Stranger Things ended over six months ago, but for the actors, they had to say goodbye to playing their characters way before that. Filming on the fifth and final season of the Netflix hit wrapped in late 2024, and understandably, everyone was emotional. (And the Duffer Brothers’ sentimental statement didn’t help.) Since then, the cast has been clear about how difficult it's been to bid farewell to this project, and Finn Wolfhard got real about how depressing it was when the show ended.

Even though Stranger Things had just five seasons, it took close to a decade to make them. That’s a long time to be working on one show, especially for the young cast who grew up on the set. Over the years, they all got very close, and in some ways, this time felt like school to them, as Wolfhard told The Guardian:

Well, much like school, Stranger Things eventually had to come to a close, and the kids had to graduate. However, with the time they had left, they made sure to spend it wisely with each other. However, this also made saying goodbye that much harder:

It’s never easy to close a chapter that happened during such formative years and that made an impact on so many people. And when you consider how much time had passed between Seasons 1 and 5, it makes perfect sense why it was "depressing" for everyone to come to terms with Stranger Things ending. Even I’m still mourning six months after the divisive finale.

I do agree with Wolfhard about ending the show when it did. A lot of shows these days don’t get the luxury of ending on their own terms. So, some season finales are crafted as series finales if the writers don’t know what the future holds. In Stranger Things’ case, the Duffer Brothers announced the end of the series in 2022, a few months before Season 4 was released and almost three years before Season 5 even premiered. They made the choice to end the show and told fans themselves. It might have been heartbreaking to see it end, but it was definitely for the better. And Wolfhard knows it.

Filming the final season must have been both fun and hard, knowing that at the end of it, they wouldn’t be back for another season. Even though the cast and crew had a couple of years to prepare themselves, when filming eventually wrapped, I can only imagine the kind of emotions that were brought up. Then, having to go through it all again the following year during the press tour was probably even harder.

At the very least, the bond Wolfhard has with his fellow co-stars will hopefully never go away. And as for us fans, we can always watch Stranger Things with a Netflix subscription.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair. You can stream it now with a Hulu subscription!

After years of talk of a Malcolm in the Middle revival, Malcolm and his family are finally back. Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair dropped on the 2026 TV schedule today, with four new episodes. Most of the original cast has returned to reprise their fan-favorite roles, and while reviews for the revival are mixed, it’s still a lot of fun. And a Stranger Things star’s cameo is icing on the cake. What makes it even better is the fact that one f-bomb-filled conversation led to it.

The finale of the four-part revival saw none other than Finn Wolfhard making a surprise appearance as an event planner hired by Jane Kaczmarek’s Lois for her and Hal’s (Bryan Cranston) anniversary party. It’s definitely unexpected, but after seeing Wolfhard hosting Saturday Night Live, it’s nice to see him doing more comedy. And it’s all because he’s a fan of the original show.

Creator Linwood Boomer told Deadline how the cameo happened, and it’s both filled with f-bombs and wholesome:

I would love to know Wolfhard's thoughts about not only being on the set of the revival but getting the chance to be in it. Because going from wanting to just visit the set because he’s a fan to being cast in it because a part was open sounds like fate. Plus, as a fan of the show, he must have been ecstatic about all this.

Considering filming for Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair wrapped almost a year ago, it’s impressive that they were able to keep the cameo a secret until the premiere. However, Wolfhard did spend a decade of his life working on the Netflix megahit Stranger Things. So, it's safe to say that he knows how to keep a secret.

Boomer’s wife, Tracy Katsky, who is an executive producer on the show, revealed that Wolfhard was “an absolute doll” on set. She also said that he kept “forgetting to deliver his lines” because he was so overwhelmed that Kaczmarek, as Lois, was screaming at him. If a blooper reel is ever released, I really hope these takes are included.

There is a lot more to look forward to with Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair aside from Wolfhard’s cameo. Those who loved Malcolm in the Middle should get a kick out of these four episodes. As of now, it’s unknown if there will be more, but these episodes are certainly better than nothing. Especially since Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, and more are back in their beloved roles. Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair is streaming now on Hulu.

Saturday Night Live resumed Season 51 on the 2026 TV schedule in January, with Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard as the host. The actor made his SNL hosting debut on January 17, and it was as entertaining as ever. Not surprisingly, there was a Stranger Things spoof that had many people talking. However, the Harry Potter sketch also went viral. Now, Daniel Radcliffe has shared his thoughts on it, and revealed that the episode's host had clued him in before it happened.

The Harry Potter sketch mirrored Heated Rivalry, with Wolfhard playing the titular wizard while Ben Marshall played Ron, as they realized their feelings for each other and tried to keep it secret. That is, until a very NSFW game of Quidditch. The sketch, which also included a surprise cameo from Jason Momoa, has been going viral. And yes, the OG Harry Potter himself has seen it. Radcliffe told Rolling Stone what he thought of it, and how Wolfhard gave him a heads up, saying:

It’s nice that Radcliffe is able to have a good sense of humor for the Harry Potter x Heated Rivalry sketch, especially since it paints Harry in a pretty interesting light. It’s unknown just how much Wolfhard told Radcliffe about the sketch, but it’s also nice that he was able to clue him in before it happened. Of course, this is not the first time the world of Harry Potter has been spoofed on SNL, and it can be assumed that this won’t be the last, but this is definitely an unforgettable take on the fantasy series.

Then there’s the fact that Radcliffe has never even seen Heated Rivalry (which you can stream with an HBO Max subscription), so there were certainly some things he didn’t get. However, his girlfriend has seen the show, so she probably had a ball watching the sketch. Perhaps she can talk him into watching Heated Rivalry so he can truly appreciate the sketch. The only thing that would have made it better is if Radcliffe appeared in it, but the Momoa cameo was a great alternative.

Meanwhile, even though it’s not Heated Wizardry, HBO is developing a new Harry Potter series that's expected to premiere sometime in 2027. It’s said to be a faithful adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s beloved fantasy book series, so there will be a lot to look forward to, including moments that weren’t in the films.

With Radcliffe starring in NBC’s new sitcom, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, perhaps he’ll be making his way back to Studio 8H in the near future to give his own Harry Potter spoof. Maybe even a Stranger Things one to even the score with Wolfhard. But for now, fans will have to settle with “Heated Wizardry” from Wolfhard’s SNL episode, which is streaming with a Peacock subscription.

Saturday Night Live returned with its first new episode of the year, and it entered the 2026 TV schedule with a bang. The comedy series welcomed Finn Wolfhard as host along with ASAP Rocky as musical guest. Unsurprisingly, given Wolfhard’s presence, the show found a way to lampoon Stranger Things, which aired its series finale weeks ago. The segment specifically played on the possibility of spinoffs and, in the process, it also conveyed an idea that a number of fans were probably thinking about Will’s coming out scene.

Finn Wolfhard’s SNL sketch humorously featured a number of potential spinoff ideas for Stranger Things. Among the concepts were a series involving Steve Harrington becoming an inner city teacher (à la Dangerous Minds) and Nancy Wheeler going to great lengths as an investigative journalist. Wolfhard’s Mike was also made the center of a show called Mike in Manhattan, which followed his adventures as a writer living in ‘90s New York. Check out the sketch, which includes some special guests:

The notion of a Sex and the City-style spinoff featuring Mike Wheeler is just too funny to me. On top of that, I love that Wolfhard’s co-stars, Caleb McLaughlin and Gaten Matarazzo (who also appear during Wolfhard’s monologue) are in the sketch as well. Of course, what’s notable about the segment is that their other male friend, Will Byers, isn’t with them. Well, as stated, the reason Will (played by Jeremy Culhane in this case) isn’t with the group is because he’s still in the midst of his coming out scene.

During Stranger Things’ final season, Will Byers finally gained the courage to come out to his friends and family and was warmly accepted. On the whole, the scene is very sentimental and only builds on the big arc Will has during Season 5. However, I can definitely understand the joke SNL is making, as a part of me felt the original scene ran a bit long. As an extension of that, the core element the sketch seems to be poking fun at is the dialogue for the OG scene, which is arguably longer and more drawn out than necessary.

The Will Byers portion of the sketch aside, the general idea of Stranger Things spinoffs coming down the pipeline is totally valid at this point. Fans shouldn’t expect to see the ones that were humorously pitched by Saturday Night Live, but it’s known that the animated spinoff series, Tales from ‘85 – is set to debut this year. A live-action offshoot is in the works as well and, while series creators Matt and Ross Duffer have exited Netflix, they’re still going to be involved with the show.

If anything, Wolfhard’s sketch was simply a way to poke fun at the notion of the franchise expanding, and the over-the-top critiques shine through. The points about Will’s scene is also valid, though I won’t chastise that too hard, especially given how much it might mean to some viewers. Overall, though, kudos to Wolfhard and co. for finding a way to poke fun at the very show that served as his career breakthrough.

Check out Finn Wolfhard’s episode of Saturday Night Live by streaming it with a Peacock subscription. Also, Netflix subscription holders can stream Stranger Things in its entirety now.

Major spoilers below for Stranger Things’ series finale, so if you haven’t yet watched via Netflix subscription, then Vecna must have made you click on this article, so be warned!

It’s been a full week since Stranger Things unleashed its final episode on viewers — not that everyone believes it was the real final episode — and fans are still up in arms about quite a few of the resolutions that played out. Or should I say the lack of resolutions? Specifically, a vast amount of post-episode commentary has revolved around whether Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven actually sacrificed herself, as it was shown, or if Mike’s far more hopeful exit scenario is the true outcome.

Personally, for all that I’d love to optimistically hold onto the idea that Eleven is out there watching waterfalls and trying to adjust to life without the threat of soldiers and demogorgons, I don’t buy Mike’s endgame theory for a couple of reasons. The first is wholly practical, in that I don’t believe the dying Kali was capable of doing the things Mike speculated. (Unless she purposefully made her injuries look worse than they were to fool Hopper, which is a whole other rabbit hole.) I also don’t think time was on their side.

