By Carol Badaracco Padgett
The Duffer Brothers shared nostalgia about Georgia-lensed “Stranger Things” and teased their next big project at the 13th annual SCAD TVfest in Midtown Atlanta on Feb. 5, 2025.
The brothers, Matt and Ross, picked up Variety’s Showrunner Award presented by actor Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair) at the SCADshow theater, and then sat with Variety TV editor Michael Schneider.
The pair told Schneider about the tenacity it takes to get a series on-air, saying, “When we were starting out, there were so many doors slammed in our faces. Twelve studios passed on Stranger Things before Netflix finally bought it.”
Another important insight the brothers shared: “We weren’t setting out to write a hit show, just something we loved … audiences want to see original stories told from a specific place of passion. That’s what we want to continue to do.”
Right now the Duffer Brothers are in post-production with Season 5, the final of Stranger Things that will air later this year. Afterward, the franchise will continue to live on – with a Broadway show, a board game, and probably some other surprises.
Coming up next, the Duffer Brothers tease, “Sci-Fi in a retirement-community setting.”
On the final night of SCAD TVfest 2025, Feb. 7, 2025, the creators and cast of new series Clean Slate – about a trans woman who returns home to Alabama — walked onto the main stage at SCADshow. Co-creator, executive producer, and actor Laverne Cox received SCAD TVfest’s Impact Award and was the first openly transgender woman to be nominated. She took the podium to thank SCAD, express concern for the Trump administration’s agenda, and to rally creatives and the LGBTQ+ community.
Following a two-episode screening of Clean Slate (Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television; shot in Savannah with SCAD students and instructors among the crew), Cox and cast spoke with Entertainment Weekly’s editor-in-chief, Patrick Gomez.
Once again, persistence and determination were themes for aspiring content creators, as Cox reminded the audience, “It’s very, very hard to get a TV show on air today.”
Cox and Clean Slate co-creator, executive producer, and actor George Wallace praised the open mind of TV legend Norman Lear, who sat down with them at age 96 to hear the premise behind their series.
Lear was onboard with the project and helped guide it to fruition. He passed away in December 2023 at age 101, during production. The series premiered on Feb. 6, 2025, on Prime Video.
Matt Duffer, Caleb McLaughlin and Ross Duffer attend “Stranger Things” and Award Presentation To The Duffer Brothers (Variety Showrunner Award) during the 13th SCAD TVfest on February 05, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
Laverne Cox attends “Clean Slate” during the 13th SCAD TVfest on February 07, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
