Fanatic Feed: Stranger Things Creators Announce New Series; Hillbilly Elegy Viewership Skyrockets Following Vance Announcement

It’s a big day for horror, hillbillies, and incarcerated firefighters over at Netflix.

What do these things have in common, and how are they teaming up to create a red-letter day for the streaming giant?

We’ll explain it all in today’s Fanatic Feed:

A Mixed Bag For Stranger Things Fans

First, we have major news for fans of Netflix’s biggest original series.

Yesterday, the creators of Stranger Things dropped a behind-the-scenes featurette that provided our first official glimpse of season five.

Sadly, it also revealed that production is only “about halfway” finished, so we’re gonna have to wait a while for new episodes.

Related: These Horror Book Series Would Make Great TV Adaptations

Thankfully, fans can take some solace in the announcement that ST showrunners the Duffer brothers are developing a new horror series from writer Haley Z. Boston titled Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen.

A press release from Netflix describes the show as “an atmospheric horror series set at a wedding, following a bride and groom in the week leading up to their ill-fated nuptials. That’s not a spoiler – just read the title…”

We like a title that lets us know what’s in store, and the Duffers have a good track record in that regard, ya know?

As promised, events in Hawkins, Indiana have grown increasingly weird…

Trump’s Running Mate Takes Netflix to Hillbilly Heaven

As you’ve no doubt heard by now, Donald Trump has announced J.D. Vance as his running mate for the 2024 presidential election.

Vance is the junior senator from Ohio, but many knew his name before he earned his seat in 2022 thanks to his bestselling 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy.

The book was adapted into a 2020 Netflix film directed by Ron Howard and starring Glenn Close.

Not surprisingly, it received quite a bump this week amid news that Vance is the front-runner to be our nation’s next VP.

In fact, Variety reported today that the flick received 19.2 million minutes of viewing time from roughly 163,836 households in the wake of Trump’s announcement.

It’s an increase of over 1,000 percent in 24 hours! That’s enough to make anyone’s meemaw holler!

Netflix Is on Fire

Finally in Netflix news, comes a pair of announcements that are sure to help subscribers feel like they’re getting their money’s worth:

Related: Fire Country Season 3: Everything We Know So Far!

The streamer revealed today that the popular CBS drama Fire Country will make its Netflix debut on August 1.

As though the original wasn’t messy enough!

Rounding out today’s TV news, the beloved Peacock series Poker Face is beefing up its cast for season two, adding such top talents as Katie Holmes, Giancarlo Esposito, and Gabby Hoffmann.

And ID Discovery is continuing its partnership with Octavia Spencer by renewing the true crime shows Losrt Women and Feds, both produced by her Orit Entertainment company.

What say you, TV fanatics? Is that enough to tide you over until the fall TV season kicks off?

Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts!