Netflix Just Found Its Next Stranger Things In Unexpected New Dark Fantasy Series

Published Jul 23, 2026, 9:30 PM EDT An experienced Editor representing Canada via ScreenRant's Team Anime, J.R. has been reading manga since the first printing of Shonen Jump in North America. This passion drove him to write about anime, manga, and manhwa since 2022, having recently served as Lead Anime Editor for ComicBook.com. His favorite moments in media coverage include reviewing the series premieres of Zom 100 and Bleach: TYBW Part 2 back-to-back and briefly meeting Junji Ito at a VIZ gallery event in 2023. Sign in to your ScreenRant account As the dominant player in the streaming realm, Netflix hasn't truly had to worry about maintaining its position on the market even after the conclusion of its greatest hits. A particularly telling instance of this was the long-awaited conclusion of one of its most successful ongoing series ever made, Stranger Things, with the series finale to ring in the New Year at the end of 2025. The platform has persevered and continued to thrive ever since, particularly thanks to its broad array of genre fiction offerings. But few have managed to truly scratch a similar itch to that of Stranger Things, which is why it's so surprising that a dark fantasy Joseon-era K-drama, The East Palace, fits so well. The East Palace is Netflix's latest original K-drama, blending action, horror, and various Korean folklore with occult elements. On the surface it couldn't be more removed from an homage to American pop culture in the 1980s until one dives into their commonly-shared traits. Each series features a hidden world intersecting with that of reality; while Stranger Things has a five-season-long mystery regarding the origins of the Upside Down, The East Palace's parallel, the Realm of Gwi, harboring dangerous spirits across multiple types. It's here that one starts seeing more connections between the two Netflix shows, making The East Palace a worthwhile eight-episode binge for Stranger Things. Netflix's New Dark Fantasy Features Its Own Spin On Stranger Things' Upside Down The East Palace does well for itself to maintain an air of mystery as it balances palace intrigue typical of most K-dramas depicting a fictional rendition of the Joseon Dynasty. It's deeply spiritual, particularly due to its main star, Gu-cheon, a ghost-killer who, after a childhood incident in which he was effectively dead, found a way to cross over into the Realm of Gwi. A parallel realm full of dread and orange hues, the alternate reality has plenty of functional similarities to that of the Upside Down in Stranger Things, only less intensely brown like in the finale, with its various deadly spirits tied to Korean folklore, putting the residents of the palace in a constant state of danger. Gwi in Korean means "Ghost" or "Spirit". Much like Stranger Things' various creatures like Demogorgons, Demodogs, the Flayed, or the Mind Flayer as inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, The East Palace has corresponding spirits in the Realm of Gwi depending on the resentment keeping them tied to the physical world. Netflix even thoughtfully laid out these creatures, from harmless common-gwi, to vengeful won-gwi, to utterly malevolent ak-gwi, evil humans or won-gwi corrupted beyond relief and burdened with karma These are collectively called "gwi-shin". There are even variants born without human components at all, namely the gwi-mae, born from negative energy, including the adorable Ggeomeoksali with absolute mascot potential. As a final telling parallel one can draw to Stranger Things and how one can get to the Upside Down, Gu-cheon contrives a way to basically relive his drowning incident, tying a rope around his neck and submerging himself into the palace pond, as he gets to the bottom of whatever haunts the palace. While Gu-cheon fights the spirits, especially early on, Saeng-gang tracks the site of his battles in the human realm, noting when peach branches begin to fall apart as he takes down gwi-shin. It's a fascinating rendition of absolute intensity as shown in Gu-cheon's desolate surroundings, often barely intercepted in cases such as early attempts on the King's life. The East Palace Packs Plenty Of Lore Into Just 8 Episodes But beyond similarly eerie VFX creatures, The East Palace balances its dangerous parallel world and palace storylines well. Gu-cheon's main companion, Saeng-gang, is brought along to investigate why the royals residing within the palace are being targeted by vengeful spirits. Yet, the underlying reason behind much of the haunting going on, whether in specific cases like the immolated court ladies whom the Queen Dowager hastily attempts to cover up, or the overall vengeful spirits, have to do with various injustices committed by those who rule the land. These various hauntings create different types of clashes for Gu-cheon, who is able to harm the gwi-shin using peach wood branches that grew facing the East, with some incredible fights including against palace guards and some truly creative, monstrous entities born from malice. It's the sort of unexpected terrors and problems that largely crossed over into the human world because of ill-conceived human intervention, much like many of the problems in Stranger Things caused and perpetuated by Hawkins Lab and various governments' involvement. It's certainly one of the most inventive dark fantasy series, channeling folklore much like The Witcher does, but without strictly adapting another pre-existing work. Now Streaming · Press Play How Well Do You Know Netflix Originals? “Red light, green light.” 