25 shows to watch if you like Riverdale

Stranger Things

Although Stranger Things might be more of distant cousin to our Riverdale, it relies pretty heavily on the nostalgia of its core audience. Calling back a different time, Stranger Things feels like it exists in the past and the present at the same time.

The premise: A small Midwestern town is overtaken by a menacing supernatural force and a band of young misfits have to fight to figure it out after their friend disappears.

Will Byers, quiet, small and introverted, turns up missing around the same time a mysterious young girl shows up in the town. The girl won’t speak and has innate abilities that startle Will’s friends. One friend, Mike, strikes up a particular bond with the young girl, Eleven, and she turns out to be the key to helping the boys solve the town’s major problem, which leads to Will’s rescue.

Why you’ll like it:  The gang in Stranger Things may be far less sophisticated and glamorous, but their bond is as real as the core four on Riverdale. Ultimately, both shows are about friendship and the lengths that people will go to when their loved ones are in danger. The Stranger Things group might not have as much savvy as the gang in Riverdale, but they have as much heart, if not more.

Also, Stranger Things relies heavily on its anachronisms. Although firmly set in the 1980s, the premise of the big bad is far beyond its years, and the application of the solution to kill it feels like it could be today’s answer. Similarly, it’s hard to put your finger on exactly when Riverdale is. On the one hand, they have iPhones and Twitter handles, but on the other, FP is wearing a soda jerk uniform and Fred is answering a rotary phone.

Where to find it: Since it’s a Netflix original, you can watch all of seasons 1 and 2, all in one sitting if you so choose, on the streaming giant. Beware, there are some intense moments, so you should probably plan for breaks.