Stranger Things Season 3 to feature New Coke

Netflix’s Stranger Things is already the epitome of 1980s television. It’s chock full of pop culture references and touchstones from the decade. But if you’re wondering how the show can lean even further into its time period for the upcoming Season 3, Netflix has just announced an interesting partnership that’s actually resurrecting something long gone: New Coke.

Stranger Things Season 3 takes place in 1985. New Coke — a new formula for the popular soft drink — was born, and then quickly died, in 1985. The failed beverage was scrapped after a mere 79 days on shelves (everyone hated the new taste), and considering that a brand new teaser/ad for Stranger Things and Coke features Steve (Joe Keery) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) drinking the beverage at the movie theater, I guess Season 3 takes places during those dark 79 days. However, the teaser doesn’t actually show us if any of the residents in Hawkings, Indiana, like the taste of New Coke or not.

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In an interview with the New York Times, Stranger Things‘ showrunners, the Duffer Brothers, explained that including New Coke in the new season was one of their first ideas. “It was the summer of ’85, and when you talk about pop culture moments, New Coke was a really big deal. It would have been more bizarre to not include it,” they explained.

Everyone: I don’t think Stranger Things can get any more 80’s.
Stranger Things: Hold my New Coke… #StrangerThings3 #Enjoy pic.twitter.com/xnCGY1dkrQ

— Coca-Cola (@CocaCola) May 21, 2019

It’s unclear if the new footage is actually from Season 3 or filmed just for an ad, but either way it falls in line with what we know about what’s going on in the series. Max (Sadie Sink) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) are a cute new couple while Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Mike (Finn Wolfhard) share a kiss on one of their beds. Elsewhere, it appears Steve is trying to move on from Nancy (Natalia Dyer), but he’s still busy hanging out with his son — his son, of course, is Dustin.

If you suddenly find yourself envious of those who get to drink New Coke in 1985, Coca-Cola has also reveled it is going to be releasing a limited amount of New Coke (that will dispense from “upside down” machines) in select cities, or you can snag some yourself online.

Stranger Things Season 3 premieres on Netflix July 4.