But even beyond those more technical plot mechanics, I think the finale offered another another argument against Eleven having survived in the form of a somewhat surprising character return. That’s right, I’m talking about Ted Wheeler.

Ted Wheeler's Fate Went Unconfirmed For More Than Half Of Season 5

Remember back in Episode 2 when Ted Wheeler brought a golf club to a demogorgon fight? He took quite a short-form whooping that left him seemingly knocking on death's door. That presumption was halfway strengthened by the fact that his fate was all but ignored for the next five episodes, despite all the attention placed on each of the other Wheeler family members. Sure, one could have assumed he was still alive just based on tno one else seeming sad about his death, but the way episodes jumped from one place to the next, it might have taken weeks for anyone to realize he wasn't around.

Okay, that's probably hyperbolic. But considering Mike was off trying to save the world with Will, Joyce and others, while Holly was trying to escape Henry's clutches, and Karen was in the hospital rehabbing her own injuries, Ted wasn't exactly on the front of anyone's minds. Sure, viewers were curious about his whereabouts, and wondered why he wasn't shown, but it's not like he was vital for taking the Mind Flayer down.

Killing Ted off either at that point (or later in the season) feasibly could have been a way for the Duffer brothers to up the kill count without taking out another main character. But at long last, the ol' fuddy-duddy showed up again in the 18-months-later flash-foward for the Hawkins High graduation. And after my initial surprise at seeing him again, I started to think that maybe his fate was the wholly connected flip-side of Eleven's fate, in terms of Mike's emotional state.

I Think Ted Survived So That Mike's Grief Wasn't TOO Overwhelming

Obviously the "real" reason Ted survived is because his monster-related injuries weren't fatal. But from a creative perspective, I think it's possible he lived on so that Mike didn't have to spend the bulk of that 18-month span in a downward spiral of mourning an immediate family member on top of mourning his first love. Nobody wants to think about a beloved young character going through that kind of trauma.

So instead, upon seeing that Ted is alive and well, one only has to assume that his grief was entirely focused on Eleven, which then allows for his optimistic outlook to have peak impact. If he'd been too much of an emotional wreck during graduation day, it might have made his D&D-tethered theory sound far more desperate and nutty than idealistic.

Which, in turn, is proof in my mind that Eleven is 100% dead, because Mike can't have it both ways. Even if it's not really about Mike, and is more about Eleven and Ted, Finn Wolfhard's character is the one whose perspective we're still seeing in the end, so it's all relative to him. And if neither Ted nor Eleven paid the final price for Vecna's reign of terror, then Mike wouldn't have evolved all that much as a character, sad as it is to say so bluntly. The tragedy will probably make him a better writer as well.

Ted's Death Would Have Made Me Believe That Eleven Survived

Had the show revealed Ted to have died from his wounds, that actually would have been the ticket to make me far more willing to believe that Eleven lived on after the Upside Down was destroyed. Largely because I know the Duffer brothers aren't masochists who want their main characters to suffer a bunch, but that's all it takes really.

Again, it's still depressing to think about Mike being a total emotional wreck for part of the 18-month stretch before reaching his grand epiphany about the military's power-disrupting devices at the graduation. So this route still wouldn't have seemed like the most wonderful and ideal one to opt for. Especially not for all the viewers out there who are diehard Ted Wheeler fanatics and believe he's the true hero of the show. You guys exist, right? Hello?

I think it's great that Mike is still holding out an olive branch of hope to himself, but I'm equally glad that it's seemingly a small enough branch that he won't immediately try to scour the globe looking for her. Because he's not gonna find her. Because she dead as hell, y'all. [Slams the coffin lid down.]

Spoilers below for the seven people or so who still haven’t yet watched Stranger Things’ series finale via Netflix subscription, so be warned!

2025 may be in the rear view, but Stranger Things’ final season is still very much atop the zeitgeist, largely due to a series finale that further polarized the extremely vocal fanbase. (The two-hour episode’s theatrical screenings, which helped make things more emotional, brought in a whopping $25 million, though none of it technically counted towards the weekend box office.) Vecna and Eleven’s respective fates are dominating the conversations, and since I’ve already shared my thoughts on why Mike’s theory is bogus, I’d like to shift the focus to Will’s flash-forward sequence.

Continuing his role as Dungeon Master for the epilogue’s D&D campaign, Mike went completely off-book and shared optimistic prognoses for the next stages of his BFFs’ lives. He talks about Lucas and Max getting their big movie date, while foreseeing Dustin and Steve continuing to develop their bond. But it was Will’s future vision that had me double-taking a visual detail that was either created by AI or was a genius side-joke about Mike’s age.

The Bar In Will’s Future Features A Neon Beer Sign That Probably Doesn’t Exist

As Mike hints at Will making a romantic connection in his post-Hawkins life, viewers see Noah Schnapp’s character sitting in what appears to be a random bar, where he happily chats up another attractive younger dude, and all seems well. Will seems to absolutely love this version of events, even if some part of him probably wishes that his future cuddle buddy would be Mike himself.

In any case, look at the left-side wall of the bar, where a questionable neon sign is hanging. The phrasing is absolutely familiar to people of all ages, though mostly those of drinking age. Coors Light has been using “Silver Bullet” as a nickname for its aluminium cans since the brand’s conception in the late 1970s, and the descriptor has indeed been utilized for presumably hundreds (if not thousands) of neon bar signs that are very similar to the one seen in Mike’s forecasting.

Except wait, this sign doesn’t even say “Silver Bullet.” It says “Silver Bollet.” True, a lot of neon signs have oddball lettering, and the "U" in Coors Light signs does look a little misshapen. But it's not nearly as closed off as it looks in this sign, to the point where anyone mistakes it for an "O."

Also, instead of showcasing the silver beer can signifying a bullet in motion beneath the words, which is the case for many of Coors’ neon signs, this light bizarrely showcases an anchor, an object that has zilch to do with Coors Light.

In fact, it’s not even a traditional anchor design, as it’s missing the horizontal stock bar near the top that adorns nearly every illustrated example of an anchor out there. I realize that there are exceptions here, and that not all anchors look the exact same way. It’s even possible that the words are meant to represent the stock. Still, any imagery used for neon bar lights is generally the most traditional, and brands like Anchor Steam do indeed feature anchors with stocks for its bar lights.

So this decoration probably shouldn’t exist in the real world, and while there’s a way to make this work for a theory about the Mind Flayer still having control of the teens’ brains in some way, I have to assume that the sign was actually created using artificial intelligence, and inserted into the scene during post-production after someone realized how dark and bare that side of the screen was. Just look at how bright it is compared to literally everything else.

If It Wasn't AI, Then The Bar Sign Is A Genius Joke About Mike's Age

To be clear, I'm fairly convinced that the "Silver Bollet" sign only ever existed as a digital creation, and was never physically manufactured as it was seen in the series. But I'm willing to grant the show the benefit of the doubt here, and there's ONE scenario where I could believe this wasn't a lazy use of AI: if it's actually a joke about how Mike is too young to know what the inside of a bar looks like.

Let's not forget that outside of their heroic efforts to save Hawkins (and possibly the entire world), Mike, Lucas, Dustin and Will are all still pretty dorky dudes who never seemed to take a shine to drinking and drugging. So it's feasible to think that, outside of movies and TV, Mike might not have the clearest idea of how bars are decorated, and so in this foreseen future, his imagination is what crafted the neon sign and the Christmassy lights on the right. The other flash-forwards don't feature details that Mike wouldn't already be aware of at 17 or 18, so maybe Mike's brain just fudged what he didn't know about bars.

Okay, yes, I fully realize how totally stupid and wall-breaking this idea is, since it implies that the Duffer brothers and the rest of the creative team purposefully designed a neon sign as a non-obvious joke about everyone being non-drinking teenagers. But given the theories that a secret finale will reveal everything seen in Episode 8 never actually happened, and that the protagonists are still under the Mind Flayer's spell, this bar sign idea isn't THAT wacky.

Stay tuned to Netflix to see whether or not we'll actually get a ninth episode, and if we do, I'll buy every single person a case of Silver Bollet beer to celebrate. Except for the Mike-aged fans, obviously.

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched Stranger Things’ series finale via Netflix subscription, so be warned!

Welp, it finally happened, everybody. Not only was Vecna’s planet-smashing agenda stopped in its tracks, but Stranger Things’ final season finally gave Winona Ryder’s Joyce something to do besides coddle her son Will. That’s not our focus here, however. No, this spotlight is focused on seemingly the series finale’s biggest development and the series’ biggest death overall — Eleven sacrificing herself as the Upside Down was destroyed — as well as what the Duffers said about it, and why I think Mike’s hopeful explanation doesn’t fully make sense.

Let’s first quickly break down what actually happened: The show’s giant protagonist group successfully defeated the Mind Flayer, decapitated Vecna, and saved all of existence, but they couldn’t evade Dr. Kay and the military. With nearly everyone rounded up, Eleven suddenly appeared at the dimensional breach for an emotional finale exchange with Mike in the mindscape Void, set on sacrificing herself as it was previously hinted at. Despite all of his pleas, she fades into the ethers as the Upside Down is destroyed forever.

Amusingly, the show skips past the immediate aftermath to jump forward 18 months, and it doesn’t look like any of the teens or adults faced much heat for all the death and destruction caused during that tumultuous period. A fateful realization during the graduation ceremony leads Mike to posit a theory for how Eleven may have actually survived her martyrdom moment. But let’s first check in with the Duffer brothers for their thoughts.

The Duffer Brothers' Take On Eleven's Stranger Things Fate

While watching the finale, I was a bit confused by the way Eleven just disappeared from existence in front of everyone’s eyes instead of meeting her maker in a more visceral way. But I didn’t necessarily think right in that moment, “This is probably just a ruse,” and I fully bought into the idea that she made the ultimate decision to keep her friends safe along with the rest of humanity. So when Mike offered a separate explanation for his friends to gnaw on later in the episode, I was genuinely surprised.

