Stranger Things is an American science fiction horror streaming television series created by the Duffer Brothers and released on Netflix. The twins serve as showrunners and are executive producers along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. The series premiered on Netflix on July 15, 2016.The Duffer Brothers developed the series as a mix of investigative drama alongside supernatural elements portrayed with horror, science fiction and childlike sensibilities. Setting the series in the 1980s, the Duffer Brothers infused references to the pop culture of that decade while several themes and directorial aspects were inspired primarily by the works of Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, and Stephen King, as well as anime and video games. They also took inspiration from strange experiments that took place during the Cold War and real world conspiracy theories involving secret government experiments.Stranger Things has attracted record viewership on Netflix and has a broad, active, and international fan base. The series has received critical acclaim for its characterization, pacing, atmosphere, acting, soundtrack, directing, writing, and homages to 1980s films. The series has received multiple awards and nominations including 39 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, four Golden Globe Award nominations, a British Academy Television Award nomination, two Directors Guild of America Award nominations, three Writers Guild of America Award nominations, and three Grammy Award nominations. It has won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, two American Film Institute awards, a Critics' Choice Television Award, and three People's Choice Awards, among others. In September 2019, the series was renewed for a fourth season. The Duffer Brothers have said that Stranger Things is likely to end after its fifth season.