However, following the release of the first season, they realized that the likability of the characters – especially the children – was key to the series' success, and they decided to set the second season in 1984 and focus on the same characters.[1] By the end of July, the Duffer Brothers had outlined a plan for such a season if it was green-lit,[9] and Netflix's CEO Reed Hastings said in early August that the company "would be dumb not to" renew Stranger Things for a second season.[10] On August 31, 2016, Netflix announced it had renewed Stranger Things for a second season of nine episodes, to be released in 2017.[11] The Duffer Brothers revealed that the series had been renewed for a second season before the first was released.