Netflix’s 10/10 Stranger Things Replacement Could Have Lasted Forever

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I really had high hopes for Mike Flanagan’s The Midnight Club – it felt like it could have been the next Stranger Things for Netflix, but sadly, the streaming service pulled the plug before it ever really got a chance. And speaking of Stranger Things, that finale? Wow, it definitely divided people. Some fans felt the ending was perfect, a nice bittersweet conclusion, but a lot of others were left wanting more, feeling like things were a little too open-ended.

Some viewers were very angry, and a conspiracy theory quickly emerged – dubbed #ConformityGate – claiming the final episode of Stranger Things was a fake and a superior version was coming. Although this turned out to be false, the theory’s popularity showed just how much disagreement there was about the show’s ending.

Looking back, it’s not really surprising how things ended. While the Stranger Things finale gave good conclusions to some characters like Jonathan and Lucas, the show simply didn’t have enough time to fully resolve all its storylines. It was always likely that some plots would feel rushed or incomplete, simply because the series had to come to an end eventually.

Mike Flanagan’s The Midnight Club Was An Underrated Stranger Things Replacement

For nearly a decade, Stranger Things was a huge hit for Netflix, and many shows were suggested as possible successors. These included I Am Not Okay With This, which also centered on a teenage girl with telekinetic powers, and the excellent sci-fi mystery Dark, which shared similar elements like a story spanning multiple generations, a focus on conspiracies, and a small-town atmosphere.

Although a few of these other shows were possibly even higher quality than Stranger Things, none of them achieved the same level of widespread popularity. This was a shame, because Stranger Things was always going to have an ending, and the growing age difference between the young characters and the actors playing them made it clear that finishing the show sooner rather than later would be best.

It’s strange, but while Netflix was searching for a new hit show, they overlooked a perfect option. The Midnight Club, a 2022 horror series from the creator of The Haunting of Hill House, Mike Flanagan, was actually based on a popular series of young adult horror books by Christopher Pike from the 1990s.

The show The Midnight Club takes place in a hospice where teenagers with life-threatening illnesses pass the time by sharing spooky stories. These weren’t always typical horror tales; some stories offered lessons, explored science fiction or fantasy, or were simply meant to be funny.

Despite their differences, all the stories the kids told shared a common thread: they were based on R.L. Stine’s books. Each story was shortened and made simpler to fit a single episode, and it always mirrored the challenges the kids were facing at the time. This clever method really showcased how powerful their storytelling was within the show’s world.

The Midnight Club’s Setup Meant It Could Have Lasted Far Longer

The plot of The Midnight Club mixed typical teen drama with scary supernatural elements and a mystery surrounding a possible conspiracy. The main character believed the head of the institution was keeping a secret cure from the patients. Though the season one finale showed this wasn’t exactly true, it still left many questions open and intriguing.

Although one character passed away in the first season – a particularly heartbreaking scene – the show’s concept made it likely someone would die. Because of this, The Midnight Club could have potentially continued for many more seasons, and wouldn’t have faced the casting problems that affected Stranger Things.

Each episode of the show was based on one of Christopher Pike’s novels, and there were still plenty of books left to cover when the first season ended. Also, the actors playing the young patients could have been gradually replaced throughout the series, because the show’s story suggested the characters wouldn’t be staying in the hospice for very long.

Flanagan’s previous hit, The Haunting of Hill House, told a complete story within one season and wouldn’t have benefited from a follow-up. However, The Midnight Club was intentionally created as an ongoing series, and Flanagan himself was upset when Netflix cancelled it so quickly.

What The Midnight Club Season 2 Would’ve Been About

Even with the new Stranger Things spinoff, Tales from ’85, the show remains focused on its original characters, suggesting Netflix missed an opportunity with The Midnight Club. Mike Flanagan’s series had the potential to be a strong successor to Stranger Things, and its planned second season demonstrates that potential was there.

The show didn’t quite reach its full potential. Season 2 of The Midnight Club was planned to be based on Christopher Pike’s novel Remember Me, a story that mixes supernatural horror, emotional drama, and a murder mystery. This multi-genre approach would have been perfect for establishing The Midnight Club as a successor to Stranger Things.

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2026-02-08 20:19