After nearly 10 years, with four seasons and one on the way, it's time to close the book on the adventure that is Stranger Things. The series came into our lives as a little throwback, '80s Amblin Entertainment/Stephen King pastiche and is leaving its own cultural phenomenon.
Just one more chapter remains, and then we can send the kids of Hawkins high school onto the greater adventure that is adult life. The only question is: When?
Netflix has finally announced the release schedule for Stranger Things 5, and it's surprising, because it's markedly different from anything they've done before. The season will be released in three waves, coming out over three different holidays:
- Volume 1: Thanksgiving (November 26), which will have four episodes
- Volume 2: Christmas (December 26), which will have three episodes
- Volume 3: New Year's Eve (December 31), which will just be the finale
There's no word yet on how long each of the episodes will be, which could make a huge difference, because some of the episodes of season 4 were as long as a feature-length movie. So it's still vague how much time over Thanksgiving and Christmas break needs to be cleared for Stranger Things purposes. (Sorry, Grandma. Your pumpkin pie is great but I have to go watch TV.)
The release schedule is a huge change for Stranger Things.
Fans who have been watching since the first season will realize right away that this is not how things are usually done, Stranger Things-wise.
First of all, the show, for most of its life, has been a binge — the show has never been broken up into this many parts before. Fans are used to having all available episodes released at one time, so they can pop popcorn and stay up as late as they want going from one episode to the next. The only exception was season 4, which came out in two batches. Even then, the first wave dropped on May 27, and had seven of the season's nine episodes. And then fans didn't have to wait long for the final two, which came out on July 1. (Memorial Day and Fourth of July, so maybe we all should have predicted the final holiday schedule.)
And then there's another pattern that has been broken: the time of year the show comes out. The first season debuted in July. The second premiered in October, the third was in July and the fourth was split between May and July. With the exception of season 2, Stranger Things has been associated with all things summer. I think of Dustin's Camp Know Where gear, the frozen treats from Scoops Ahoy, the bright red Hawkins lifeguard uniform, and Argyle's whole deal, including his Surfer Boy Pizza getup. This year, we're skipping summer, we're skipping Halloween — won't anyone think of the Halloween costumes? — and heading straight into late fall.
To be honest, if the show is actually set during Thanksgiving and Christmas, it could fit right into the Duffer Brothers' sweet spot of childhood nostalgia. (Think Gremlins — a tween-friendly '80s horror movie that takes place at Christmas.)
Still, fans aren't exactly thrilled by the news. Redditors are clearly torn on whether this is a good idea. "They're dragging it out so much," one person wrote. "I dunno," another replied, "I’m kind of into it. I’ve always watched the show with my family — season 1 premiered during a family reunion at the beach and it became tradition — so I’m excited to watch it during the holidays this year." A third fan brings up another good point: "I have to go see family for the holidays and none of them even watch Stranger Things, the spoilers will all be out by the time I get to see the episodes." (If you can't watch right away, beware the internet!)
The time period for the show has also been revealed.
Netflix has sent out a brief plot description for Stranger Things 5:
The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.
That year might raise a few eyebrows. Season 4 took place in the spring of 1986. It also aired in 2022. So while three years have passed in the real world, only one has elapsed in Hawkins. I was expecting a bigger time skip than that — but, then again, I've been wrong before when I've predicted a Stranger Things time jump to the '90s. I guess we'll all just have to wait for a new project to find the Duffers's take on '90s nostalgia. Can anyone say spinoff?
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
