What Fans Want To See In The ‘Life Is Strange’ TV Show

You’re sitting in front of a screen, staring long and hard at the two options before you. Sacrifice the quaint town of Arcadia Bay, which has become like a second virtual home to you, or sacrifice your punk rock best friend/romantic-love-interest, Chloe Price. The storm is here; there’s no more time. The wind and rain become a blur, and you have to reshape Max Caulfield’s world through the heavy decision in your hands. This action will have consequences.

Life Is Strange is an indie game darling, the name itself sparking visions of quirky dialogue, reverberating indie music, mysterious powers, and heart-wrenching choices. With many different versions of the series following the very first 2015 release, it’s safe to say Dontnod created a Tumblr-esque decision-based game that will not soon be forgotten.

And the hype is finally reaching a fever pitch. After nearly a decade in development limbo, the live-action series has officially been greenlit at Amazon MGM Studios for Prime Video. While original developers Dontnod have moved on to other projects (Lost Records: Bloom & Rage and more!), the franchise remains in the capable hands of Square Enix and Deck Nine. LuckyChap and Story Kitchen are bringing the vision to life, with Charlie Covell, the brilliant mind behind The End of the F***ing World, serving as showrunner and writer.

We even have our leads! Tatum Grace Hopkins is set to step into the shoes of our beloved awkward hipster Max Caulfield, while Maisy Stella will take on the iconic role of the blue-haired backtalking lovable scamp, Chloe Price. With Karyn Kusama confirmed to direct the first two episodes, the show is shaping up to have the exact moody, cinematic edge fans have been in love with since the first game.

I first played Life Is Strange back in 2015 when it first came out, and as a young teen, my immediate obsession with the world of Max and Chloe would go on to define so much of who I am today. The game and its characters were full of love, lingering passion found in every corner of the diligently crafted Arcadia Bay. Everything from the at times cringey dialogue, the lost and newly rekindled relationship between Chloe and Max, to the small-sleepy-town setting and raw reflections of human struggle, it all embraced me in a way I hadn’t known a game could. And I wasn’t alone; Life Is Strange has a legacy fandom behind it for good reason.

All this to say that expectations are very high. With such a legacy in tow, it’s no wonder fans are cautiously waiting with bated breath. With these hopes and dreams packed into the new release, here’s some of the things we’d like to see as long-term fans of the series:

That signature Indie music we love

The soundtrack to Life Is Strange isn’t just background noise; it’s the heartbeat of the game. From the melancholic and absolutely iconic to the series sound of Obstacles by Syd Matters to the heart-wrenching moment you hear Mt. Washington by Local Natives, the music dictated the emotional temperature of every scene. We want the show to avoid generic TV drama scores and lean heavily into the licensed indie-folk and sad girl anthems that defined the 2015 era. It needs to be the kind of soundtrack you want to listen to while staring out a bus window at snow in the middle of summer.

A deep focus on Max and Chloe (and Rachel!)

Now you’d think this one would be a no-brainer, but with such a well-written original cast of characters, it could be easy to lose the thesis of Life Is Strange: the time-defying bond of analog-obsessed-wallflower Max and manic-pixie-nightmare Chloe. Whether you view them as partners in time or star-crossed lovers, their chemistry needs to feel authentic and earned. With the show being on Prime Video, which thankfully hasn’t shied away from queer narratives, we really hope to see their romance explored with the same weight it held in the games. We also need to see the ambiguous ghost of Rachel Amber looming over the story. Her disappearance is the catalyst for so much of Chloe’s pain, and acknowledging her lingering presence and her dark end without over-exposing who she is will be vital.

Dwelling in the slow beauty of Arcadia Bay

In the game, some of the best moments were when Max would just sit for a moment with her thoughts, and the camera would pan out while a song gently played. It was a time to hear some of her innermost thoughts, and wrestle with the burning feelings the game stirs. We want the show to breathe. Don’t rush the plot just to get to the next time-travel twist. Let us see the golden hour light hitting the Blackwell Academy hallways; let us hear the jukebox in the Two Whales Diner. Arcadia Bay needs to feel like a character itself, cozy and welcoming, but with a rot hiding just beneath the surface.

A commitment to the murder mystery twist

While the game is famous for its vibes, it is also a gripping supernatural thriller. The disappearance of Rachel Amber and the dark secrets of the Prescott family and Mr. Jefferson provided a terrifying stakes-check to Max’s high school drama. We want the show to fully commit to the horror we felt when uncovering Arcadia Bay’s secrets the very first time. It should feel dangerous, the stakes should feel high. We want to see Max and Chloe playing amateur (albeit superpowered) detectives, creeping through the Dark Room, and uncovering a conspiracy that genuinely makes our blood run cold.

Respecting “The Choice”

Adapting a choice-based game is a minefield. While Bae over Bay (sacrificing the town for Chloe) is a massive fan favorite, the show has the difficult task of making a definitive narrative choice. We’d love to see the show play with the concept of timelines or offer subtle nods to the other path. Perhaps Max sees flashes of what would happen if she chose differently. Regardless of which ending the showrunners pick, it needs to honor the emotional weight of that final decision, acknowledging that for many players, there was no true right answer.

Keeping it small and intimate

One of the biggest risks of a big-budget Amazon adaptation is losing the small-scale feel that made the indie game so special. We don’t need a Marvel-level spectacle of time travel. Max’s powers should feel intimate and taxing, used to fix small social blunders (think openly reaching into someone’s trash can to retrieve a pregnancy test – OMG Max!) or save one specific life, rather than being used for grand action set-pieces. By casting relatively fresh faces like Tatum Grace Hopkins and Maisy Stella, the show is already on the right track. We want a story about people, not just a story about superpowers.

As we wait for more news on the release date, there is a sense of nervous excitement in the air. Life Is Strange taught a generation of gamers that our choices matter, and that even a hella cringey teenager can use her powers to make a difference, even when everybody reduces her to a busybody. If Prime Video can capture even half of that magic, we’ll all be ready to head back to the lighthouse one more time. Ready for the mosh pit, shaka brah?