Netflix’s 8-Part Stranger Things Replacement & More New Shows To Binge This Weekend

3 weeks ago 16

Netflix's 8-part Stranger Things replacement series leads the pack of the best shows to watch on the streaming platform this Memorial Day Weekend. Already a worldwide streaming hit and #2 in the U.S., right behind the heist thriller Nemesis that premiered last week, this sci-fi adventure series was produced by the Duffer Brothers and has already garnered critical acclaim, including a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 94%.

Last week on Netflix, some of the best shows to watch on the platform included Your Honor and Wildfire, which both leave Netflix soon, and global trending hits like The Wonderfools and Berlin and the Lady with an Ermine. This weekend, in addition to the 8-part Stranger Things replacement, Netflix offers two other new series worth checking out – an animated rom-com and one of Netflix's most twisted shows of all time.

Mating Season

Mating Season is a brand-new animated series on Netflix created by the mind behind Big Mouth, one of the most celebrated animated series on the platform. Developed by Nick Kroll. Andrew Goldberg, Mark Levin, and Jennifer Flackett, Mating Season season 1 premiered on Friday, May 22, and consists of ten episodes, all of which are available to stream right now.

Considering that Big Mouth ran for 8 seasons and 81 episodes from 2017 to 2025, and won 4 Emmy Awards, all of which were awarded to Maya Rudolph for her voice acting performance, Mating Season could very well be Netflix's next long-running comedic franchise. The series follows a group of animated animals with humanistic qualities as they navigate adult relationships. Mating Season employs a creative way to explore many common scenarios in modern dating, including hookup culture, insecure attachment styles, and everything in between. If you loved Big Mouth, don't miss Mating Season this weekend.

Bad Thoughts

Bad Thoughts returns for its second season this weekend, dropping six new episodes on Sunday, May 24. Created by and starring comedian and podcaster Tom Segura, Bad Thoughts is essentially like an R-rated Saturday Night Live, featuring a variety of raunchy and even hilariously odd skits that star Segura in multiple roles. The series is full of shocking moments, unexpected twists, and scenarios that go to completely unhinged places, so be prepared for a wild ride.

Bad Thoughts is not going to be for everyone and is definitely not an "easy binge", but for the right kind of comedy fan, it will be laugh-out-loud funny. Bad Thoughts season 2 will likely up the ante even more than season 1 did, all while featuring new guest stars such as Luke Wilson and Martha Kelly. With just six new episodes, it's very reasonable to watch all of Bad Thoughts season 2 in just one sitting – that is, if you can stomach it. Given Segura's global fame, it's sure to be one of the biggest Netflix streaming hits of the weekend.

The Boroughs

The very best Netflix show to binge this weekend is The Boroughs, which is being called a Stranger Things replacement series due to its supernatural and sci-fi adventure themes. Produced by the Duffer Brothers and co-created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews (The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim), this new series is already a global streaming hit, ranking #2 in the U.S. and #5 worldwide just hours after its premiere.

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The Boroughs follows a group of retirees at a community in New Mexico who discover an otherworldly secret that takes them on an unexpected, and often hard to explain, adventure. It also has a fantastic ensemble cast led by Alfred Molina, Jena Malone, and more, and earned a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 94%. Above all other new Netflix shows to watch this Memorial Day Weekend, The Boroughs is our top choice to binge from start to finish due to its critical acclaim and surging popularity.