Matt and Ross Duffer spoke with Netflix Tudum about all kinds of details that popped up in the finale, including those previously teased pivotal music cues that no doubt referred to Prince and David Bowie being represented. When asked about Eleven, however, they chose not to divulge any concrete resolutions, and instead opted to leave it in the minds of audience members, with Ross saying:

On the one hand, this is the most predictably wishy-washy way for the esteemed creators to offer a final answer on Eleven’s fate, since it would be a big ol’ downer if they immediately confirmed beyond a (first) shadow of a doubt that she’s dead now, and Mike’s rose-colored glasses are wholly flawed. On the flip side, it might also feel like a cop-out if the Duffers 100% guaranteed that Mike’s speculation about her survival was legit, since it would heavily water down the emotions of their final scene together in the Void.

As such, the happy medium here is for the writing/directing siblings to leave it up to viewers to decide whether or not Eleven is actually out there living her best waterfall-enjoying life. I’d love to know a percentage of fans buying in on that, and how many are convinced that she’s a goner. Because part of me would love to believe it, but I don’t think that Mike’s theory makes sense all the way through.

Why Mike's Theory Doesn't Completely Hold Up For Me

For one, I think it's wild and slightly non-feasible that Mike's grand theory was first sparked by the graduation ceremony's speakers, yet he didn't say anything about it until the end of the group's Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Seems like a strange way to voice such a massive idea, even if it isn't legit, but my bigger issue is that Mike's theory about Kali and Eleven's plan is based on several different leaps in logic, as noted below.

1. Kali and Eleven seemingly would have needed to know that the group would be immediately caught by Dr. Kay's soldiers after driving through the breach. (And why wouldn't Eleven suggest a different exit if she did know?)
2. The plan relied entirely on Kali being alive long enough to project the image of Eleven at just the right time, despite not having any guarantee for how long it would take to stop the Mind Flayer and Vecna.
3. Kali seemed to be mentally wiped by the energy used to project her own image into the lab, and she at least knew how that space looked, so it would seemingly take even more effort to project another person into an unfamiliar location.
4. Eleven seemed to be able to lock eyes with Mike surrounding their time together in the Void, which seems extremely hard to do with a mental projection.
5. Kali would have likely needed real-time access to El and Mike's convo, as well as knowing what the situation was in the Upisde Down, in order to know when to make Eleven disappear.
6. The soldiers would have needed to immediately lose track of Eleven while rounding everyone up and....wait, no, I can 100% buy into this, since all of those soldiers were absolutely terrible at their jobs.

Certainly there are further details that I could dig my critical heels into, but that lineup represents the biggest hurdles in the way of me buying into Mike's hopeful guesswork. I guess the only way to truly convince me here is for Netflix to announce that Millie Bobby Brown is heading up a new Stranger Things spinoff focusing on Eleven's trials and tribulations as a globetrotting adult. I'll be refreshing my inbox for that press release regularly, Netflix!

I'm hoping one day soon, after the entire world has witnessed the events of "The Rightside Up," that Matt and Ross Duffer will open up with a firmer stance on whether or not Eleven survived the wormhole's desctruction. But until then, we'll presumably be able to reconnect with Eleven when the animated spinoff Tales from '85 hits the 2026 TV schedule.

Listen, I’ve been riding the “I think Steve Harrington might die” train for years. However, as I’ve been watching Season 5 of Stranger Things, I’ve started to wonder if he’ll live, and a different pivotal character will bite the dust instead. Then, the trailer for the series finale dropped, and Dustin can be seen freaking out in it. It seems like he could be reacting to something very bad (like a death), and my theory about what he's seeing does not involve Steve dying.

Now, showing Gaten Matarazzo’s character reacting to something like that in the trailer implies one obvious thing to me: Steve will die. However, after looking at the image below and pondering it, I think we should be considering something other than the obvious.

Steve Dying Is Too Obvious

For years now, there have been theories that Steve could die, and as Season 5 has aired on the 2025 TV schedule, they’ve persisted. Plus, in the latest batch of episodes, his emotional reconciliation with Dustin, and their proclamation of “you die, I die” have certainly upped the emotional stakes of a loss like this.

So, it’s certainly possible that Joe Keery's character could die in the final episode. And that’s exactly why I don’t think it’ll be him. It’s way too obvious. They’ve been teasing and playing this up as a possibility, and at this point, I think they’re going to pivot away from it and shock us all.

Killing Steve is what many expect. Showing Dustin screaming in this trailer also totally plays into that idea, at least to me. Therefore, I’m actually leaning into a theory that a different character won’t make it out of this episode alive.

I Have A Theory That Mike Might Die

Alright, let’s do some process of elimination here. Personally, I think that Dustin would have the reaction above to almost any character dying, and I especially think he’d scream like that if Steve, Mike, Lucas or Will’s lives were on the line, since they’re his best friends.

With that in mind, as I said, I think killing Steve would be too expected. I also don’t think they’ll kill Lucas, because I really think he and Max will stay together. I really don’t think Will will be the one to go down either, considering all he’s been through (and the fact that that would kill Joyce). So, that leaves Mike.

I’ve been playing with the theory that Finn Wolfhard’s Mike could be the character who dies in this episode, and this trailer has me really leaning into it now.

Think about it, he’s had quite the hero’s journey this season (especially in Volume 1). His helping Holly find her bravery with Holly the Heroic, and saving all those kids in Episode 4, was amazing. He's also determined to save his little sister. He’s proved how much he’s grown and how selfless he can be, so one final heroic move would be a great and very emotional way for him to go.

I also think it’d hit really hard since Mike started out as kind of the ring leader for these kids, especially in Season 1. So, his death would be incredibly tragic, but also meaningful.

So, in summary, no, I don’t think Steve will die; I think Mike might instead. However, I could be wrong, and really, anything can happen in the final episode of Stranger Things. So, make sure you tune in to find out what Dustin is screaming at when the series finale of this beloved show becomes available to those with a Netflix subscription on December 31.

Spoiler warning for anyone who hasn't yet watched the first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5 via Netflix subscription. And if you somehow haven't seen The Shawshank Redemption yet...whaaat, and why not?! But also, spoilers for that.

Roughly a bazillion people watched the first four episodes of Stranger Things’ final season set the stage for a catastrophic conclusion, at least for certain evil-mongering characters who use alter egos to kidnap children. The fourth installment, “Sorcerer,” shockingly brought back Season 2’s Kali/Eight, finally gave Sadie Sink’s Max some screen time, and turned new fan-fave character Derek Turnbow from dipshit to delightful. You know what didn’t happen, though? A Shawshank Redemption reference that I’d have bet money on being in the ep.

The prediction? I’ll get to that more in full lower down, but I basically thought Finn Wolfhard’s Mike would get covered in shit at some point, which I realize sounds like random and unhealthy guesswork for a TV series. In hindsight, it does seem a bit silly, but that doesn’t diminish my ongoing feelings of dismay. Not so much that I was wrong, but that nobody took advantage of this clear path to an icky easter egg. Let's look at the evidence!

Clue #1: Frank Darabont's A Major Part Of Stranger Things Season 5

There wouldn't be any reason to bring up The Shawshank Redemption in reference to Stranger Things if it wasn't for the directorial efforts of the great Frank Darabont. The genre master not only helped bring The Walking Dead to TV (before a major falling out), but he also directed three of the best Stephen King adaptations out there, with Shawshank high on that list.

Notably, he hadn't helmed any films or TV episodes since 2013's one-and-done season of Mob City, but Matt and Ross Duffer coaxed him into getting behind the camera for not just one, but two of the lengthy Season 5 installments. Beyond the Duffers and producer Shawn Levy, Darabont is the only other director who was utilized for the final run.

To be clear, Frank Darabont did not direct "Sorceror," and was responsible for the third and yet-to-stream fifth episodes, with the Duffer bros. taking on Ep. 4. But to me, that just makes it more likely that the reference would have happened, since Darabont is probably too classy, non-dorky to reference his own work in such a way. Much easier to imagine the Duffers doing it themselves.

Clue #2: It's A Tunnel Escape In A Show That Vibes Hard On Stephen King

To be sure, this prediction is nothing without Frank Darabont, but he wasn't involved with the past four seasons, and Stranger Things' creators have never shied away from the idea that Stephen King was a major influence on their lives and the show itself. Granted, the more horror-based inspirations are clearer than others, but it doesn't break reality to think the Duffers also like King's more dramatic fare like the novella "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption," which was released to the world at large through Different Seasons.

Plus, this episode involves something of a jail break, even if it's not an actual jail, as well as tunnels. I do realize that Robin made the very clear connection to The Great Escape and explained those ins and outs directly. That still didn't sway me though, for I just assumed that was meant as a distraction from the true movie reference waiting to be made.

Clue #3: Mike's Reaction To Multiple Incidents Was Some Form Of "Shit"

For whatever reason, Finn Wolfhard seemed to have been given a quota for Stranger Things' four-letter words, and his reaction to seemingly every moment that went awry in "Sorceror" was to say some version of "Shit." It occurred at least three times, and possibly more, and I don't recall that over-usage happening in the previous episodes.

One of those utterances came after Mike and Lucas started getting kids into the tunnels and out of the government's stronghold, when Wolfhard's character realizes that the bathroom's pipes are in danger of bursting. This should have been the smoking gun, as it were.

My Misguided Prediction: Mike Would Get Covered In Poop During The Escape, Andy Dufresne-Style

With all of the above details at play, I was fully expecting some Beetlejuice-esque logic where "shit" being said enough times causes reality to manifest it. I thought that there would be a slew of pipe-related malfunctions that would leave Mike, and possibly all of the other escapees covered from head to toe in gunky fecal matter.

