2 New Englanders Shine As Main Characters in ‘Stranger Things’

To absolutely no one's surprise, it's the most watched television series ever on Netflix.

According to Forbes, the fourth season of the streaming service's Stranger Things is the most watched English language series ever, breaking a record held by the second season of Bridgerton.

Please tell me you've watched both shows!  But back to Stranger Things.  In case you're not totally familiar, this science fiction horror drama series that takes place in the '80s is one of the most addictive shows I've ever seen, and I'm SO not a horror, science fiction girl.  As the show's characters and actors became household names, it's super cool to know that two of them have extensive ties to the Boston area and New Hampshire.

First, let me emphasize that there are absolutely zero spoilers in this article.

Let's start with that suburban Boston boy born and raised in Newburyport, Massachusetts.  I'm talking about the adorable, funny, monster-fighting character Steve Harrington, played by the talented Joe Keery.  His character in this fourth season has now graduated from high school, although he's 30 years old in real life, according to a 'Today Show' interview.

Joe Keery went to Newburyport High School and graduated from DePaul University in Chicago, home of the Blue Demons (how ironic). DePaul happens to be my undergraduate alma mater before I went to Syracuse University for my masters, so I'm loving that personal connection.

Now to the character Jim Hopper, who is the police chief for the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, where most of the show takes place.  Nicknamed 'Hop', he is played by the masterful actor David Harbour.

While David was born and raised in White Plains, New York, David graced the Granite State with his presence at Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire.  According to the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, he graduated in 1997.  The magazine did a full feature on this amazing actor, so click here if you want to learn more than just what Wikipedia has to offer.

Now start watching Stranger Things if you haven't, so you're caught up by the time the final season drops.