Social media is blowing up over one of the newest Netflix original shows, “Stranger Things”, by the truly talented Duffer Brothers. Its original and exciting story line keeps any audience on edge through every tension filled episode. This series is an 80s horror homage with an incredible ability to entice older audiences with its nostalgic charm while also drawing in younger audiences with its quirky music and artistic cinematography. I might be slightly biased in my description of this booming new show, considering the fact I have watched it three times over, thanks to all the people I coerce into watching it with me. But with all the other big hitter TV shows like Game of Thrones, Orange is the New Black and Mr. Robot, how is this eight-episode series stealing the spotlight?

One benefit of the show is its fast pace. The Duffer brothers have made it easy to tell a friend “Hey-eight episodes-you can finish in a week” only to have them come back 24 hours later and let you know how much they hate you because they finished the whole show in one sitting. The series practically screams binge watching with its ability to keep you glued to the screen and ready to click for next episode rather than wait the 10 seconds it takes to auto roll.

The cast has a great age range with each group able to have their own connected and yet individual adventures. On top of that, it is well acted by the adults and the children, who are surprisingly talented. Each age group gets their own throwbacks to different 80s movies. The youngest group has adventures that seem fit for the Goonies (1985) or the famous Stand by Me(1986) and the adults each seem to be in their own sci-fi horror. For example, Chief Jim Hopper is a homage to Predator (and obviously the monster also shares some parallels); the chief even has the exact name of Captain Jim Hopper from the famous 1987 movie.

One of the biggest pulls to this show is the incredibly relatable and deep characters. Winona Ryder’s (Joyce Byer) incredibly heart wrenching roll as a mother willing to do anything to get her son back has you rooting for her through every episode. Meanwhile, Jim Hopper (played by David Harbour) unexpectedly steals the show as you discover why he is so troubled. Hopper’s character also manages to win you over with his intelligence and charm as he figures out all the truths of the happenings in Hawkins, and if Hoppers’ final character reveal in the last episode did not have you crying, you might not have a heart.

On top of all the incredible writing, acting and general story-line, this show has some amazing cinematography and music selections. The camera angles are all made with great purpose and each shot seems like it could be on the cover of a movie poster. Besides, how can you not get hooked by the epic typography in the opening title sequence? Though the special effects have been criticized for being a bit cheesy, it is a homage to the 80s and they are actually pretty impressive for having a TV budget. With the beautiful visuals, that are a constant in this show, the peculiar 80s music never fails to entertain. The almost creepy soundtrack has an eerie ability to get under your skin and keep you on alert through each exciting episode; later you will find the synthesizer worming its way in your brain as you think back on the series.

Overall, the show’s success is well deserved. The Duffer brothers re-wrote and re-wrote to get a show to fit in the budget while also being able to draw in the crowd and those revisions are worth it. With this series having climbed its way into the third most watched season of Netflix original content, there is no telling how far the already announced second season is going to go.