Funshine * Randy Havens as Scott Clarke * Susan Shalhoub Larkin as Florence *
James Landry Hébert James Landry Hébert (born October 4, 1984) is an American actor. Early life Hébert was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, on October 4, 1984. At a young age, both of his parents had died, and he was adopted by a Chitimacha couple, Ted and Rhonda D ...
as Axel * Anna Jacoby-Heron as Dottie * Gabrielle Maiden as Mic * Rob Morgan as Officer Powell *
John Paul Reynolds John Paul Reynolds (born August 5, 1991) is an American actor. He is best known for his starring role in the series '' Search Party'' (2016–2022) and his recurring role on ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present). Reynolds also starred in the min ...
as Officer Callahan * Chelsea Talmadge as Carol * Madelyn Cline as Tina * Abigail Cowen as Vicki *
Matty Cardarople Matthew Richard Cardarople (born February 9, 1983) is an American actor and comedian. He is usually typecast as nerds or individuals with socially awkward traits illustrating American kitsch culture. He has appeared in the ABC television serie ...
as Keith * Tony Vaughn as Principal Coleman * Charles Lawlor as Mr. Melvald * Aaron Muñoz as Mr. Holland *
Pruitt Taylor Vince Pruitt Taylor Vince (born July 5, 1960) is an American actor. Often classified as a character actor, he made his film debut with a supporting role in '' Angel Heart'' (1987). After supporting roles in the films ''Mississippi Burning'' (1988), ' ...
as Ray *
Matthew Modine Matthew Avery Modine (born March 22, 1959) is an American actor and filmmaker. He shared the Venice Film Festival‘s Volpi Cup for Best Actor as part of the ensemble cast of Robert Altman film ''Streamers'' (1983). He went on to play lead rol ...
as
Martin Brenner This is a list of characters from the American science fiction horror television series '' Stranger Things''. The first season, set in November 1983, focuses on the investigation into the disappearance of a young boy named Will Byers while ...


Episodes


Production


Development

With the critical and viewership success of ''
Stranger Things ''Stranger Things'' is an American television series created by the Duffer brothers, Duffer Brothers for Netflix. Produced by Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment, the Stranger Things season 1, first season was released on N ...
'' after its first season's release in July 2016, speculation on a possible second season was raised. The
Duffer Brothers Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer (born February 15, 1984), often credited as the Duffer Brothers, are both American television writers, directors, and producers. The brothers are identical twins and work on all their projects as a pair. They are best ...
initially intended for ''Stranger Things'' to either be a standalone miniseries or an
anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...
. They also considered the possibility of setting a potential second season (which they referred to as a "sequel") in the early 1990s and featuring an older version of the characters, along with all-new characters, who are drawn back to Hawkins after supernatural events begin occurring again. However, following the release of the first season, they realized that the likability of the characters – especially the children – was key to the series' success, and they decided to set the second season in 1984 and focus on the same characters. By the end of July, the Duffer Brothers had outlined a plan for such a season if it was
green-lit In the context of the film and television industries, to greenlight is to give permission to proceed with a project. It specifically refers to formally approving its production finance and committing to this financing, thereby allowing the projec ...
, and Netflix's CEO
Reed Hastings Wilmot Reed Hastings Jr. (born October 8, 1960) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder and chairman of Netflix, Inc., which provides the Netflix streaming service. Hastings serves on a number of boards and works with various ...
said in early August that the company "would be dumb not to" renew ''Stranger Things'' for a second season. On August 31, 2016, Netflix announced it had renewed ''Stranger Things'' for a second season of nine episodes, to be released in 2017. The Duffer Brothers revealed that the series had been renewed for a second season before the first was released. Regarding the decision to wait more than a month after the first season was released to announce the renewal, Matt Duffer said, "it actually ended up working because it had built up to this fever pitch. I guess that's what etflixwere intending to do all the time."


Writing

The success of the first season led the Duffers to let their writers' room propose any idea they could come up with out of desperation for ways to expand the show. However, Ross Duffer stated in the WGFestival 2022 that thanks to the writers proposing more ideas than necessary, they were forced to drop some. Several of the unused ideas for the season were later included in the fifth and final season. The Duffer Brothers wrote the second season to make the combined first and second season feel like a complete work, but set elements in place to go forward with additional seasons if they were green-lit. While most of the story for the second season had been decided before the first season aired, the Duffer Brothers took in the audience reactions from the first season to adjust some of the details within the second season. They knew they would not have the same element of audience surprise as when the series aired anew and were aware fans wanted to see certain elements, but Ross said "...the point is not to give everyone what they think they want. Because I don't think they really know what they want." The Duffer Brothers felt that the second season should be treated more like a
sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
rather than a continuation, and thus opted to call the second ''Stranger Things 2''. This approach had some trepidation from Netflix, since the company felt movie sequels typically have a bad reputation, but the Duffer Brothers pointed out that there had been many successful sequels that surpassed the original film, and felt confident with this name. Despite revealing episode titles for the season in the announcement teaser in order "to provide some hint of where we were going in season two without giving anything away," Matt Duffer stated that some of the titles would change since there were some things "we didn't want to put on there because we felt like it would give too much away," and because "people are smart on the fucking internet" with fan-created "videos analyzing the chapter titles... right on a lot" of how the titles related to the plot of the season. In early October 2017, the Duffer Brothers revealed the final titles for the first six episodes of the season.


