The Short-Lived Fox Series That Paved The Way For Stranger Things
In 2015, Fox debuted a science-fiction mystery series called "Wayward Pines" starring Matt Dillon as U.S. Secret Service agent Ethan Burke who is sent to investigate the mysterious disappearance of two fellow agents in a small town in Idaho. After getting in a car accident, he awakens to discover he cannot leave Wayward Pines, nor can he contact anyone outside of the town. He quickly learns that one of the missing agents is dead, while the other, his ex-partner Kate (Carla Gugino) has simply settled down and started a new life in the town.
If that wasn't odd enough, Wayward Pines is boxed in by an electric fence and run by Sheriff Arnold Pope (Terrence Howard), who punishes any attempts to flee the city with a public execution known as a "reckoning." If this sounds like David Lynch's "Twin Peaks" by way of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," you're not far off. The series was based on the "Wayward Pines" novels by Blake Crouch and was produced by M. Night Shyamalan. Sadly, despite the planned three-season story arc, "Wayward Pines" was canceled after two seasons leaving fans wanting more.
"Wayward Pines" was the first television venture for M. Night Shyamalan, who would go on to create the successful Apple TV+ series, "Servant." But Shyamalan wasn't the only first-timer on the show, as "Wayward Pines" also marked the first big break for budding genre writers Ross and Matt Duffer, aka The Duffer Brothers, who would go on to create "Stranger Things."
From rejection to 'overnight sensation'
The Duffer Brothers graduated from Chapman University in 2007 and spent many years looking for their big break in the industry. They put out a series of short films while trying to shop around bigger projects, but saw rejection after rejection. As they told The Wrap, "You go into these rooms and they're so disinterested in anything you have to say before you even open your mouth. That's when you start to feel that it's impossible." They continued, "There were moments when we thought, 'We're never going to break through because no one will take us seriously.'" Things started to look up in 2011 when Warner Bros. acquired their script for the post-apocalyptic horror film "Hidden," which wouldn't get made until 2015 and went straight to VOD.
However, it was "Hidden" that put them on the radar of M. Night Shyamalan, who hired them as writers/producers for "Wayward Pines." Working on the show was certainly beneficial, because as self-proclaimed "movie guys," learning the ropes of serialized storytelling contributed to the success of "Stranger Things." And it was the one-two punch of making "Hidden" and working on "Wayward Pines" that helped The Duffer Brothers prove they had the goods to pull off such a high-concept show like "Stranger Things." They were also smart in demanding that they would only sign off on their project if they were also allowed to direct. "We said, 'You can't have this unless we direct it.' I have found in Hollywood that if people are offering you money and you tell them no, they go crazy," said Ross Duffer. "They want it so much more."
And luckily for "Stranger Things" fans (and The Duffer Brothers), Netflix obliged.