Episode 48: Stranger Things - The Breakout Summer TV hit

The big talk of the Summer TV season (and one of our favorite shows) is the Netflix original drama Stranger Things, a show that transports us back to 1983. On this weeks show speak to breakout star Shannon Purser who plays fan favorite Barb on the show, and veteran prop master Lynda Reiss who has been able to capture the 1980’s to a tee. Created by the Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things is an eight part series starring Winona Ryder and Mathew Modine, but the story centers on a group of 12 year-olds and a supporting group of teenagers all played by an absolutely superb bunch of new actors. Shannon Purser plays Barbara Holland or Barb, the best friend of popular girl Nancy Wheeler, and she fantastically embodies the outspoken and intelligent character that we all identify with. Her performance has created what’s being called Barb-mania, with fans creating memes, fan art – even painting murals of her. Set in a small Indiana town, the show follows the disappearance of a young boy, uncovers a dark conspiracy and a scary monster along the way. The other star of the show is 1980’s American pop culture – everything from the opening credits, the music and the loving attention to details in the props plays homage to films of the era. Lynda Reiss is the prop master on the show and she has created a veritable time capsule of the 80’s with trapper keepers, BMX bikes and some wonderful fashion. Reiss shares with us how she approaches a period piece like this, her work on American Beauty and the elaborate prop work on True Detective, and much more.

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