Maya Hawke, Joe Keery, Priah Ferguson, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin. Courtesy of Netflix (2) The Stranger Things universe is getting bigger and bigger - and Us Weekly is overflowing with suggestions for potential spinoff ideas. Viewers have been compelled by the mysterious town of Hawkins, Indiana, since Stranger Things debuted in 2016. As the Netflix series continued to find success, the Upside Down and the supernatural entities that came with offered a glimpse at how Stranger Things could expand the story in the long run.