It was somehow magical from the very first second. When I was introduced to the town of Hawkins in the first episode of the first season of “Stranger Things”, it felt like I traveled back in time. Suddenly, I was a little boy again — just like our protagonists Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Will. This place had that magic about it that I felt in similarly iconic places back in the eighties. I felt that way when I watched the Goonies having an incredible adventure in Astoria or the Gremlins making Kingston Falls unsafe. And I also had pangs of homesickness for a place I’d never been, like I did with Hill Valley, where Marty McFly was at home.

Stranger Things: Can You Smell the Eighties?

What the Duffer brothers delivered with this first season in 2016 breathed that special eighties vibe in every second, having created a special hype around the decade. It all felt like back in the day when I was watching Back to the Future, E.T., The Goonies, and every John Hughes movie available. The only difference was that in 2016, I was already 45 years old. Now I’m a wizened old man of 54 years, and Stranger Things is coming to an end with season 5.

All Previous Seasons Ranked — From Worst to Best

That was reason enough for me to dig through the first four seasons and rank them. Here is my rating of the four seasons so far, from the worst to the best. This is, of course, sensationally subjective, but hey, you’ll just have to trust that my taste in series is simply beyond reproach. Will there be spoilers for the first four seasons here? Of course! Buckle up, here we go!

The Last Place in My List: Stranger Things (Season 3)

Season 3 marked what was probably the most daring stylistic break in the series and still polarized the fan community to this day. The subtle horror of its predecessors was swapped for a bright, summery action atmosphere in the style of an 80s B-movie. The summer of 1985 in Hawkins was characterized by neon lights, budding teen romances, and the town’s new centerpiece: the Starcourt Mall. This stylistic reorientation was met with both enthusiasm and criticism.

Summary: A Summer of Love and Horror

The Starcourt Mall was not only a temple of consumption, but also hid a dark secret: deep underground, Soviet scientists were operating a giant machine to open a gateway to the Upside Down. This enabled the Mind Flayer to return to Hawkins. He finds a new human host in Billy Hargrove and creates an army of the “infected”. As our heroes threatened to drift apart through their budding romances, Dustin, Steve, his colleague Robin, and Lucas’s sister Erica uncovered the Russian conspiracy, leading to an explosive showdown in the mall.

Nostalgia on the Edge of Absurdity

The placement reflected the conflicting nature of this season — between brilliant fun on the one hand, but also a narrative weakness on the other. Above all, however, it also reflected how these episodes have stuck with me.

I don’t want to tear the season apart, because this much is clear: there is NO really bad season of Stranger Things. Hence, if I look like I’m nitpicking here, it’s on a high level. Because even in this season, there were, of course, some absolute highlights that I still celebrate today. Dustin’s sugar-sweet duet with Suzie is unforgettable:

I also loved Robin and Steve, who were introduced in this season. Nevertheless, I felt a few negative vibes here that I hadn’t noticed in the other seasons.

I felt that there was too much emphasis placed on the nostalgia factor. I love the eighties, and I also love it when movies and series deal with the era. But here, it felt as though they had simply tried to sprinkle as many references as possible into the plot to serve up precisely this nostalgia factor.

It was also too pompously staged for me — especially towards the season finale. Where was the mystery, the magic of the first season? There was some juicy CGI work done here, which, for me, seemed a bit too lovelessly prepared and intent on showmanship. As far as I’m concerned, the entire Russian conspiracy could have been dispensed with, although that applies to all seasons.

3rd Place Goes to Season 2: The Damn Second Album

In my opinion, the second season suffered from the same symptom as second albums by successful bands. You have your whole life to write your debut album — and suddenly, you’re supposed to present a follow-up in just one year, which ideally, should even upstage the first. I felt the same way about season 2, which I enjoyed immensely, nevertheless.

Summary: A Dark Halloween in Hawkins

The plot began a year after Will’s rescue from the Upside Down. It is now the fall of 1984 (why isn’t People are People on the soundtrack?!), and a dark Halloween atmosphere settled over Hawkins. But what is taken as ‘normal’ proved deceptive. Will is plagued by visions of a gigantic shadow monster, the Mind Flayer, which soon takes possession of him. Meanwhile, Elfi found shelter with police chief Hopper, but suffered from the strict isolation. The group of friends was stirred up by the cool skater Max and her aggressive stepbrother Billy, and that changed the dynamic between Dustin and Lucas in particular.

The Fatal Trip to Chicago

In my rather subjective opinion, there were two main reasons for the ranking this otherwise strong season in third:

1. The “Lost Sister” runaway hit: The almost unanimous opinion of critics and fans is that the seventh episode, “The Missing Sister”, was the biggest weak point of the entire series. In this digression, Elfi traveled to Chicago and encountered Kali (Number Eight) and her gang of criminal misfits. The episode is somewhat weird and abruptly pulled me out of the dense, carefully constructed atmosphere of Hawkins. It felt like a foreign body that did not fit in with the overall theme.
2. Repetitive threat: After a first season that seemed perfect to me, it was time to up the ante. Everything is a little bigger, a little better. The episodes of this season did this well for the most part, but sometimes it just didn’t seem ambitious enough without raising the bar. The introduction of the new badass in town — the Mind Flayer — was still downplayed, making season 2 feel like a kind of rehash of season 1.