The climax of The Shawshank Redemption sees protagonist Andy Dufresne having to crawl through shit-infested sewer pipes before he's able to get a true taste (and whiff) of freedom, where all of the filth is washed from him during a storm. It's catharsis incarnate for the character, which couldn't readily be replicated with Stranger Things' characters, but I still thought the Duffer brothers might get a kick out of covering some of their longtime stars in fake poop.

At this point, I will blindly assume that the Duffers wanted to put that reference into the show, but Frank Darabont warned them against it. If not that, then I'll assume there's a deleted scene where that was filmed and then removed from the final cut. Otherwise, there's just the idea that I was completely wrong, and we just can't have that.

Closing out the 2025 TV schedule in a huge way, Stranger Things' final season returns with the next three episodes on Thursday, December 25.

In the weeks between the release of the first volume of Stranger Things Season 5 and the second, I’ve been thinking a lot about the couples on the show. Specifically, my mind has been on the love triangle-like debate going on about Eleven, Mike and Will. With the endgame near on Netflix’s 2025 schedule, I’m assuming the future of these two relationships will be determined, and we’ll get to find out who Mike ends up with. However, the more I think about it, the more I realize I actually don’t want him to end up with either of them.

Now, I know this is a hot take. Trust me, I’ve watched the Byler edits on TikTok, and I’ve seen the astounding support Mileven gets from fans. The debates are always sloshing around my social media too, as one side defends Mike and Eleven’s relationship while the other hopes for Will and Mike to be together. However, I’ve come up with three reasons why neither couple should happen, so let’s discuss.

Mike And Eleven Have Grown Apart

To no fault of their own, really, Mike and Eleven have grown apart. Distance literally separated them for a fair amount of Season 4, and in Season 5, they’ve only shared one scene where it was just the two of them talking. So, there hasn’t been a whole lot of relationship development for them.

Plus, with everything they’re individually going through, it makes perfect sense that their relationship has taken a backseat. Now, going into Volume 2, it will be hard to convince me that they should be endgame. With little screentime together, I have no clue where they stand as a couple, which is making it hard for me to buy into their relationship. To me, they’ve simply naturally grown apart, and maybe that also means they should just be friends.

Mike Clearly Does Not Share Will’s Romantic Feelings

Now, toward the end of Stranger Things Season 4, it became very clear that Will had romantic feelings for Mike. However, it’s also obvious that Mike has not clocked that. As Finn Wolfhard himself said, Mike is “so clueless” when it comes to seeing the feelings Will has.

That was the case in Season 4, and it is the case in Season 5 too. While Will has alluded to his feelings during conversations with Robin, and seemingly tried to act on them during interactions with Mike, it’s still flying right over Wolfhard’s character's head.

He’s unaware of his friend's feelings, and, at least to me, it seems like Mike has no romantic feelings for Will. The last thing I’d want is for them to try and force something. Therefore, I think it might be best if they just stay in the friend zone.

Overall, They’re All Traumatized Kids Who Need To Move Forward

All the debate aside, I’d also like to point out that Mike, Will and Eleven are just kids. The odds of most romantic relationships between two teens working out long-term are slim, at best. And I haven’t even calculated for the trauma yet.

These three characters have, to put it lightly, been through it. Their lives have been at risk, they’ve lost loved ones, and overall, they’ve been through so much bad stuff that I think they all deserve a fresh start. All three need to move forward, and I do believe that to do that, they shouldn’t be romantically involved.

Maybe someday Mike can be with one of them, after they’ve all had time to heal, grow and figure themselves out. However, for now, I think love needs to be put on the back burner, and the Mike, Eleven and Will debate should be put to rest by making it so he doesn’t end up with either of them.

Now, to see how their stories really end, and to find out who will end up with who, the second volume of Stranger Things' fifth season will drop on the 2025 TV schedule on December 25, and the emotional series finale will follow on December 31. So, make sure that Netflix subscription is ready so you can find out how they (hopefully) save Hawkins and who Mike ends up with.

Major spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 1 are ahead! If you are not caught up, go stream the show with a Netflix subscription.

As I was watching the first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5, I found myself particularly interested in the outfit Holly chose for herself in Mr. Whatsit’s (AKA Vecna’s) world. Her blue dress, rusty orange cape, and necklace really stood out to me, and I think it’s for a reason too. So, let’s talk about Holly’s clothes in this world, and why this detail could be very important going into Volume 2.

Holly’s Clothes In Mr. Whatsit’s World Seem To Be Replicating The Outfit Her Figurine Is Wearing

Since Volume 1 dropped on the 2025 TV schedule and the wait for Volume 2 and the finale's releases on December 25 and 31 began, I’ve been thinking a lot about Holly. The dreamland she’s in fascinates me, I love her scenes with Max, and I specifically love her outfit. That’s because it’s the same outfit that the figurine Mike gives her in Episode 1 is wearing. You can clearly see that too by comparing the image below with the photo at the top of this section:

Over the course of her time in Mr. Whatsit’s world, she put together clothes and items that, more or less, create the same outfit the figurine on her neck is wearing. So, I think that signifies that she’s turning into Holly the Heroic. And based on what Mike said about this hero earlier in the season, I have a theory about how she’ll help save the day.

Will Holly The Heroic Will Be The Hero Of Volume 2?

As I said, I think the key to the meaning of these clothes lies in the conversation Mike had with Holly when he gave her this figurine. During a heartfelt conversation in Episode 1, Finn Wolfhard’s character comforted his sister and told her how he stays brave. He explained that Mike the Brave really helps him, and then proceeded to give her the little figurine like his that was named “Holly the Heroic.”

So, I’ve developed a theory that Mike’s explanation of who Holly the Heroic is will directly parallel what his little sister does in Volume 2. With that in mind, take a look at the powers this character has, according to her brother:

After saying that, Mike promised that Holly the Heroic would keep her safe, and I really think she will. In fact, I think Holly has transformed into Holly the Heroic. Her clothes signify that, and I’d say her bravery in this new world does too.

Now, the question becomes, how will she be a hero? Well, I think Mike said it. Maybe she has some kind of “divine powers,” kind of like Will’s new powers that turned him into a “Sorcerer.” Maybe she’ll be a cleric who can literally “cast a dimension door” that can get her out of Mr. Whatsit’s world, and maybe Max out of her coma. Plus, Episode 6 is called “Escape From Camazotz,” which ties into Holly reading A Wrinkle in Time and calling Henry/Vecna Mr. Whatsit…

Overall, I do think she’s a key to defeating the big bad Vecna. She’s in seemingly a good position to do it, and as Holly the Heroic, with her dress, cape, figurine, and all, I think anything’s possible.

The long-awaited day has finally come: Stranger Things Season 5 has arrived for everybody with a Netflix subscription, with the four episodes of Volume 1 all available now. More than three years after Season 4 ended with Hawkins a mess, the heroes dealing with their biggest loss to date, and Max comatose with way too many broken bones, Season 5 picks back up after an 18-month time jump.

No need to worry about spoilers here if you haven't seen all four episodes yet. The actors who played the original cast of kids from Season 1 opened up about what's to come without giving the full game away, with more than a little nostalgia. They haven't regularly shared scenes with all of them together in recent seasons, but they were still the first unit of the series.

(Quotes from pre-Season 5 press conferences with the cast are edited for clarity.)

Gaten Matarazzo Hypes The Stranger Things Slow Burn

Gaten Matarazzo has become an icon over the past ten years for playing Dustin, arguably the funniest member of the party back in the first season in 2016. Laughs may be few and far between for him in Season 5 in the wake of Eddie's death (with Joe Quinn not expected back) on top of the general mess that is Hawkins after Vecna's attack in Season 4. Speaking with outlets during a press conference with fellow party members ahead of the premiere, Matarazzo said:

The happy Season 2 ending with the kids dancing at the Snow Ball feels like a very long time ago, and the Vecna slow burn started building since Season 3 (even though the villain himself didn't appear in Season 4) after getting that boost from Eleven's powers. Matarazzo continued:

All hands seem to be on deck in the official Stranger Things trailer, but it can be easy to forget that many of the main characters are still just high schoolers who have been in the Upside Down mix since the age of 12. I think fans will likely agree that it's "hard to watch them struggle."

Finn Wolfhard Gets To Play A Leader Again

As Mike Wheeler, Finn Wolfhard was the leader of the original party back in the first season, which resulted in the kids figuring out a lot of the Upside Down before the teens and adults even knew they were up to anything. (Or that Mike was crushing on the pre-teen telekinetic fugitive he was hiding in the basement.) On the subject of Mike getting back into his role as a leader, the IT star said:

Wolfhard also boasted about the Stranger Things finale that it has "one of the greatest last episodes of any show," although fans will have to wait until New Year's Eve in the 2025 TV schedule to see just what that means. At the press conference, Wolfhard went on:

"What are the things that truly matter?" may be a question that fans are asking as well over the next month, with the rest of the season releasing in two more volumes. Whether that's from wondering about specifics of the final fight or just hopes about who will survive, there will be a lot to consider after the first four episodes.

Caleb McLaughlin's Lucas Blames Himself

Caleb McLaughlin turns in one of Stranger Things' most powerful performance in the fourth season finale with Lucas' desperate efforts to save Max, with the actor describing it as "one of Lucas' most traumatic moments that happened to him" and "he felt like it was his fault." With Lucas still feeling those effects in Season 5, McLaughlin shared:

Hopefully that support will lead him to somehow bringing Max back to herself, presumably with the help of Eleven. It should be interesting to see how his "stoic sensibility of resilience" after losing Max compares to Dustin's attempts to deal with losing Eddie as well.