🌀StrangerThingsThe Upside Down 🎭SquidGamePlayer 456 👑TheCrownLong live the Queen 🕸WednesdayNevermore Academy 🌹BridgertonDearest readers PRESS PLAY → 01 Squid Game shattered records on launch in 2021, becoming Netflix’s biggest-ever series debut. Hwang Dong-hyuk’s South Korean thriller centres on a desperate gambler named Seong Gi-hun. What is his player number? A067 B218 C001 D456 ✓ Correct! Gi-hun is Player 456 — the last number drawn. Kang Sae-byeok (the North Korean defector) is 067, Cho Sang-woo (the Stanford-educated finance crook) is 218, and the mysterious elderly Oh Il-nam is 001. Squid Game became Netflix’s first show to hit #1 in every country it launched in, amassing over 1.6 billion hours watched in its first month alone. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is 456. Gi-hun’s number is the very last of the 456 players. 067 is Sae-byeok the defector, 218 is Sang-woo the Stanford grad, and 001 is the mysterious old man Oh Il-nam whose identity becomes the series’ biggest reveal. Squid Game became Netflix’s most-watched launch ever, hitting #1 in 94 countries. NEXT → 02 The Tim Burton-directed Addams Family spin-off set at Nevermore Academy became Netflix’s second-biggest English-language debut in 2022 and launched a TikTok dance craze. Which young actress plays the deadpan title character? AJenna Ortega BMillie Bobby Brown CSadie Sink DMaya Hawke ✓ Correct! Jenna Ortega — a Disney Channel graduate and indie-horror favourite (X, Scream VI) — took the role Christina Ricci made iconic in the 1990s films and made it entirely her own. Her now-famous cello-accompanied dance scene became an overnight TikTok phenomenon, and her performance earned Wednesday two Emmy nominations despite airing mid-season. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is Jenna Ortega. Millie Bobby Brown is Eleven on Stranger Things, Sadie Sink plays Max Mayfield (also Stranger Things), and Maya Hawke plays Robin. Ortega’s deadpan Wednesday Addams — and her viral cello-dance scene — turned the show into a global phenomenon in late 2022. NEXT → 03 In 2013, Netflix released a dark political thriller starring Kevin Spacey as a ruthless congressman breaking the fourth wall. It became the first major streaming original to land a Primetime Emmy nomination and effectively invented prestige streaming TV. Which show was it? AOrange Is the New Black BHouse of Cards CArrested Development (revival) DHemlock Grove ✓ Correct! House of Cards — adapted by Beau Willimon from the 1990 BBC series — became Netflix’s first prestige original and proved a streaming service could go toe-to-toe with HBO. Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood and his asides to camera defined early streaming TV. Orange Is the New Black followed months later in July 2013 and became Netflix’s longest-running original at the time. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is House of Cards (February 2013). Orange Is the New Black launched five months later (July 2013), Arrested Development’s Netflix revival came in May 2013, and Hemlock Grove was a horror effort the same spring. House of Cards was the flagship — the first streaming original to earn a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series. NEXT → 04 Peter Morgan’s The Crown famously recast its entire ensemble every two seasons to age the royal family. After Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1-2, which Oscar-winning actress took the crown for seasons 3-4? AImelda Staunton BOlivia Colman CHelena Bonham Carter DGillian Anderson ✓ Correct! Olivia Colman — fresh off her Best Actress Oscar for The Favourite — played the Queen across seasons 3 and 4, covering the late 1960s through the early Thatcher years. Imelda Staunton took over for seasons 5-6, Helena Bonham Carter played Princess Margaret in seasons 3-4, and Gillian Anderson stole the show as Margaret Thatcher in season 4. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is Olivia Colman. Imelda Staunton took over for the final two seasons (5-6). Helena Bonham Carter played the chain-smoking Princess Margaret during seasons 3-4 alongside Colman. Gillian Anderson delivered an Emmy-winning Margaret Thatcher in season 4. Colman anchored the show’s middle era fresh off her 2019 Oscar win. NEXT → 05 The Duffer Brothers’ 1980s nostalgia juggernaut sees Eleven and the gang battle inter-dimensional horrors from a portal beneath the town’s Hawkins National Laboratory. In which fictional US town and state is the series set? ADerry, Maine BHawkins, Indiana CHill Valley, California DTwin Peaks, Washington ✓ Correct! Hawkins, Indiana — a fictional Midwestern small town that became one of TV’s most iconic settings. The Duffer Brothers chose Indiana for its unassuming, ordinary-America vibe, making the supernatural chaos feel more jarring. Derry is Stephen King’s It setting, Hill Valley is from Back to the Future, and Twin Peaks is David Lynch’s famous town. