Stranger Things is an American science fiction, horror, mystery, and drama television series created by the Duffer Brothers for the streaming service Netflix. The brothers, as well as Karl Gajdusek in the first season only, are the program's showrunners. They also executive produce the series with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. The show features a large ensemble cast and takes place in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. It is set in the 1980s and revolves around the actions of the town's citizens when a government agency experiments with the paranormal and supernatural using human test subjects. In the process, they create a portal to an alternate dimension known as the Upside Down.