Millie Bobby Brown Sees The Group As "Outcasts"

While Eleven wasn't originally part of the party during that first D&D game, she definitely was one of them by the end of Season 1, which Mike repeatedly made even clearer in Season 2. Hidden by the boys (with some understandable protest from Lucas early on) while using her powers to help them, Eleven became an essential member of the team and a pop culture icon. Millie Bobby Brown opened up about the chemistry within the Stranger Things ensemble, saying that in their own way, they're all "outcasts." She explained:

Brown, who opened up about how she'd "gone insane" after playing Eleven so long with some of her wilder pitches, complimented the dynamic of the entire cast, shouting out Robin, Hopper, and Joyce in particular. With Eleven becoming a daughter to Hopper, she and David Harbour ultimately spent a lot of their screen time together in Season 2. Whether that is true again in Season 5 remains to be seen.

Noah Schnapp Thinks Chemistry Is Crucial

While Will technically wasn't in most of the first season and Noah Schnapp was a recurring actor rather than series regular, he was with the rest of the party (sans Eleven) in the very beginning and very end. Certainly a series regular now and set up for a big arc in Season 5, he had his own take on the chemistry within the cast:

The cast working well together may have made "the job easier" for Noah Schnapp, but early footage for Season 5 indicates that Will's journey will be far from easy, and his issues will be a lot more serious than goosebumps. (The 5-minute flashback to his time in the Upside Down all those years ago alone was gruesome!

See what's in store for the original party of kids with the first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5, available streaming now on Netflix. Volume 2, comprised of the next three episodes, will premiere on Christmas day, while the series finale debuts on New Year's Eve.

Every streaming service has its own original content, and of the best Netflix shows to binge is definitely Stranger Things. The sci-fi series, which is available with a Netflix subscription, is arguably the most popular show on there, and fans are hyped for its upcoming fifth and final season. Mike Wheeler actor Finn Wolfhard recently boasted about its ending, and I'm curious if the show will join the likes of Six Feet Under and Breaking Bad.

What we know about Stranger Things 5 is limited, but the pressure is on for the beloved series to stick the landing. While a number of TV shows have ended well, disappointing finales have a way of tarnishing the entire show. I'm looking at you, Game of Thrones. In a conversation with Who What Wear, Wolfhard gassed up how the story of Hawkins will end, saying:

Those are some big words, and ones that will be relieving for the many Stranger Things fans out there who are worried about what will happen in the series finale. On top of fan concerns about which beloved characters might be killed off, all eyes are on how The Duffer Brothers will wrap up the long-standing narrative. Although if Wolfhard is to be believed, they crushed it with the series finale.

If his comments end up being accurate, then perhaps Stranger Things will be able to live up to other epic finales like Six Feet Under. That acclaimed series, which is streaming with a HBO Max subscription, has my favorite final episode of all time. It showed the fate of the Fishers over decades of time, revealing how each beloved character ultimately dies. Breaking Bad also had a wildly satisfying final season, where all of the drama and death built up to an emotionally satisfying ending.

The Stranger Things Season 5 trailer showed how high the stakes are, with the entire town of Hawkins quarantined due to the Upside Down's attacks. In the same interview, Finn Wolfhard spoke about what to expect from his signature character, teasing:

Honestly, this does sound pretty epic. It sounds like our heroes are taking one final stand against Vecna and his forces, and Mike is seemingly helping to lead the charge. While he might not have powers like Eleven, that's never stopped the rest of the gang from helping to fight the forces of evil in Hawkins. As a reminder, you can check out the trailer for Season 5 below:

While it's been a long wait between seasons, Stranger Things' fifth and final entry is nearly upon us. The first four episodes will arrive on Netflix on November 26th. After that we'll get three more chapters on December 25th, before the finale drops on December 31st as part of the 2025 TV schedule. The wait is almost over, and I'm really hoping that Wolfhard's comments about its ending are a sign of something great to come.

Drop everything you’re doing right now — unless you happen to be holding a child, nitroglycerin or a giant platter of cream pies — because the latest action-packed look at

Stranger Things Season 5 has arrived, and it’s clear that the 2025 TV schedule will be wrapping up with a ton of dead bodies in and around Hawkins, Indiana. We just have to keep the faith that none of our core heroes will be amongst the fallen. (Okay, none is probably too grand a hope in this case, if the finale is meant to make fans sob.)

Have you watched the above trailer yet? You totally need to, because everything covered below will probably sound like a stream-of-consciousness mess if not. With that said, let’s break down this promo for what could be the biggest upcoming horror TV show to ever exist, with one of the most intriguing highlights being that final not-quite-showdown between Vecna and Will Byers.

The Song Choice; Queen’s “Who Wants To Live Forever?”

Nothing makes chasing monsters and saving your friends more dramatic than an orchestrated remix of a Queen song. Freddie Mercury’s piercing vocals would bring the light even to a place like the Upside Down. The track was released in 1986, which isn’t quite the most current song from this timeline, but the lyrics are no doubt too meaningful for the Duffer brothers to have passed up.

Hawkins Is Surrounded, Which Just Makes For A Bigger Body Count

The trailer makes it clear that there’s a government-enforced border around Hawkins, which we all know isn’t really going to do anything to stop anything from getting in or out. Vecna gives a shit about a barricade, as is made very obvious by the last quarter of the trailer. The monstrous villain apparently goes murder-crazy within one of the military outposts, littering the ground with uniformed corpses.

The Requisite D&D Reference

While Dungeons & Dragons has been a go-to source of comfort and familiarity for the younger characters, Eleven makes it clear to Mike that this final battle goes far beyond the safety of dice rolls and tales crafted by Dungeon Masters.

I bet Mike still finds a way to influence the ending as if he was writing it.

Dustin And Steve’s Tearful Hug

My goodness, the emotion on Gaten Matarazzo’s face when he and Steve are hugging each other so tightly. Clearly something awful happens, but the stress on his face makes it seem like they just found out Joe Quinn’s Eddie Munson was still alive, and then had to watch him die all over again. I doubt that’s the case, given what the Duffers have said about Eddie’s fate, but still.

Eleven’s Powers

Given this is the final season, it’s finally time for fans to see Eleven gain full control over her powers, which the co-creators have compared to Star Wars’s presence of the Force. It’s on display earlier whenever Millie Bobby Brown’s character takes a running leap that looks far more like limited flying than long-jumping. And then later, she sends out a power blast that looks as if it could take out an entire city. I suspect the way the footage is edited together during those few seconds won’t reflect the final product, but I hope all of that colorful energy we see in the footage stems from Eleven.

Uh Oh, Lucas

Strangely enough for a final-season trailer, we don't actually see many of the protagonists facing down obvious dangers, even though as fans we know they're there. One of the core shots seen here that does apply, though, is Lucas lying on his back looking nervous as hell as one of the Upside Down's beasts approaches. I don't actually suspect anything too lethal will happen here, but I do wonder why he's all by himself down there.

Nancy Is In Beast Mode

How badass would it be if one of Stranger Things' spinoffs is dedicated to Natalia Dyer's Nancy Wheeler as an action hero going around the country, kicking bad guys' asses, taking names, and chewing bubblegum? She already looked like a total boss wielding a flamethrower in a previous trailer, and now she looks patently influenced by co-star Linda Hamilton's iconic character Sarah Connor.

What Is Vecna Going To Do To Will?

The trailer kicks off with the vine-covered monsters gravely rasp, and ends in the same way. Only this time, we see that Vecna somehow took Noah Schnapp's Will captive, and seems to be free to do whatever he wants with the dude, saying:

As if Will has been doing chores around Vecna's house all summer or something. I don't know if you can call it "help" when you're forcing someone to do it, ya freaky bastard. I can't tell if I'm more excited or bothered by the fact that we're five seasons into this show and I'm not 100% sure how Vecna will utilize Will on the whole, and how risky it all is physically and/or mentally for the teen. Obviously it's nothing great, or else WIll wouldn't be forced there against his...will.

Will Vecna's final move be the one that finally tears the Byers family apart, or will Eleven & Co. make all the right moves in time to save Will, Hawkins and the rest of the world from Demogorgon-demolished chaos? So many questions, so many hours until we get any of them answered.

Stranger Things Season 5 will kick off its first chapter starting on Thursday, November 26, with the second and third drops happening on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.

Do you remember where you were the day Stranger Things debuted on Netflix? Sure, it's nowhere near as universally important an incident as JFK's assassination or the moon landing, but it could eventually become as important a TV premiere as I Love Lucy orLost (or Finn Wolfhard's go-to comparison Game of Thrones). Of course, that depends on how well its fifth and final season is received by audiences around the world, and whether or not it quells concerns that the actors have gotten too old.

With the new episodes finally set to arrive starting on Thanksgiving, the cast and creators have been quite busy with promoting the horror/sci-fi juggernaut for the last time, more than nine years after the first season introduced audiences to Hawkins, the Wheelers and the Byers (among others). For an expansive profile for Time, co-star Millie Bobby Brown moderated a Q&A with other cast members that tapped into how much the actors have out-aged their characters.

When posed a question about the biggest differences the stars could pick out between Season 1 and Season 5, Finn Wolfhard offered this gem that had Brown giggling:

• FINN WOLFHARD: Hung out. We got along. We went to bars. We went to bars together.
• NOAH SCHNAPP: Yeah, there was less drama.

It boggles the mind that Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas and Eleven were even in the vicinity of being old enough to go to bars together while still playing the same high school students for nearly a decade. It'd be like seeing Big Bird at a bar after 50 years of watching him as a 6-year-old. Okay, maybe that's not quite right, but close enough.

Speaking to the idea that the cast members hanging out together wasn't always the case, others chimed in to say:

• MILLIE BOBBY BROWN: I would agree, I think our age...
• GATEN MATARAZZO: The lack of school in the last two seasons.
• NOAH SCHNAPP: School pit us against each other, and without school, we were all best friends.

Nobody fully addressed why the behind-the-scenes schooling was so rough on their intrapersonal relationships, but they wouldn't be the first group of teens who found an on-set education to be more stressful than traditional means. Gaten Matazzara voiced that he can still feel the heart rush and stress that came from that time, and wasn't exactly excited about it sticking around.

