Watch Stranger Things reimagined as an ‘80s sitcom

Stranger Things is the best new show on Netflix so far this year. There are and will always be disappointed critics, but I am glad to have another show that actually likes both its characters and the human race. This is why I loved Parks and Recreation. This is why I adored the second season of Last Man on Earth, which traded a cruel rigidity for a sincere and looser exploration of how people might come together in the apocalypse. When it feels like the real world is actually falling apart, I appreciate shows that do more than chronicle the wrongdoings of old white dudes with addictive personalities.

Maybe I’m just a sap. I have a place in my heart for classic sitcoms. Cheers. Family Matters. WKRP in Cincinnati. MASH. The Jeffersons. These are “sick day” favorites, and their theme songs alone can lift me from a funk. I suppose this explains my affinity for a fan-made trailer that imagines Stranger Things as a 1980s network sitcom.

The music choice is perfect. If you’re wondering why Randy Newman’s “Strange Things” seems to radiate nostalgia, then allow me to point you to this overdose of childhood:

Now, I am only halfway through Stranger Things, and I don’t believe there are any spoilers in this trailer, but as a good Dungeon Master might say to a first-time player: tread carefully.