Casting

In October 2016, it was announced that Schnapp and Keery had been promoted to the main cast for the second season, after each recurring in the first season, and that
Sadie Sink Sadie Elizabeth Sink (born April 16, 2002) is an American actress. She began her acting career in theater, playing the title role in the musical '' Annie'' (2012–14) and young Elizabeth II in the historical play '' The Audience'' (2015) on ...
and
Dacre Montgomery Dacre Kayd Montgomery-Harvey (; born 22 November 1994) is an Australian actor. Montgomery began acting in short films as a teenager before making his feature film debut in the adventure comedy ''A Few Less Men'' (2017). In 2017, Montgomery star ...
would join the main cast as Max and Billy, respectively. In order to get the role, Sink told to the crew while auditioning that she knew about rollerblading and
skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport that involves riding and Skateboarding trick, performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a method of tr ...
; Sink actually knew how to do the latter but not the former, reflecting years later during an appearance in ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywoo ...
'' why did she think lying would help her nail the part as the two things weren't quite the same as she thought. Ryder, Harbour, Wolfhard, Brown, Matarazzo, McLaughlin, Dyer and Heaton also return for the season.
Sean Astin Sean Patrick Astin (; born February 25, 1971) is an American actor. His acting roles include Mikey Walsh in '' The Goonies'' (1985), Billy Tepper in '' Toy Soldiers'' (1991), Dave Morgan in '' Encino Man'' (1992), Daniel Ruettiger in '' Rudy'' ...
as Bob Newby and
Paul Reiser Paul Reiser (; born March 30, 1956) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He played the roles of Michael Taylor in the 1980s sitcom ''My Two Dads'', Paul Buchman in the NBC sitcom ''Mad About You'', Modell in the 1982 film ''Diner (1982 f ...
as Sam Owens are also part of the main cast in the season. For Owens, The Duffer Brothers had referred to the character in their pitch to Netflix for the season as "Paul Reiser", and specifically alluded to Reiser's character Carter J. Burke in ''
Aliens Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, a lifeform with ext ...
'', with Ross referencing
James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker, who resides in New Zealand. He is a major figure in the post-New Hollywood era and often uses novel technologies with a Classical Hollywood cinema, classical filmmaking styl ...
's casting choice for that film, saying, " ameronthought people would inherently trust eiserand it would be a twist". Reiser's son was a fan of ''Stranger Things'', and gave his father an early appreciation of the series so that when the production called his agent about the role, Reiser was excited for the part. Joining them in recurring roles are
Linnea Berthelsen Linnea Berthelsen (born 13 July 1993) is a Danish actress, who is best known for her recurring role as Kali, also known as Eight, the sister of Eleven in the second season of the science-fiction horror Netflix original series ''Stranger Things ...
as Kali / Eight and
Brett Gelman Brett Gelman (born October 6, 1976) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Murray Bauman in Netflix's horror-supernatural series ''Stranger Things'' and as Martin in the BBC comedy '' Fleabag''. Gelman began his care ...
as Murray Bauman.


Filming

In the first week of November 2016, table reads for the season started. The season was officially confirmed to be in production on November 4, 2016 in a social media post. It was accompanied by a photo of some of the cast members at a table read. Filming of the season started on November 7, 2016. On November 14, 2016 photos of the cast on set in Atlanta were published. Seen in the photos were the main cast of kids and teens from the previous season, minus Millie Bobby Brown and Natalia Dyer, though who appeared to be a body double for Nancy was present. Chelsea Talmadge, who portrays the recurring character Carol, was also present. None of the new cast members were spotted, but the names Max and Billy were seen on the cast trailers, implying that newcomers Sadie Sink and Dacre Montgomery were present that day. By early April, the final two episodes had commenced filming, shooting scenes in
Woodland, Georgia Woodland is a city in Talbot County, Georgia, United States. The population was 305 in 2020. History The community was named after C.S. Woods, original owner of the town site. The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Woodland as a town in 1908. ...
seen previously in Season 1. Filming for the season officially wrapped on June 3, 2017.


Music

The soundtrack album for the second season was released digitally on October 20, 2017, via Lakeshore and Invada Records. The soundtrack was composed by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein of the electronic band
Survive Survival or survivorship, the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things ...
. On the soundtrack's composition, Dixon and Stein together said that the score for the season introduces "new styles of composition, while still revisiting old themes when appropriate ... We've created new elements that are necessary to support the story, but still want to remain true to the sound of Season 1." The first track from the soundtrack, "Walkin' in Hawkins", was released on October 12. As was customary with the first season, the second season utilized period music primarily from the 1980s to evoke a sense of nostalgia amongst viewers while further solidifying the story's setting. In all, over fifty pieces of music were used for ''Stranger Things 2'', with release dates spanning from 1936 all the way until 1985.