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is Hawkins, Indiana. Derry, Maine is the fictional town from Stephen King’s It. Hill Valley is Marty McFly’s home in Back to the Future. Twin Peaks, Washington is David Lynch’s famous fictional town. Hawkins is The Duffer Brothers’ deliberately ordinary Midwestern setting — the flat, unassuming backdrop that makes Vecna’s horrors hit harder. NEXT → 06 Netflix’s Regency romance juggernaut — based on Julia Quinn’s novels and famous for its colour-blind casting, string-quartet pop covers, and narrated gossip column — is produced by which prolific showrunner’s production banner? AShonda Rhimes (Shondaland) BRyan Murphy CJulian Fellowes DJenji Kohan ✓ Correct! Shonda Rhimes — the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal — produces Bridgerton through her Shondaland banner as the first major fruit of her massive 2017 Netflix deal. Chris Van Dusen created the show, but Shondaland’s signature ensemble-romance DNA is all over it. Julian Fellowes did Downton Abbey, Ryan Murphy did Monster/Dahmer, and Jenji Kohan did Orange Is the New Black. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is Shonda Rhimes (Shondaland). Ryan Murphy produces true-crime anthologies like Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Julian Fellowes is the Downton Abbey/Gilded Age creator — a different period drama entirely. Jenji Kohan is behind Orange Is the New Black and Weeds. Bridgerton was the first big payoff of Rhimes’ nine-figure Netflix deal. NEXT → 07 La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) became a global phenomenon on Netflix after a modest Spanish TV debut — partly thanks to its gang’s instantly recognisable red jumpsuits paired with a mask of which famous figure? AGuy Fawkes BSalvador Dalí CChe Guevara DPablo Picasso ✓ Correct! The Salvador Dalí mask — with its upturned moustache — became the show’s defining visual alongside the red jumpsuits, a nod to Spanish artistic rebellion and surrealist individuality. It inspired protest iconography worldwide, from Lebanon to France. The original Antena 3 version underperformed; Netflix acquired it in 2017, re-edited it, and turned it into a global sensation. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is Salvador Dalí. Guy Fawkes is the V for Vendetta mask that Anonymous adopted. Che Guevara is a common revolutionary image but not the heist crew’s mask. Picasso is a frequent wrong answer given he’s the more globally-known Spanish artist — but the Dalí mask, with its iconic moustache, is the one fused forever with Money Heist’s red jumpsuits. NEXT → 08 Netflix’s 2020 limited series about a Cold War-era chess prodigy named Beth Harmon caused a global surge in chess-set sales and was one of the streamer’s most-watched shows that year. Who played Beth? AFlorence Pugh BAnya Taylor-Joy CSaoirse Ronan DDaisy Edgar-Jones ✓ Correct! Anya Taylor-Joy — already a cult favourite from The Witch and Emma — broke out globally as Beth Harmon, winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress. The Queen’s Gambit pulled 62 million households in its first 28 days and caused such a chess-boom that Chess.com and retailers ran out of sets. It also made Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel a surprise bestseller almost 40 years later. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is Anya Taylor-Joy. Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Oppenheimer), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People, Where the Crawdads Sing) are all frequent competitors in similar roles. Taylor-Joy’s Beth Harmon earned her a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and turned Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel into a sudden bestseller. REVEAL MY SCORE → Credits Rolling · Autoplay On Your Binge-Watcher Rank 🎬 / 8 Platinum subscriber — or still on the free trial? ⤴ PLAY NEXT EPISODE The result is a pretty thrilling weekend binge, but also an impressive series among July's mighty K-drama slate to linger on even after the finale's credits roll. Even with the series already performing well on the Netflix charts, it's uncertain at best, unlikely at worst, that more seasons will follow. There are still enticing enough mysteries within the Realm of Gwi to warrant more adventures, but without spoiling too much, Gu-cheon's connection to these spirits leaves plenty of opportunities for future stories. Regardless, for Stranger Things fans seeking their fix of fascinating lore, killer visuals, impressive action, and intriguing drama, Netflix has the latest alternative with The East Palace. Release Date 2026 - 2026-00-00 Network Netflix Directors Choi Jung-kyu Writers Kwon So-ra, Seo Jae-won Creator(s) Kwon So-ra, Seo Jae-won