'Stranger Things' creator warns that original storytelling feels rarer than ever now

• The Duffer Brothers received the Visionary Award at the 2026 Gotham TV Awards
• Matt Duffer warned that original, unfiltered storytelling feels rarer than ever in Hollywood
• Stranger Things season five set a Netflix record with 31.5 million views in four days

Matt Duffer, co-creator, showrunner and executive producer of Stranger Things alongside his brother Ross, used a career honour at the Gotham TV Awards on Monday to deliver a passionate call to arms for originality and creative risk-taking in Hollywood.

Speaking to the assembled crowd at Cipriani Wall Street in New York, Duffer did not specifically name the two recent breakout hits — Backrooms and Obsession — though both YouTube-driven successes appeared to inform his remarks.

Netflix bet on the Duffers before they had the credentials

Reflecting on the origins of Stranger Things a decade ago, Matt Duffer recalled that Netflix extended what amounted to a blank cheque to the Duffer Brothers, despite neither having previously directed television nor served as showrunners.

"That level of trust gave us the confidence and the courage to step up," Matt Duffer said. "The experience we had is so very rare in this industry. And in this age of endless data, and algorithms, it feels rarer than ever, which really worries us.

"But we're also encouraged by what audiences are responding to right now across TV and film. I feel young people are telling us very loudly that they're hungry for original stories – unfiltered personal visions that haven't been mangled by a thousand paper cuts."

His comments landed in the context of two remarkable recent success stories: Backrooms, which originated from a popular YouTube channel and a 4Chan post, delivered an $81 million opening weekend.

Obsession, helmed by former YouTuber Curry Barker, has achieved the rare distinction of growing its box office across three consecutive weekends of release and now stands as Focus Features' top-grossing film in the United States.

A direct appeal to those with power

Duffer used his platform to speak directly to industry decision-makers in the room, urging them to recalibrate their approach to new talent and unconventional projects.

"I say this to anyone in the room with any level of power: Let's choose risk over fear. Let's do everything we can to help new voices, make bold personal stories, and then let's stay out of their way," he continued.

"First of all, I would say it's less work for you. And second, it's gonna make you a lot of money. But most importantly, it'll result in cooler sh-t."

The remarks drew a enthusiastic response from the audience, echoing sentiments expressed over the weekend by indie filmmaker Mark Duplass, who offered a similar assessment of the current cultural moment.

Visionary Award among five non-competitive honours

The Visionary Award presented to the Duffer Brothers was one of five non-competitive honours handed out on the evening.

Other recipients included Kerry Washington, Clare Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, and the ensemble cast of FX's Love Story. Among the night's competitive big winners were Apple TV's Pluribus and HBO Max's I Love LA and DTF: St. Louis.

The Gotham TV Awards are now in their third year, functioning as the television counterpart to the organisation's longer-running film awards, which are presented each November and serve as an early marker in the Oscar season.

The unlikely origins of Stranger Things

The brothers also took a moment to recount the improbable beginnings of their now-iconic series. The fifth and final season of Stranger Things set a record for New Year's Day viewing last January, accumulating 31.5 million views in its first four days.

"I can't really emphasize what a crazy risk Stranger Things was, how little sense it made on paper," Ross Duffer said. "You know, all we had was one movie, which Warner Brothers disliked so much they wouldn't release it, and a weird 50-page script starring kids – but not for kids. No one wanted to touch it."

The project eventually gained traction when Netflix executive Matt Thunell recognised its potential and brought it to former Netflix programming lieutenant Cindy Holland, and ultimately to then-content chief Ted Sarandos.

Thunell and Holland — now heads of Paramount's television and direct-to-consumer operations respectively — were both in attendance at the ceremony.

"What's amazing is that all these people weren't just betting on idea or script. They were betting on us," Matt Duffer reflected.

"They let us showrun, even though we never showrun before. They let us direct, even though we never directed TV before.

"They let us cast whoever we believed in, including David Harbour, who's here tonight, as well. They never once hovered of our shoulders or asked us to sand off the weird edges."