Release

The second season, which consisted of nine one-hour-long episodes, was released worldwide on Netflix on October 27, 2017, in
Ultra HD Ultra-high-definition television (also known as Ultra HD television, Ultra HD, UHDTV, UHD and Super Hi-Vision) today includes 4K resolution#Resolutions, 4K UHD and 8K resolution#Resolutions, 8K UHD, which are two digital video formats with an ...
4K and HDR.


Marketing

A teaser for the second season, which also announced the release date, aired during
Super Bowl LI Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 NFL season, 2016 season. The American Football Confe ...
.


''Beyond Stranger Things''

With the release of the second season of the series, Netflix also released ''Beyond Stranger Things'', an
aftershow An aftershow or after-show is a genre of television talk show whose topic is another television program. An aftershow is typically broadcast immediately after a new episode of its corresponding program, to help retain the audience, and to provide a ...
hosted by
Jim Rash James Rash (born July 15, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and filmmaker. He played Dean Craig Pelton on the NBC sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015), for which he was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best ...
. The guests of the aftershow are composed of cast and crew from the series, including the Duffer Brothers and the series' stars, to discuss the development and behind-the-scenes production of the series and its larger mythology. Unlike previous after-shows created by
Embassy Row Embassy Row is the informal name for a section of Northwest Washington, D.C., with a high concentration of embassies, diplomatic missions, and diplomatic residences. It spans Massachusetts Avenue N.W. between 18th and 35th street, bounded ...
, such as ''Talking Dead'' and ''Talking Bad'', ''Beyond Stranger Things'' is intended to be watched after a screening of the entire current season.


Home media

The second season was released on a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack exclusively to
Target Target may refer to: Warfare and shooting * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artille ...
retailers on November 6, 2018, in vintage CBS-FOX VHS-inspired packaging.


Reception


Audience viewership


Nielsen ratings

Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
records viewership data for those who viewed the series on a TV set, the data does not account for mobile, tablet or PC devices.


Other data

The second season has been recognized by ''Parrot Analytics'' as the most in-demand digital original series of the world in 2017 and is included in the 2019 edition of ''
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...
''. In August 2017, the marketing analytics firm Jumpshot determined the season was the seventh-most viewed Netflix season in the first 30 days after it was released, garnering slightly more than 20% of the viewers that the second season of '' Daredevil'' received, which was the most viewed season according to Jumpshot. Jumpshot, which "analyzes click-stream data from an online panel of more than 100 million consumers", looked at the viewing behavior and activity of the company's U.S. members, factoring in the relative number of U.S. Netflix viewers who watched at least one episode of the season.


Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has an approval rating of 94% based on 151 reviews and an average rating of 7.8/10. The site's critical consensus states, "''Stranger Things'' slow-building sophomore season balances moments of humor and a nostalgic sweetness against a growing horror that's all the more effective thanks to the show's full-bodied characters and evocative tone." On Metacritic, the second season has a normalized score of 78 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. In a review for ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'', journalist David Fear praised the second season's character development, going so far as to say it shined more than the narrative: "...By the time you get to the John Hughes finale, in which the school's winter dance ties up numerous loose ends, you realize that Stranger Things 2 has not only been crafting a story about kids fumbling through and finding their way into young adulthood, but that those parts feel more interesting than any Upside Down, et al. shenanigans ... if the second season has anything on the first, it's that these characters now feel less like they stepped out of E.T. outtakes and more like the actual teens who were in the audience watching it and dreaming." Linda Holmes of
National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
also praised the season's character development, saying in her review, "There is much to be grateful for in the work given to the returning cast. Dustin and Lucas have the opportunity to be fleshed out a bit more — which is especially welcome with Lucas, who wasn't given a lot of solo time in the first season to demonstrate exactly what role he plays in what Dustin calls the "party" made up of the boys and Eleven. Perhaps the most unexpectedly successful move on this front, though, is to continue to build out Steve beyond Obstacle Boyfriend, in part by giving him some contact with people besides Nancy to work with." Holmes also expressed misgiving, noting that the narrative structure was at times copying from the first season's plot line, but overall found this iteration to be enjoyable despite its shortcomings.


Commentary

One of the most notable impacts of the series has been an increased demand for
Eggo Eggo is a brand of frozen waffles owned by Kellanova (formerly the Kellogg Company), and sold in North America. Several varieties are available, including homestyle, miniature, cherry, blueberry, strawberry, vanilla bliss, brown sugar cinnamo ...
waffles, as they are shown to be Eleven's favorite food in several episodes and are seen as a representation of the series. The
Kellogg Company Kellanova, formerly known as the Kellogg Company and commonly known as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, US. Kellanova produces and markets convenience foods and snack f ...
, which manufactures Eggo, had not been part of the production prior to the first season's release, but recognized the market impact of the series. It provided a vintage 1980s Eggo television advertisement for Netflix to use in its season two
Super Bowl LI Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 NFL season, 2016 season. The American Football Confe ...
commercial, and is looking to become more involved with cross-promotion.


Accolades


References


External links

* * {{Stranger Things 2 2017 American television seasons Television series set in 1984 Television shows set in Pittsburgh