That's another gobsmacking realization to bring up, of course: the Stranger Things kids are all out of high school, and some have been for years. It's an even bigger brain-buster when one considers that the core squad of D&D-loving characters won't even be seniors at Hawkins High when the show returns. (That age gap is visibly obvious when watching the adult-leaning actors still riding kids' bikes.)

In fact, it's been so long since Millie Bobby Brown has experienced schooling on Stranger Things' set that she's actually nostalgic for it. As she put it:

I'm hoping it will be easy for audiences to fall right back into the show's clutches without thinking about the de-aging techniques, and that the dispelled rumors about massive episode runtimes don't actually turn out to be true. If we're already gonna spend most of 2025's last month bitching about Will's dumb haircut and Max being in a coma for half of the season, I really don't want to also have feature-length episodes in the mix.

Stranger Things will debut its final season’s first four episodes via Netflix subscription on Thursday, November 27, 2025, with later episodes dropping on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.

The long-anticipated fifth and final season of Stranger Things will be here in just over a month on the 2025 TV schedule, and it can’t get here soon enough. However, with great anticipation comes great expectations, and the pressure on the end of this show is real. So, while discussing these final episodes and the concerns the cast had about them, Finn Wolfhard referenced Game of Thrones and its infamous ending.

Stranger Things’ first four seasons have been pretty great, and while it's faced criticism here and there, overall, it’s kept fans on the edge of their seats. Now going into the final season, there really is no room for error, and they have to get the stories perfect. Fans have been theorizing what could happen and bracing themselves for the worst, and they’re not the only ones. Wolfhard told Time that even the cast was worried about how the show would end at first, especially knowing how downhill Game of Thrones went in its final season:

The HBO fantasy series was one of the most talked-about shows for a while, and the franchise continues to bring people in with spinoffs. However, despite the first seven seasons being highly acclaimed, Game of Thrones’ eighth and final season was not received well. Between the Starbucks cup being left in a shot and a disappointing series finale, that final season is sadly still talked about. So, it’s not surprising that the cast of Stranger Things was worried that they’d be in the same boat.

There are a handful of series finales that were not up to par with the rest of the show. With how long it’s taken for the final season of Stranger Things to release, there is a lot of pressure on it, and the last thing anyone wants is for it not to land the plane well.

However, considering the cast’s worries about the season changed when they saw the script, I’d say that fans also don’t have to worry about the quality of the Stranger Things series fianle. But people will have to judge it for themselves. It’s hard to predict what will happen, who will survive, who will die, and how the show will conclude, but it’s going to be entertaining regardless. Just as long as it’s not like the final season of Game of Thrones.

Even though not everyone is excited for Stranger Things’ final season, there is still a lot of intrigue and hype surrounding it. There have been a handful of details released so far, including episode titles and the time jump, but for learn about everything else, fans will have to watch with a Netflix subscription when Stranger Things 5, Part 1 premieres on November 26.

With Stranger Things wrapping up its final season next month on the 2025 TV schedule, it’s time for the cast to find their next opportunities. Finn Wolfhard is already hard at work on a biopic about The Replacements, the iconic ‘80s band known for their timeless songs like “Can’t Hardly Wait,” “I Will Dare,” and my personal favorite “Within Your Reach,” as well as their infamous backstage antics. It could be the perfect role for Wofhard, but will he star in it? Let’s get into it.

The Film Is Based On A Great Biography

According to Variety, Wolfhard is co-writing a script with his father, Eric, for a biopic about one of my favorite ‘80s bands, based on the excellent biography by Bob Mehr, Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements. That’s right, it sounds like Wolfhard is staying in the decade that has meant so much to his early career as a co-star of the hit Netflix show that is set in the ‘80s, and dripping with Gen X nostalgia. Why not focus on a band that many Gen Xers like me consider a standard-bearer for the era?

The book, which came out in 2016, is fantastic deep dive into a band that's broadly defined as a “punk band,” but anyone who loves The Replacements (or “The ‘Mats,” as fans often refer to them), knows that “punk” doesn’t do the band justice as their sound was so much more diverse than other punk bands of the era like Hüsker Dü and Minor Threat (two other bands I love from those days). The group was incredibly influential, but they also burned out quickly, brought down by drug use, alcoholism, and internal strife.

Wolfhard Would Be Perfect To Play Lead Singer Paul Westerberg

The ‘Mats were led by lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter Paul Westerberg. He is iconic for his songs, sure, but he was equally notorious in the ‘80s for his rowdy, alcohol-soaked stage antics. The whole band was always teetering on the edge of collapse, and eventually it all caught up to them, and they split up in 1991.

Westerberg quit drinking in 1990 and embarked on a successful solo career after The Replacements broke up, which included writing songs and the score for one of Cameron Crowe’s best movies, Singles, in 1992. The surviving members of The Replacements (original lead guitarist Bob Stinson died in 1995) have reunited a couple of times over the years, most recently from 2012-2015.

Look at any photo of Westerberg from those hell-raising years for the band and tell me Wolfhard wouldn’t be perfect to play him in the upcoming music biopic. Not only is Wolfhard about the same age as Westerberg was in those days, but the role would be an excellent way to transition into more “adult” roles for the actor known for playing a teenager on Stranger Things, which, by the way, you can catch up on with your Netflix subscription, before the last season kicks off on November 26th.

According to the latest report, there is no word on whether Wolfhard will star in the movie he’s writing, but it seems too good to pass up playing the ostensible lead, and I hope he doesn’t.

Since debuting nearly ten years ago, Stranger Things has totally taken over our pop culture brains like a Mind Flayer. The upcoming fifth and final season is among the most hyped 2025 Netflix shows, and will wrap up the story of our favorite characters from Hawkins, Indiana, though a top-secret upcoming spinoff is in the works that may expand the franchise's future. Surprisingly, co-star Finn Wolfhard quickly predicted what the spinoff would be about, and he discussed the unofficial project with a comparison to another iconic horror show that has me pumped.

In a recent interview with Variety, Finn Wolfhard opened up about his last days on set and how emotional they were for him before the conversation switched to his thoughts on what's in store for Stranger Things going forward. The Ghostbusters: Afterlife star mentioned that he feels the Duffer Brothers might be taking some inspiration from David Lynch’s Twin Peaks for the upcoming spinoff. He explained:

An anthology series that’s like Twin Peaks? Count me in! It makes me wonder if the idea inspired the only spinoff that actually got made: the animated series Stranger Things: Tales From '85. The Duffer Brothers told Tudum it’s “an animated Stranger Things in the style of the Saturday morning cartoons we loved growing up…” But it probably doesn’t fit the anthology vibe since it revolves around the same characters.

Still, got to give props to Finn Wolfhard for figuring things out. According to Matt Duffer, one of the brothers, no one else has come close to cracking their plans. The showrunner shared:

It’s pretty much a sure thing that we’ll be getting more Stranger Things content soon, whether it's new stories or something like Finn Wolfhard’s guess, a Twin Peaks-inspired anthology. The show is super popular and really easy to binge if you’ve got a Netflix subscription. The first part of the final season premieres on the 2025 TV schedule on Thanksgiving, November 26, 2025, with more episodes rolling out on Christmas, and it all wraps up with the series finale on New Year's Eve.

Even though it’s still hot enough outside to break a sweat just thinking about it, Netflix’s massive Stranger Things Season 5 trailer is now here to put everyone in a holiday state of mind. Being gifted with this new footage may make it feel like Christmas in July, but that’s not Santa and his reindeer out there. It’s Vecna and a bunch of extremely agile Demogorgons. I don’t know why I’m still trying to make that metaphor work.

Probably because I’m so damned excited after watching all this new footage for the final season after months and months of having to subsist on limited new clues about Eleven’s origins and other mysteries, while also gleaning any information possible from the final batch of episode titles. With all this excess excellence to get consumed by, it feels like a great time to excitedly jump from one topic to the next, and I’ll keep my ramblings in mostly sequential order.

The WSQK Radio Station

Clearly this will be a major catalyst location for the season, given how things start off here with Steve. STEVE! And for those unaware, the faux Hawkins broadcaster has been active on social media recently, specifically when it comes to the song "Should I Stay Or Should I Go?" which was key to the Season 1 storyline.

The Bunker Of Younger Kids

The trailer makes it look like a whole bunch of characters are worriedly waiting for something major to go down that could potentially affect the majority of characters that we're aware of and then some. It's hard to tell exactly what's happening within that bunker of mostly children, though I don't imagine this represents a fun trip to Camp Central Park.

The Government Is Totally Taking Over Hawkins

It's pretty chilling seeing the kids biking down the road away from town as multiple helicopters and larger vehicles fly towards it. Once you see more than one helicopter in the air, that's it, Jack. Only monsters can follow that.

Eddie’s Defaced Tombstone

How they gonna do Eddie like that? I mean, I'm sure there will still be viewers who question if Eddie is dead or not after watching this trailer, but the insult-emblazoned grave marker does seem to be a good indicator. But that's what they'd WANT us to think.

Jonathan Gets The Trailer's Meaningful Voiceover Narration

Even though one might have expected Millie Bobby Brown's Eleven or Finn Wolfhard's Mike to be dishing out the dialogue in this first big look at the final chapter, it's instead Charlie Heaton's Jonathan talking to Natalia Dyer's Natalie. It's gotta have big implications, no doubt.

Demogorgons Can Climb Trees And Jump Around Like Superheroes

Just in case anyone was under the false impression that Demogorgons AREN'T among the most athletic threats in the universe, there's a shot in the trailer that seems to defy easy logic, with one character leaping from one treetop to another as one of the Upside Down's deadly creatures is reaching upwards while gripping the dead branches. Some real Last of Us vibes happening there. But if I hear one click...

