'The OA' Is Already the New 'Stranger Things' After Surprise Netflix Drop

Netflix, how are we supposed to chill with you when you're sneaking around behind our backs? Like a streaming Beyoncé, Netflix just casually dropped a new series "The OA," after only announcing it existed a few days ago. Why the secrecy? Apparently the less you know going in the better, but fans and critics who just binged it are already comparing it to "Stranger Things" -- only without the kids.

Here's how The Hollywood Reporter put it:

"Formally announced and trailered on Monday and released in its eight-episode entirety on Friday (December 16), The OA isn't being pushed on creative pedigree or star power, but rather on ineffable allure and the hope that not talking about the show will, ironically, lead people to talk about it incessantly.

It's a game that I can play as well, pitching The OA as Stranger Things meets Flatliners meets the more pretentious aspects of Sense8."

Their review isn't exactly a rave, overall, but so far early birds have shot the series to a 9.1/10 rating on IMDb, and critics have given it an 83 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That will probably change as more people discover the series, but it's a strong start.

"The OA" stars Brit Marling, who also co-created and co-wrote the series with Zal Batmanglij, who also directs. Here's a generic enough synopsis to not spoil too much:

"Prairie Johnson (Brit Marling), who comes home to the community she grew up in with her sight restored. Some hail her a miracle, others a dangerous mystery, but Prairie won't talk about her seven years missing with the FBI or her parents."

Vanity Fair had this assessment:

"It's Room meets E.T. meets Life of Pi meets Glee meets Marling and Batmanglij's own 2011 cult film-as in, a movie about a cult-Sound of My Voice, but somehow even more bizarrely appealing than the sum of those parts."

And here's a "fresh" blurb from New York Magazine:

"The show's surprise arrival also mirrors the show's narrative approach, which is dazzling in its insistence on avoiding straight lines and favoring hairpin turns."

Not everyone is a fan, though. Here's an excerpt from Variety's "rotten" review:

"Despite having the best intentions - and technical skill that is at times breathtaking - the story of The OA, the thing it is trying to be about, is little more than pretty much nonsense - self-indulgent, self-serious psychodrama."

"The OA" is now waiting for your own critique on Netflix. Also, if you're interested in other Netflix recommendations, the Brazilian dystopian series "3%" is definitely worth a binge.

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