Despite these weaknesses, season 2 has its undeniable strengths. The introduction of Max and Billy enriched the cast in a lasting manner. Somehow, the teenagers in Hawkins were better understood after this season. Also, across the board, the characters were nicely fleshed out, and you understood their respective drives better.

2nd Place: Back to the Basics with Season 4

The last season healed my heart. I was afraid that season 3 was really going to go downhill and I’d have to yell at my TV again, “Why didn’t you stop after season 1, you idiots?” Instead, the series recovered and delivered a fantastic story, new heroes and fiends, the right dose of eighties, and plenty of action and drama.

Summary: The Arrival of Vecna

The plot was complex and spread across several locations. In Hawkins, a series of gruesome murders shook the town, and a new, nightmarish creature from the Upside Down proved to be the primary baddie: Vecna. In California, Elfi tried to regain her lost powers and was confronted with her traumatic past in the Hawkins Lab.

Far away, Hopper was fighting for survival in a Russian gulag. All storylines led to the inevitable battle against Vecna, who turned out to be the real mastermind behind the disaster in Hawkins.

Peaks of Horror and Emotion

Season 4 deserved second place in my ranking for several compelling reasons. Firstly, there was the emotional depth and the sensational character development. Goosebumps, tears, jubilation — they were all present. When Max soared into the air to the sounds of “Running Up That Hill”, it wasn’t just a series moment — it was a cultural earthquake that reminded us all of the power music and friendship can have. Her character arc was outstanding.

At the same time, a new fan favorite was introduced in the form of lovable metal fan and D&D master Eddie Munson, whose fate certainly touched more than just me deeply. His guitar solo to Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” was unforgettable. I also like the double meaning behind it, when we classified Vecna as a sort of puppeteer.

Whereas the series previously had more of a “Monster of the Week” feel in terms of horror, we’ve graduated to a level of psychological horror here. We have Vecna to thank for that, because it’s not just “another monster”, it was real nightmare material.

Personally, I also loved the season because they were able to capture my heart again. The series didn’t just stabilize; it branched out into new spheres, which was the reason why I’m still so excited to see how the story will end with season 5. For me, season 4 was a masterpiece that decisively deepened the mythology of the series, pushed its characters to their emotional limits, and laid the perfect foundation for the grand finale.

My Numero Uno: The Premiere Season that Started it All

Despite having high praise for season 4, the first season has grown on me even more. The season that started it all! Everything I wrote at the beginning began there. It wasn’t just “another mystery series”. It was the birth of a global phenomenon. If I had been allowed to create a series, I would have built exactly this one: A perfect mix of 80s nostalgia (including a nod from the old masters like Spielberg), mystery, science fiction, and coming-of-age themes.

Summary: The Disappearance of Will Byers

On November 6, 1983, young Will Byers disappeared without a trace in the small town of Hawkins. While his desperate mother Joyce and the disillusioned police chief Hopper took up the investigation, Will’s best friends Mike, Dustin, and Lucas set off on their own search. In the process, they met a mysterious girl with a shaved head and supernatural abilities, whom they named Elfi (after her lab name “11”). Their search led them to secret government experiments, a sinister parallel dimension known as Upside Down, and a terrifying monster, the Demogorgon.

A Masterpiece in Its Own Right

Honestly? As far as I’m concerned, it could have somehow ended after season 1! It’s this dichotomy between “Wow, this is the perfect season” and the pious wish that “this series must never end”. That’s how I feel now, but fortunately, a few more people apart from me adored this first season. The reasons for this are complex, but can be distilled to two key points:

1. The birth of the phenomenon: Season 1 worked as a perfect decoy. It created a unique and intriguing world by masterfully blending 80s nostalgia with eerie sci-fi concepts and genuine horror. The characters were endearing from the very first minute, the plot was focused, and the mystery captivating.
2. Standalone perfection: One of the greatest strengths of this season is that it could stand on its own as a self-contained miniseries. The plot was absolutely perfect and self-contained; it would have been a masterpiece even without any sequels. Everything that made Stranger Things special was established here.

For countless fans, the first season is and remains the untouchable gold standard for me. But I also know enough people who think season 4 is even better. However, I’ve explained why I’ve chosen this order, and I hope you can live with that truth.

Would you have decided differently? If so, please tell me your order and explain it in the comments. We can also discuss why my sleeves are so short in the article picture. In any case, I’m really looking forward to the new episodes and can therefore promise that I’ll be very, very tired for the next few days, but hopefully also inspired.