Linda Motherfucking Hamilton

Terminator franchise legend Linda Hamilton previously shared that she'd considered retirement before Stranger Things came knocking, and I think we're all the better for her making the choice to stick with it. Granted, we still don't know very much about what she'll be doing, but THAT HAIR. It's enough to get me watching regardless of anything else.

That Massive Portal To The Upside Down

I love when horror or sci-fi sets up a moment where size and scale become slightly incomprehensible, and that's pretty much what happens here with the two characters standing in front of that gargantuan portal. Burn them all! Burn them all!

Major Jurassic Park Vibes

Considering Jurassic World Rebirth is currently making box office bank, it's pretty fitting that Stranger Things' trailer would feature a moment that seemingly pays homage to a hectic scene in Steven Spielberg's OG blockbuster. I'm talking of course about the bit where Lucas and others are trying to stay quiet as a Demo-dog (assumedly) lurks nearby.

The Radio Tower Of Doom

Linking everything back to the beginning of the trailer is the radio tower that looks as if it's been through better days. The structure looks every bit as ominous as the Mind-Flayer-in-the-sky images from seasons past, and I really hope nobody has to actually climb that thing. It's enough to make the entire lower half of my body pucker in discomfort.

So Much Emotional Sobbing

Obviously the final season of any globally renowned series is going to get emotional for the characters, which goes double for shows that have legitimate life-or-death stakes. Which means I'm not feeling very optimistic about...well, anyone. Natalie, Dustin, Steve and several others are seen to be overwhelmed by tearful feelings. I can certainly hope that those are "Thank God we all got out of this alive" reactions, but that wouldn't be the wisest move.

“Found You”

He's ba-a-a-a-a-ack! Stranger Things' true big bad, Vecna, makes a late-stage appearance, and not in full-frontal fashion. Instead, we only hear his voice and see his gnarly body from behind. Does that mean he'll be looking a little different in Season 5?

With one of the most bizarre TV schedule plans to ever exist, Stranger Things Season 5 will debut on Thanksgiving, will continue on Christmas, and will wrap with its series finale on New Year's Eve.

It’s no secret that Stranger Things is widely considered one of the very best shows on Netflix, especially as the world anticipates its upcoming fifth and final season. As one of the streamer's most successful global hits, many of the young stars have become synonymous with their fictional counterparts as we watched both grow up on screen. Finn Wolfhard is among those performers and already recognizes that he’ll never fully detach from his character, Mike Wheeler, and he’s okay with it. Knowing that he feels this way makes me pleased and more excited for the final installment.

With the series ending just shy of a decade, the kids of Stranger Things have been largely identified with their fictional Hawkins counterparts. While we’ve seen this type of shadow affect young casts and stars in different ways (Harry Potter, Brat Pack), Wolfhard and Co. seem to be coming to terms with it. While on the Zach Sang Show, the Ghostbusters actor shared his grounded, realistic perspective as to why he’s settled into being okay with the future recognition. In his words:

It’s a great outlook to have well ahead of Netflix’s 2025 release schedule conclusion. Not to mention, with each passing season, the sci-fi adventure series continued to expand. To have this sentiment locked and loaded when moving on is impressive. (Joe Keery's feelings about his ST legacy are similar.)

After Wolfhard dealt with the emotional hangovers after wrap, he expanded on his thoughts. Notably, he revealed that he feels like he owes everything he presently has to landing the gig back in the 2010s.

Again, what a perspective to hold before the show’s finale even airs. I do think Wolfhard has found his footing outside of Wheeler’s shoes, though. Between the Ghostbusters franchise, having directed the 2025 movie guide entry called Hell of a Summer, and taking on remaking '90s cult classic Idle Hands, he’s well on his way to expanding his career.

The actor and musician finished by adding that the Netflix subscription show has formed and shaped so many relationships between people who have tuned in together. He's content to have been a part of a program that provided that for viewers. Wolfhard shared:

He’s not wrong. Stranger Things is one of those shows you could likely talk to a family member, friend, or peer about and base a whole conversation around. I love that he has personally connected to the broader points that showcase why the five-season series blew up.

Here’s to hoping Wolfhard and the rest of the gang continue to process what life will be like after the Netflix original show finally ends!

When Stranger Things started, Finn Wolfhard was 13 years old. Now, he’s 22, and after nearly a decade of work, Stranger Things Season 5 will mark the end of a formative chapter in his life. Obviously, that’s a lot to process, and the Mike actor recently opened up about that and why he’d find himself randomly crying from time to time over it.

Earlier this year, Finn Wolfhard said he had an “emotional hangover” after finishing Stranger Things, and I totally get it. While on the Zach Sang Show, he discussed wrapping up production too, recalling the polar opposite emotions he’d feel, saying:

He continued by saying he just wanted everyone to “live in the moment” and take it all in with the most positive attitude they could. However, on the flip side, the emotions would hit him out of nowhere, too, as he described:

Listen, the Stranger Things cast and directors have been open about how emotional this final season has been. For the core cast of kids, they all spent formative developmental years on those sets, and they quite literally grew up in front of our eyes. This team is also making one of Netflix's most successful shows. Obviously, it takes a lot to process something like that, and I’d imagine there’s some grief involved too, as you say goodbye to such a massive project.

Well, while Wolfhard claimed he had no idea why the emotions would hit him out of nowhere, he did think of a reason for the tears. He confirmed what I had assumed, and noted that trying to process the end of something so big and important is really hard:

He continued to discuss why the show was so important to him. Saying that he was “someone who really wanted to make films,” he got a lot out of seeing people like the Duffer Brothers at work behind the scenes. Now, all these years later, he’s directed his own movie, Hell of a Summer, which came out on the 2025 movie schedule.

Wolfhard also noted that he’s been deeply impacted by his co-stars, too, citing Joe Keery as someone who was “hugely influential.”

So, trying to process all of those relationships, moments and feelings was overwhelming. Wolfhard said he thinks that’s why he’d “shut down” every once in a while:

Well, that’s really sweet! I love that they lived so close to each other and really seemed to savor their last year of working together.

Now, I’m looking forward to hearing more reflections on how much this experience has meant to Wolfhard and this cast as we approach Season 5’s November 26 premiere on the 2025 TV schedule. I imagine that they will feel these intense emotions all over again as they promote the upcoming episodes and fans watch them with a Netflix subscription. However, I hope the one that prevails is optimism and joy over this incredible project they all worked on.

“Movie magic” is a broad phrase that generally encapsulates all of the incredible illusions that audiences witness on the big screen – but there is an argument to be made that the best examples possess magic behind the scenes as well. The titular creatures in the new 2025 film The Legend Of Ochi are a perfect example of this. I was blown away watching the blue and orange simians come to life during my screening (with an additional wow factor in hearing them communicate), but stars Finn Wolfhard and Helena Zengel were amazed by them even after writer/director Isaiah Saxon called “cut” and the puppeteers paused their work.

The Legend Of Ochi stars Zengel as Yuri, a young girl who finds a baby Ochi and makes it her mission to return it to its family, and Wolfhard plays Petro, her adopted brother who joins their father (Willem Dafoe) in trying to find Yuri and kill the fantastical creature. When I spoke with the actors earlier this month during the movie’s virtual press day, they discussed their experience with the practical creation on set. I asked the duo if the magic was maintained between scenes, and Wolfhard explained how he consistently saw a live animal:

It is all too common in modern Hollywood for creature design to be left to visual effects artists, but Isaiah Saxon understood that a tactile aspect to the Ochi was vital to the story he wanted to tell, and it’s something that very much comes across on the big screen. Deep in the logic center of your brain, you understand that it’s a creation of advanced animatronics and textured materials, but the emotional part of your brain registers it as a real, breathing creature, and its amazingness does its own job adding stakes to the story.

Helena Zengel echoed her co-stars sentiments about the creature design in The Legend Of Ochi, going as far as to say that the Ochi looked so real that it was scary:

The Legend Of Ochi had its world premiere earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, and it was picked up for distribution by A24. Also starring the talented Emily Watson, the movie is now in theaters – cracking the domestic box office Top 10 while playing in fewer than 1,200 locations.

When it comes to immensely talented and lovable Hollywood veterans, Willem Dafoe is a non-negotiable for many due to his ability to transform into different characters. Whether you love him in To Love and Die in L.A. or Nosferatu, he never disappoints. Even Dafoe’s castmate Finn Wolfhard had a similar experience working with the actor in the upcoming A24 film The Legend of Ochi. Though while Dafoe is known for immersing himself in his character, Wolfhard admitted he had trouble differentiating the actor from the role he knew him best from: Spider-Man.

The Stranger Things S5 actor recently opened up about his Spidey sense tingling while working with The Lighthouse alum. While the 22-year-old had nothing but positive things to say to People about the adventure film (filled with a YouTuber's impressive bird sound skills) and his well-regarded peer, he admitted he had a bit of a tough time with it for the "first few days," noting:

The 2002 movie was many people's first introduction to the 69-year-old, and given a lot of fans are frequently watching the Spider-man movies in order, I'm not surprised we're still talking about today. It probably didn't help Wolfhard's perspective that Dafoe more recently reprised the role in Spider-Man: No Way Home, as well. So, it's fresh-ish on everyone's mind.

The actor shared more of what it was like to work with the Poor Things actor, and it does sound like he was a bit star-struck himself over the experience. He noted he continued to marvel at the reality of the household name, and every element of him felt ‘real.’ In his words:

I think most of us see Wolfhard as a pretty big star himself given roles like Stranger Things or It. However, the list of great Willem Dafoe movies wraps around the block compared to what the young actor has put out so far, so I get it.

The rising talent even intentionally took notes from the prolific performer while watching him act. The lessons he took were invaluable, and he believes that Dafoe is honestly fully dedicated to the craft over anything else.

