Stranger Things season 5: What to expect

The first part of season 4 of Netflix’s hit sci-fi series Stranger Things generated massive viewing numbers, and solid reviews, with the first seven episodes debuted in late May. That trend seems to be holding strong with the second half of the season, which debuted July 1. But what happens after that? Is Stranger Things season 5 in the works? The short answer to that question is a definite “Yes!” In February 2022, Netflix confirmed (via Deadline) that a fifth season of the show was greenlit for the streaming service. This means that Stranger Things will be one of the few Netflix scripted drama shows to reach the five-season mark.

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If you haven’t watched the megahit original series, you can get caught up and watch the first four seasons of Stranger Things on Netflix by hitting the link below.

When will production begin on Stranger Things Season 5?

As of this writing, there’s no word on when the actual production of Stranger Things Season 5 will begin. Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers did tell Collider that they plan to get their writers’ room reassembled and back to work as early as August, but that doesn’t give us much in the way of a timeline. 

We would speculate that filming might not start until sometime in 2023. Hopefully there won’t be any issues like pandemics that will delay the production of the fifth season of Stranger Things, like what happened on season 4, which was released three years after season 3.

How many episodes will there be in the fifth season?

We don’t know how many episodes will be made for Season 5. In an interview for The Wrap, co-creator Ross Duffer stated that they do have an outline for the season that they have turned in to Netflix. Co-creator Matt Duffer says he doesn’t believe Season 5 will be as long as Season 4, which is comprised of nine episodes and about 16 hours of content.

When will Stranger Things season 5 debut on Netflix?

Again, there’s no word on when the fifth season will become available on the streaming service. Based on the previous production history of the series, we would not expect to see it until sometime in 2024 at the earliest. Again, this assumes that production will not have any external issues like what happened with season 4.

Will Stranger Things season 5 be the final season?

Sadly, the answer to that is yes. Along with the confirmation of the fifth season back in February 2022, Netflix also said the show will come to an end when those episodes drop. It will certainly be a sad day for Netflix itself, as the show has become a flagship title and one of the streaming service’s biggest hits, (alongside Squid Game and Bridgerton). The streamer will need to look elsewhere for a new hit that can support adding new subscribers.

What will the final season be like?

Spoilers for Season 4: Read at your own risk

At the end of Season Four, it seems clear that Vecna, the main villain of this season, is not dead, despite the efforts of Eleven and the others to kill him off. Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Vecna, has already hinted strongly that he will return for the fifth season. In a chat with The Hollywood Reporter, he is quoted as saying, “Let me put it this way: I know about season five. Take from that what you will.”

There’s also the question of what will happen to Max (Sadie Sink), who was possessed by Vecna in the final episode, then died, and then was brought back to life by Eleven. Max was last seen in a coma at the end of the episode. In an interview with Deadline, Sink said she is not sure if Max will be alive or dead when the fifth season starts, saying, “I have no idea what’s coming in five and what that looks like. Max’s storyline is very up in the air, ’cause obviously she’s in a coma and Eleven can’t find her in the void. So who knows where she is and what state she’s in.”

The final episode also saw Vecna’s plan seemingly working, as he opened the massive gate in Hawkins to the Upside Down. Most of the town’s residents think this is “just” a deadly earthquake, but the reunited team that fought Vecna knows differently. They are all back in Hawkins at the end of the ninth episode, and we see in the town’s woods the effects of the gate, as plants are dying off and even the grass has changed color. Also, red lighting is seen in the sky. All of this would seem to suggest that season 5 will be an even more epic battle between the Hawkins team and the evil of the Upside Down.

One thing we do know for sure is that the next season will not switch to a weekly release schedule. In a chat with Variety,  Peter Friedlander, the US and Canada head of Netflix’s scripted show division, stated, “for the fans of Stranger Things this is how they’ve been watching that show, and I think to change that on them would be disappointing.” So get ready for a big binge-watching party.

Could a Stranger Things spin-off series be in the works?

While the fifth season of Stranger Things may be the last, it sounds like the Duffer brothers might have some future plans for the characters and world of the show beyond the final season. In a chat with SFX, Matt Duffer says “We have some ideas.” Ross Duffer added, “We do think we have something that could be pretty exciting. So we’ll see…”

That’s all we have about the upcoming Stranger Things season 5. We will update the post when we learn more.