The Architects of Hawkins Matt and Ross Duffer have firmly cemented their status as two of the most successful showrunners in television history, largely off the back of their colossal sci-fi hit, Stranger Things. Now, fans are being invited to dive into the eerie world of Hawkins one final time with the streaming giant’s newly released documentary special, One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5.
Born in 1984, the identical twins grew up in Durham, North Carolina. Their mother, Ann Marie Christensen, worked part-time as an estate agent, while their father, Allen Pace Duffer Jr, was employed by a non-profit organisation. Right from their early years, the brothers were utterly inseparable. This tight-knit bond heavily dictated their career path, leading them to reject offers from the Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts simply because the institution insisted they study apart. Ross famously told The Wrap that the condition was an absolute deal-breaker for them. Matt echoed the sentiment, admitting they essentially had no idea how to function creatively on their own. Instead, they opted for Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, eventually graduating together in 2007.
Fortunes and Private Lives Unsurprisingly, creating a global pop-culture phenomenon has heavily lined their pockets. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Matt currently boasts an eye-watering wealth of $40 million (£29.7m). His brother Ross sits a bit lower on the scale but still commands a very comfortable estimated fortune of $16 million (£11.9m). This immense wealth has paved the way for some rather lavish property investments. Matt snapped up a home in Los Angeles’ highly sought-after Los Feliz neighbourhood for a staggering $61 million, buying the property from The Big Bang Theory actor Simon Helberg, who had previously acquired it from Charlie Sheen’s ex-wife, Brooke Mueller. Ross also calls Los Feliz home, having purchased his own five-bedroom house for $5.4 million.
Behind the cameras, their personal lives are just as entangled with the entertainment industry. Matt found love on the set of Stranger Things with hair designer Sarah Hindsgaul. The couple are now engaged and share a son, who counts actress Winona Ryder as his godmother. Ross, conversely, recently separated from his wife of nine years, Leigh Janiak, who filed for divorce in 2024. Janiak is a highly respected figure in her own right, having directed Netflix’s Fear Street horror trilogy, which coincidentally featured Stranger Things stars Sadie Sink and Maya Hawke.
A Shift to European Espionage While the Duffer brothers continue to dominate American sci-fi, Netflix is simultaneously pushing hard into gritty European television. This brings us to their latest German six-part series, Unfamiliar, a production that trades the supernatural monsters of Indiana for the very real human threats lurking in Berlin.
The narrative centres on a married couple, Meret (played by Susanne Wolff) and Simon. Sixteen years ago, the pair were BND agents operating on a mission in Belarus, but their dark past suddenly catches up with them right in the middle of their teenage daughter’s birthday dinner. Today, they run a covert safe house in Berlin, providing medical care and shelter for injured agents and individuals desperate for anonymity. The catalyst for the drama is a sudden phone call during the meal about a shot mercenary needing urgent help.
Gritty Realism Marred by Complicated Plots What unfolds is a tense game of cat and mouse. The couple are forced to confront the long-lasting consequences of their past decisions, dragging them into a violent conflict with Russian operatives, former colleagues, and the current BND team, which features Laurence Rupp. At stake is absolutely everything they hold dear: their marriage and their child.
These intense family dynamics serve as a gateway into a brutal world of espionage, complete with international conspiracies, hitmen, and constantly shifting alliances. At its core, the series explores a partnership deeply fractured by a lie. As a prestige European drama, Unfamiliar takes itself incredibly seriously and easily rivals similar big-budget shows. The characters navigate a relentlessly gloomy, dimly lit Berlin with stony faces; viewers will rarely catch a glimpse of sunlight here. The combat sequences are a particular highlight, delivering heavy, gut-wrenching choreography without having to rely on gratuitous bloodshed.
Despite a thoroughly convincing parallel world and a relatable family setup, the thriller ends up feeling somewhat hollow by the finale. The central mystery becomes obvious far too quickly, and the sheer volume of side characters needlessly tangles the spy narrative. It is undoubtedly a competent bit of television, but it rarely manages to be genuinely gripping.