Season 1 This really is an excellent and well made series. I think that the quality is mostly thanks to the excellent writing and direction. From these two core factors the rest of the production elements were formed. So the music, acting, visual style, effects, sound design, production design, costumes etc are all excellent thanks to, I believe, the direction. The casting is perfect, it doesn't feel like a single casting decision was forced. Considering you are looking at eight episodes, each around 45 minutes long, the pacing is excellent with some real edge-of-you-seat moments with only occasional slower moments. At no point did I think of turning it off during an episode. It is scary but this is only occasional. Most of it is about characters and story which are both incredibly well done. Overall I highly recommend this!

Season 2 This is basically more of the same and that is not a bad thing. Admittedly it means that it feels less original but that doesn't bother me. The acting is excellent, the new characters are introduced really well and naturally. The acting isn't just great but the casting of the actors for the roles is excellent and it feels like each character was written specifically for the actor. I actually don't like the main cast in other roles outside Stranger Things as the roles don't fit their natural character. The production value is very high, everything is exceptionally well made. It's worth noting that the horror and suspense has increased slightly. Occasionally they tried more humour which I didn't particularly care for. My only big gripe was the whole pollywog storyline was pretty stupid, the character motivations didn't make any sense and it was frustrating for a viewer.

Season 3 I hate to say the same thing but this is more of the same and that is not a bad thing. The new characters and locations have great and natural introductions and fit within the world perfectly. Acting and casting is excellent. My only gripe would be that the main cast look too old to be playing the characters they are playing, dressing them in shorts and trimming their facial hair isn't enough. Writing is excellent like all the seasons so far. The images look slightly different to the previous series, almost more processed but not that noticeable and not in a bad way, maybe they had more budget for post-production. There are a lot of special effects and they look great. I know I'm going back to an issue but they don't look like children anymore but they are supposed to be children. The existing characters are still engaging although a couple are pretty dull and forgettable. The horror and gore has increased quite a bit which might push some people over the edge and not be able to watch. Because there is more horror the increase in humour actually doesn't bother me in this season. I noticed this season but it's true of all the seasons that the influence from other media is common and obvious but that actually makes this better. Anyway, just an observation. Another excellent season with no quality reduction yet!

Season 4 This is the first season that I haven't really enjoyed generally throughout, certainly not as much as the others. It goes on for far too long and feels like a slog at times. It also feels a little directionless as each group has their storyline but they take the entire season to really go anywhere. The Soviet Union storyline stands out as the least interesting. They got even older but the characters are the same which often makes it feel like the original cast feel ten years out of place. It really feels longer than the previous seasons put together and I admit I lost focus way more than previous seasons. Having said that there are some genuinely gripping moments. Hopper was one of my favourite characters and he is so serious which is a shame. Suzy on the roof is a really fake looking special effect, really ruined the scene. In fact some of the special effects seem to be a lower quality compared to the previous seasons, maybe because there are too many but most are good and some really impressive like them looking at each other through the upside. Sometimes I couldn't follow what was going on and I was concentrating. Maybe because I was focusing on motivations which didn't really make sense. Sound design and music is excellent. Really excellent! The fight choreography is average but didn't really matter. The good bits are good, so good! Shame there are slow bits and less interesting storylines. I think the whole season could be an hour or two shorter without affecting anything overall. Much as I'm picking holes I did really enjoy watching it. Hopper looks terrible because he lost weight which fits his character journey. Robin looks terrible because she lost weight probably because she's been doing drugs and they never bothered explaining it. The last episode is so long, even when you think it's over there's like another 40 minutes. The emotional moments lacked impact because they didn't feel real. Some of the sound design and effects towards the end felt rushed. Easily my least favourite season. The ending is certainly a low point of the entire series. I can't imagine how old and out of place they'll look in the next season.