Maze Runner’s Dystopian Edge Outshines Stranger Things’ Netflix Hype

For many, Stranger Things has become the go-to reference for young adult science fiction in recent years, largely thanks to its high-profile launches and the way it’s woven into Netflix’s event-driven release calendar. The show’s presence has come to symbolise the streaming era’s approach to genre fiction—big, bold, and everywhere at once.

Shifting Worlds: The Maze Runner’s Unpredictable Journey

Yet, before this streaming model took hold, The Maze Runner trilogy had already made its mark in cinemas. Released between 2014 and 2018, the series wrapped up its story before binge-watching became the norm. With the films set to vanish from Netflix on 9 January, there’s been a brief resurgence of interest in the franchise.

Looking back at both series now, the differences are rather striking. The Maze Runner’s world is in constant flux. The Glade, with its strict routines and sense of order, is upended by the end of the first instalment. There’s no return to safety; the characters are forced to adapt as their environment shifts beneath their feet.

In The Scorch Trials, the group is thrust into a desolate wasteland, where ruined cities and unpredictable human threats replace the familiar dangers of the Maze. The Death Cure moves the action again, this time to the heart of WCKD’s operations and the consequences of the world that created the Maze in the first place. Each film answers old questions only to pose new, more daunting ones.

Static vs. Dynamic: How Setting Shapes Storytelling

By contrast, Stranger Things keeps its cast anchored in the same small town, season after season. The setting rarely changes in any meaningful way, and the story tends to circle back to familiar ground. The Maze Runner, on the other hand, embraces upheaval. Its characters are constantly on the move, facing new challenges and leaving old ones behind. It’s a proper journey, not just a series of escalating threats in the same place.

This willingness to let the world evolve is what makes The Maze Runner so satisfying, even years after its release. There’s a sense of progression—of moving forward, rather than treading water. The trilogy doesn’t rely on nostalgia or callbacks; it’s always pushing towards something new.

Release Tactics: Event Television vs. Steady Progression

Stranger Things, meanwhile, is as much about the spectacle of its return as it is about the story itself. Each new series arrives with a flurry of anticipation, long gaps between releases, and plenty of hype. When it finally lands, it dominates the conversation for a spell, only to fade away until the next big drop.

The Maze Runner films didn’t bother with such theatrics. Each entry picked up where the last left off, moving the plot along without years of waiting or splitting releases into multiple parts. The story unfolded at a steady pace, with each film building on the last.

As a result, Stranger Things often feels most potent during its release window. The show is remembered as much for the timing of its launches as for the narrative itself. The Maze Runner, by contrast, is defined by its momentum and the way it refuses to stand still.

Comparing the Essentials

Category

Stranger Things: Television series
The Maze Runner: Film trilogy

Release Date (UK)

Stranger Things: 15 July 2016
The Maze Runner: 19 September 2014

Creators / Director

Stranger Things: The Duffer Brothers
The Maze Runner: Directed by Wes Ball

Genre

Stranger Things: Sci-Fi, Horror, Drama, Mystery
The Maze Runner: Sci-Fi, Dystopian, Action, Thriller

Budget

Stranger Things: £400–480 million (series 5)
The Maze Runner: £34M (first film), £61M (Scorch Trials), £62M (Death Cure)

So, which one comes out on top? Is the earlier YA sci-fi trilogy still the stronger contender, or does the Netflix juggernaut deserve its place at the summit? Let us know what you reckon below.

The Maze Runner trilogy is available to stream on Netflix until 9 January 2026, and on Apple TV in the UK. All series of Stranger Things remain on Netflix.