The first-ever season of Netflix original series “Stranger Things” kicks off when 12-year-old Will Byers goes missing. Police Chief Jim Hopper launches an investigation throughout the small town of Hawkins, Indiana; meanwhile, the boy’s terrified mother begins her own search.

Will’s best friends—Dustin, Mike and Lucas—are also on the lookout. But what they find is not Will himself but rather, a mysterious girl named Eleven. She claims to hear Will’s voice. The audience eventually learns more about her character, including the special powers she possesses and the dark past that haunts her.

Throughout this American science fiction-horror, it is soon discovered that there is a lot more to the disappearance of Will than it seems. The trio, along with newfound friend Eleven, struggles to find the truth—all while facing an ominous government agency, a terrifying monster that is always one step behind them and horrors they never could have imagined.

The show is set in the 1980s and is inspired by the works of Steven Spielberg, Stephen King and George Lucas. Such works include “E.T.,” “The Goonies” and “Poltergeist.”

Netflix released the thrilling original series late this summer. Since then, it has become immensely popular, as the third most-watched season of Netflix’s original content. “Stranger Things” follows “Fuller House” and season four of “Orange is the New Black.”

The series’ first season is available on Netflix. It includes eight episodes, each about 40 to 60 minutes long. The show is scheduled to return with its second season in 2017.