Stranger Things: A look at the lesser-known facts about The Duffer Brothers's show
A look at the fascinating lesser-known details of Stranger Things. Explore the Duffer Brothers' original inspirations, the casting secrets, and the Easter eggs that make the show a pop culture masterpiece.
The original title and setting was "Montauk" The Duffer Brothers first pitched the show under the title Montauk before it was titled as Stranger Things. The original concept of the series was set in Montauk, Long Island, New York which was inspired by a real-life conspiracy theory of ‘The Montauk Project’ who practiced secret government experiments on children. The setting was moved to the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana because of practical and budgetary reasons and the name was changed.
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The show was rejected by multiple networks The makers of the series faced several hurdles in getting their show picked up. The Duffer Brothers were rejected between 15 to 20 times by several networks. With children being the lead characters of the series was a concern from the executive, while some suggested that they should make it a pure children’s show or should entirely focus on adult character of Jim Hopper investigating some paranormal activity.
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The role of Eleven was originally intended to be a one-season character Eleven was not supposed to make it past the first season of the Duffer Brothers' original plan for the show. Eleven’s character was meant to be a selfless figure who would come to the rescue but die in the process. As the plot evolved and the writers realized the character's and Millie Bobby Brown's acting potential, they had second thoughts.
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Steve Harrington was supposed to be the ultimate "Douchebag" and Die Originally created as an entirely unlikeable "douchebag," Steve Harrington was supposed to die in Season 1. However, the writers changed the script to give Steve a redemption arc and a much bigger role in later seasons because they were so impressed with Joe Keery's performance and his on-set chemistry with the other actors.
Gaten Matarazzo's medical condition was written into the show Dustin Henderson's cgaracter played by Gaten Matarazzo has Cleidocranial Dysplasia (CCD) which is a rare genetic condition that affects tooth and bone development. In order to help spread awareness of the disorder, the Duffer Brothers chose to include Gaten's real-life condition into Dustin's character because they were so impressed with him during his audition.
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The show was nearly an anthology series For some time, the show's creators thought about turning Stranger Things into an anthology series, similar to Fargo or American Horror Story, in which every season would have a new cast, plot, and setting in a different decade. In the end, they rejected this format in favor of carrying on the story with the beloved main cast.
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Winona Ryder took inspiration from Meryl Streep for her hair Actress Winona Ryder requested that her hair should be based on Meryl Streep's hairstyle from the 1983 movie Silkwood for her role as Joyce Byers. This small detail was important for Ryder's creation of Joyce's practical, working-class style.
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The demogorgon was a practical costume for many scenes A real actor dressed as a scary creature was used in many of the scenes in Season 1, despite the monstrous Demogorgon's massive use of computer-generated imagery. This helped enhance the performance by giving actors something real and scary to react to on set.
![The original title and setting was "Montauk" The Duffer Brothers first pitched the show under the title Montauk before it was titled as Stranger Things. The original concept of the series was set in Montauk, Long Island, New York which was inspired by a real-life conspiracy theory of ‘The Montauk Project’ who practiced secret government experiments on children. The setting was moved to the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana because of practical and budgetary reasons and the name was changed.](https://images.moneycontrol.com/static-mcnews/2025/09/20250926133744_ST-one-.jpg "The original title and setting was "Montauk" The Duffer Brothers first pitched the show under the title Montauk before it was titled as Stranger Things. The original concept of the series was set in Montauk, Long Island, New York which was inspired by a real-life conspiracy theory of ‘The Montauk Project’ who practiced secret government experiments on children. The setting was moved to the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana because of practical and budgetary reasons and the name was changed.")
![Steve Harrington was supposed to be the ultimate "Douchebag" and Die Originally created as an entirely unlikeable "douchebag," Steve Harrington was supposed to die in Season 1. However, the writers changed the script to give Steve a redemption arc and a much bigger role in later seasons because they were so impressed with Joe Keery's performance and his on-set chemistry with the other actors.](https://images.moneycontrol.com/static-mcnews/2025/09/20250926133740_ST-two.jpg "Steve Harrington was supposed to be the ultimate "Douchebag" and Die Originally created as an entirely unlikeable "douchebag," Steve Harrington was supposed to die in Season 1. However, the writers changed the script to give Steve a redemption arc and a much bigger role in later seasons because they were so impressed with Joe Keery's performance and his on-set chemistry with the other actors.")
