Nearly four months after the show’s first season dropped on Netflix and took the internet by storm,Stranger ThingsSeason 2 is already underway. The first table read for the show’s second season was held this morning, and Netflixoffered a sneak peekof the whole gang back together (yes,even Eleven) to tease fans that Season 2 is indeed on the way. That’s an incredibly quick turnaround, especially given that Season 1 was being finalized mere weeks before it debuted on Netflix, but creators/showrunnersThe Duffer Brothershave since revealed that they pretty much began working on Season 2 right after Season 1 debuted.
Netflix made the order official in late August witha video that also unveiled tentative titlesfor Season 2’s nine episodes, and it would appear that at least the first script is complete as the breakout starts have been reunited to reprise their roles once more.
So what do we know aboutStranger ThingsSeason 2? Not aton, but enough. This next season will pick up a year after the events of the first season, in order to account for the assured growth spurts of some of its actors, and creators Matt and Ross Duffer have previously said they view Season 2as a sequel more than anything. Indeed, one of the things that madeStranger Thingsso enjoyable to binge was that the Duffer Brothers approached the eight episodes as an eight-hour film, not a season of TV. There was a novel-like approach to the storytelling, divided into chapters, that suited the show really well, and the Duffer Brothers have said that the films ofJames Cameron—specificallyAliensandTerminator 2—are influences onStranger ThingsSeason 2.
We also know thatthere will be new characters, includingSadie Sinkas Max, a “tough and confident” young girl with a complicated history, andDacre Montgomeryfrom the upcomingPower Rangersfilm as Billy, Max’s “hyper-confident and edgy” older step-brother who has a tendency to steal girlfriends away from their boyfriends and partake in heavy alcohol consumption. Sounds like sad sack Jonathan Byers is in for more heartbreak. Womp.
This table read photo gives us our first look at Sink and Montgomery, albeit not in costume, and we also know thatJoe Kerry(Steve) andNoah Schnapp(Will) have been promoted from recurring cast members to series regulars, so the ensemble in Season 2 will be even bigger despite the loss of Barb.
I’m curious to see what The Duffer Brothers cook up for Season 2.Stranger Thingswas a strange phenomenon—a series that exploded on Netflix without much promotion at all, and which quickly became a show thateveryonewas talking about over the summer. I’m hoping the Duffer Brothers avoid trying to please this now very opinionated fandom and focus on telling the story they want to tell, as in Season 1, thereby avoiding the pitfalls that many red-hot shows encounter in their eager-to-please sophomore seasons.
For now, check out the cast photo tease above.
