Stranger Things Meets Ghosts In Netflix's 8-Part Supernatural Drama

Stranger Things meets Ghosts in Netflix’s thrilling eight-episode supernatural drama. For a decade, Stranger Things was Netflix’s biggest show, a triumphant mix of paranormal horror, small-town storytelling, and intriguing, relatable characters. With the kids at the helm, the show recaptured the magic of ’80s hits like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and The Goonies while creating a terrifying multidimensional universe of its own.

At the other end of the paranormal storytelling spectrum is Ghosts; the BBC sitcom has since been adapted in five other countries, most notably CBS’s version, starring Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar as married couple Sam and Jay Arondekar, respectively. After a near-death experience, Sam can see and communicate with actual ghosts, and she befriends the wildly different spirits haunting her inherited estate. The historical aspect is one of the show’s best parts, as ghosts from various eras are stuck together, with Sam as their only real means of interacting with the living.

Combining Stranger Things’ and Ghosts’ unique supernatural worldbuilding is Netflix’s Lockwood & Co., a genuinely creepy paranormal adventure based on Jonathan Stroud’s Lockwood & Co. book series (first published in 2013). In an alternate-reality London overrun by not-so-friendly ghosts, only kids, tweens, and teens can see, fight, and, on rare occasions, speak to these long-dead spirits. Trying to make their mark on a monopolized industry and unravel the truth behind the country’s ghost plague are three teenage agents running their own independent psychical detection agency: Anthony Lockwood, Lucy Carlyle, and George Karim.

Lockwood & Co. Would Have Been A Great Stranger Things Replacement

Lockwood & Co. was an excellent replacement for Stranger Things. Though its supernatural conspiracy differs from Stranger Things’ and it’s set in a metropolis like London rather than a small town in Indiana, it captures a similar atmosphere, a nostalgia for a time when smartphones and the internet had yet to exist.

This is because, despite the show technically being set in the present day, the emergence of the so-called “Problem” prevented the “digital revolution,” as writer and director Joe Cornish explained (via CBR). As such, Lockwood & Co. feels like it’s set in the ’80s; the characters don’t have access to the internet’s vast knowledge, forcing them to rely on their wits and painstaking, archival research instead.

Like Stranger Things, this technological delay also forces the characters to interact with the world and their friends differently. Once they go out on an individual mission, they’re on their own, creating a thrilling sense of danger and unease. After all, much like Stranger Things’ Party, these three brave young agents are strongest when they’re together, combining their Talents and experience to banish even the most horrific of ghosts (in one episode, they’re hired to clear a haunted estate of a creepy, centuries-old apparition, which has the power to make blood drip down the walls).

Despite all the supernatural excitement, Stranger Things’ greatest strength was its characters and their relationships with one another. This is especially true of Hawkins’ youngest band of heroes, who protected and fought for each other time and again against creatures and adults more powerful than them. Lockwood & Co.‘s lead trio is equally bonded. They all need each other, both professionally and personally. They make each other better agents and people. Anthony and Lucy fight their grief and loneliness, while George wants to prove his worth, not only to his friends but to the whole world. Their friendship anchors the show.

Lockwood & Co.’s Cancellation Isn’t As Bad As Other Netflix Shows

Sadly, like so many of its genre peers on Netflix, Lockwood & Co. was canceled after one eight-episode season. Still, the show is well worth it; newcomer Cameron Chapman gives an incredibly convincing performance as Anthony Lockwood, and it strikes a perfect balance of ghostly horror, found-family dynamics, and intriguing conspiracy. The adaptation was made with real love and care. It deserved so much more.

Lockwood & Co. boasts a rare 100% Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score and an impressively high 94% audience score. A Change.org fan petition to save the show amassed over 54,000 signatures.

Thankfully, Lockwood & Co.’s cancellation isn’t as egregious as some other Netflix failures. The first and only season cleverly combines the first two books of Jonathan Stroud’s five-book series (and an additional novella). Realistically, Netflix’s adaptation would have needed just two more seasons to tell the full story. Still, those curious about the show can find out what happens next and how the Problem started by reading the rest of the books.

While they’re aimed at a younger audience, everyone can easily enjoy them; Stroud’s writing and narrative are appropriately layered and complex, and the characters grow into themselves and their relationships as they become more powerful and face more deadly foes, both ghostly and human. The Lockwood & Co. books and show are well worth a second look.

Lockwood & Co.