'Stranger Things' Spin-Offs Might Be In The Cards

For years, Stranger Things creators/showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer have said that they envisioned the show lasting for four or five seasons. While we still don't have confirmation on how long the Netflix phenomenon will ultimately last, the show's final season may not be the actual end of the Stranger Things universe. Executive producer Shawn Levy has revealed that there's a chance we could end up seeing one or more Stranger Things spin-offs. 

Speaking with Collider, the topic turned to the possibility of Stranger Things spin-offs to keep the franchise alive after the main show reaches its conclusion. Levy, who has executive produced the show from the start and directed eight episodes, responded:

"I'd say what's been made clear is this is obviously a tent pole, arguably the tentpole franchise in the history of Netflix. Obviously certain other shows played key roles in their evolution, but Stranger Things with 196 million viewers over the time that we've been on the air, that's a lot of households. And it's unique in that Netflix service. What's been made clear is there is an interest and a real voracious appetite for any offshoot, any other iteration format or extension of the franchise, the characters, the mythology. And certainly those conversations are hardly evolved, but they're also not non-existent."

That "not non-existent" quote is one of the least confident announcements I've ever heard. Levy was probably trying to avoid articles exactly like this one by hedging his bets. Sorry, pal – we're writing about it anyway! So, with the caveat that possible spin-offs still feel a little ways off (if they ever happen at all), let's speculate wildly about what might make a good spin-off set in the Stranger Things universe.

Murray Bauman: The Prequel: The early years of the unkempt and seemingly nutso former investigative journalist (Brett Gelman) working at the Chicago Sun-Times. Also features a young Hopper straight out of the police academy, and a freshly-married Joyce and Lonnie Byers, before that relationship turned sour.The Steve, Robin, and Dustin Show: Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) and Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke) had an excellent dynamic together behind that ice cream shop counter in season 3, and fans love the relationship between Steve and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo). Throw them all into a new work environment (Family Video may not be left standing by the end of the main series), and you've got yourself the makings of a solid workplace comedy.Barb's Adventures in the Upside Down: A three-camera sitcom about Barb's corpse yukking it up with Demogorgons, Mind Flayers, and more otherworldly creatures. Filmed in front of a live studio audience.