I've been convinced they're gaslighting us into thinking it's some sort of cultural keystone show like Lost or GoT when they were on the air.

Am I wrong? Have I just been oblivious to the fan base? Either way, the marketing blitz is at least a little disproportional

I dont think you're necessarily wrong, Stranger Things is not an equivalent to those shows and it doesn't have the same scale of hyper-invested fan base. It does have very broad appeal and is very casual friendly, though. That's probably why the mass marketing campaign is being rolled out; everyone has heard of this show and many have watched at least some of it.

In a sense, it is a cultural event because it's a finale that a very wide spectrum of people will be tuning into. Stranger Things was one of Netflix's first big shows and has been a cash cow for a long time. It won't have the same kind of lasting cultural legacy as Lost or Game of Thrones, which modern shows are still frequently compared to, but in the moment I can understand why hype exists. It's a big thing for it to be ending.

[–] glimse@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's a really weird blind spot for me, I haven't seen any "organic" discussions about the show in years!

[–] GreyEyedGhost@piefed.ca 1 points 22 hours ago

I see all the things you're saying, and none of it resonates with me.

I've seen every season of Stranger Things, usually when it first came out. I think it's been pretty good overall, and is an interesting story.

I haven't watched GoT or Lost. I didn't find them that engaging. I literally have less than 5 minutes of GoT, and maybe 3 episodes of Lost.

I almost never have conversations about shows except if I liked it and why, or the same from another person's perspective.

I have seen about as many ads of any kind in the last week as you have for Stranger Things, and have ordered my life to not see them. Most of the ads I see are on billboards and most of my routes have almost none on them, except for the specials at restaurants. I've been staying at home more over the holidays, which is a factor.

I find it interesting seeing the different perspectives and lifestyles people have.