What a great experience for an already-promising actor, musician and filmmaker. While we’ve already seen what type of chops Finn Wolfhard has, it definitely feels like there’s more great stuff to come in his future, especially given how seriously he seems to be studying and taking his Hollywood gigs.

Now that Wolfhard has worked through his Norman Osborn-filled moment with Dafoe, I'm personally excited to catch the title and see their onscreen dynamic. It's not his only role I'm stoked to see, as I'm pumped to watch him as Mike Wheeler on Stranger Things when the final season hits the Netflix schedule. (To note, he was reported to have an emotional hangover post ST5 wrapped so he's frequently a guy with feelings about his work.)

For now, you can check out Dafoe at least in the iconic Norman Osborn/Green Goblin performance with a Disney subscription.

While we wait for the premiere date for Stranger Things Season 5 to officially be announced, cast member Finn Wolfhard has been keeping busy. Between marking the release of his directorial debut, Hell Of A Summer, and a new A24 movie hitting theaters this month, The Legend of Ochi, he's had a lot going on. As we emotionally prepare for the end of the series, Wolfhard recently spoke to what his last day on set was like. Just to warn you, this may cause you to get into your feels as I have.

Finn Wolfhard previously likened his last day playing Mike Wheeler alongside the rest of the cast to Andy saying goodbye to his toys in Toy Story 3. He characterized shooting the final season as something that was “very intense,” given how long it took to shoot. When it comes to his feelings on Mike’s ending, he said this to People:

22-year-old Finn Wolfhard's Stranger Things journey began when he was cast back in the summer of 2015. As he’s previously discussed, his time on the set of the show essentially made up his “whole childhood” and meant a lot to him. While I don’t know exactly what he means by being both “satisfied” and “confused”, I can imagine wrapping up the series knowing that he won’t get to go back for another season was just an odd experience for him. He continued:

The former child star's comments are definitely making me more curious and excited about the next season, which is expected to premiere sometime this year for those with a Netflix subscription. However, what he said next really had me feeling sentimental:

I can’t even imagine a world without a new season of Stranger Things to look forward to, but seeing these comments from Wolfhard makes me realize that soon we’ll have to live in that reality. It really is a good show, and it’s been so much fun to return to Hawkins, so to speak, with each season.

After Wolfhard described the “emotional hangover” he experienced after finishing the show, the notion of the entire cast going their separate ways is really starting to sink in. Of course their friendship will always live on, but it just won’t be the same. Still, Wolfhard recalled what sounds like a tender moment that took place on the last day:

The cast wrapped Season 5 back in December with heartfelt tributes to their time on the show. Sadie Sink thanked the creatives behind the show for giving her “the most amazing childhood” and bringing her “the best friends” she could ask for. If that doesn’t show how big this cast’s career is going to be moving forward, I don’t know what does. Even so, I’m not ready for the emotional hangover we’ll all have once we see the show's final frame.

As you wait for Stranger Things Season 5 to debut amid the 2025 TV schedule, prepare yourself by streaming the first four seasons now.

Netflix’s upcoming titles includes the final season of Stranger Things, which is expected to air on the 2025 TV schedule. Even though this will only be Season 5, by July, the hit sci-fi show will be hitting its ninth anniversary, which is hard to believe considering the young cast is all grown up. Stranger Things quickly became a success when it first aired and remains one of the best shows on Netflix. But there is one thing star Finn Wolfhard wishes he would have done when it all started.

Wolfhard was just 13 when Stranger Things released and started taking over the world, and he and his fellow co-stars became overnight sensations. Now, at 22, the actor is preparing to finally close that chapter in his life. Although there isn’t much he would change about that time, he told People the one thing he would do over if he could when Stranger Things hit its peak:

Being a child actor is not easy, as evidenced by the controversial Quiet on Set documentary, and being on a show that is one of the biggest shows ever at such a young age can be pretty taxing. It’s sad to know that Wolfhard would put himself in therapy but it’s not surprising, especially since it would have helped him handle everything easier.

That doesn’t necessarily mean he regrets how things went after Stranger Things released, recognizing that regardless, not too much would change. But therapy, especially at an early age, can help. Childhood is challenging no matter what, and it’s something that Wolfhard also recognizes:

While the young cast on Stranger Things shot to superstardom pretty quickly, it probably helped that the adult actors such as Winona Ryder had experience in that field before. So it wouldn’t be surprising if she and a few others shared some wise advice. It may not be as good as a therapist, but speaking to someone who has been there before and speaking to their fellow young co-stars also probably made it a bit more manageable. The fact that they’re now in their 20s is hard to believe, but now Wolfhard can impart some wisdom on actors younger than him who could be going through what he did when Stranger Things released.

As for Stranger Things, fans have been preparing for the end, and it’s going to be an emotional ride. Although David Harbour isn’t revealing if fans will be happy or sad by the end, and it’s unknown who will live or who will die, it’s going to be a season fans won’t want to miss. It’s one of many upcoming horror TV shows airing soon, and it’s going to be exciting to see what happens in Hawkins, Indiana, one last time with a Netflix subscription.

One of the most highly anticipated 2025 TV premieres by a long shot, Stranger Things Season 5 is set to send viewers into frightful and tearful tizzies when it finally hits streaming this year. I have a not-so-sneaking suspicion that not all of our favorite characters are going to survive final stretch, and Finn Wolfhard’s latest comments about the horror-drama’s swan song have me feeling all the more emotional about saying farewell, largely due to his Toy Story 3 comparison.

While there are plenty of Pixar fanatics who find Woody and Buzz’s second adventure to be the best of the Toy Story franchise, plenty of others consider Toy Story 3 to be the animated film series’ most emotionally rounded effort. And it’s the latter group that Finn Wolfhard likely connected with the most through his comments made to Variety about his very last day on the set of the global smash. In his words:

Spending a full decade on any creative endeavor is an accomplishment, but relatively few people can say they’ve co-starred in one of the most-watched TV series of the streaming era, or that their show is among the flagship series that helped the already successful Netflix crush its online competition. In that respect, Finn Wolfhard gets to be part of a privileged group.

And in the same way that Toy Story 3’s generational transition has Andy coming to terms with gifting his box of beloved-if-ignored to the young and playful Bonnie, I know I’m not the only parent who enjoyed Stranger Things alone before later sharing that small-screen pleasure with one’s child. And I’m probably not the only one who thinks the lazy-eyed Big Baby is as tragically horrifying as anything Matt and Ross Duffer have concocted for the Hawkins squad.

With the 2023 Hollywood strikes causing production hiccups for Stranger Things as much as anything else, the series finally wrapped filming in December 2024, after keeping the cast and crew busy for nearly the entire year. And even though Wolfhard isn’t yet fully able to promote Mike Wheeler’s final outing, the whole reason he’s able to talk about it at all is because he’s promoting his new 2025 film The Legend of Ochi, which he brought up in saying:

Will the final season have us crafting no-nonsense comparisons between Jamie Campbell Bower’s Vecna and TS3’s Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear? Probably not, because not even Vecna is capable of Lotso’s truly malicious brand of evil. Wait no, hold on, Vecna is definitely worse.

We’re still waiting on a formalized release date for Stranger Things Season 5, or at least the first batch of episodes, so join us in running up that hill to hang out with Bonnie and her box of friends.

Immediately after Stranger Things Season 5 wrapped, Ross Duffer posted an emotional statement that included a note about how the kids in the cast have grown up on this show. The idea of these actors starting their work on this Netflix hit as small children and ending it as adults is what sends me over the edge emotionally while thinking about this show coming to an end. So, you better believe that when Millie Bobby Brown, Sadie Sink, Noah Schnapp and Finn Wolfhard posted their tributes to finishing production, I was reaching for the tissues.

This is a monumental moment. While we have a wait ahead of us when it comes to seeing Eleven, Mike and co. for the final time, the actors who play them have said their last goodbyes. Now, as the anticipation really starts to build for Season 5’s premiere on the 2025 TV schedule, the young performers are getting sentimental on Instagram about their last moments on set, with Millie Bobby Brown posting:

In the final video in the carousel, Brown noted that she was “nowhere ready to leave” the cast and crew. Across Season 5’s production, the Eleven actress has said they were having a blast working and they weren’t ready to think about the end. So, when the end came, it’s not surprising that she was choked up giving this speech, and it’s obvious that this role has meant the world to her.

Meanwhile, while Sadie Sink joined the cast as Max later than the other kids, it feels like she’s one of the OGs and she grew up on the show too. In her Instagram post, she used a bunch of old photos of her and her castmates, writing the show “made me who I am” and “gave me the most amazing childhood.” She also wrote that “saying goodbye is so painful,” and I feel that!

Will actor Noah Schnapp wrote the most on Instagram out of these actors, creating a ten-point list that thanked various members of the cast and crew. Noting all his young co-stars, Winona Ryder, the crew, the Duffer Brothers and Shawn Levy, he detailed what he’d learned from them, and then ended with a note about how much the show as a whole has meant to him, writing in part:

It’s important to remember that when these performers started working on Stranger Things they were all tweens, and now they’re in their 20s. That period of life is so formative for everyone, and it’s powerful to see these stars reflect on growing up on this fantastic Netflix series.

Keeping the sentiment train rolling, Finn Wolfhard posted a throwback picture along with two BTS photos from Season 5, explaining that the older image (which you can see below) captures the energy he associates with Stranger Things:

Along with the image, the Mike actor made it clear that he’s still in “shock” that they’re done with Stranger Things after filming Season 5 for the last year, and that he’ll miss it all “terribly.” However, he also sweetly wrote about what this show means to him, explaining:

Seriously, I need a box of tissues now, and I’m 1,000% going to need them when Season 5 premieres on Netflix’s 2025 schedule.

Watching these incredible young performers go on one final ride as these beloved kids is hard to fathom, but these tributes hammer home the fact that the end is coming. However, while that makes me sad, these sentimental posts show how much care and love went into Season 5, and it makes me very confident that we’re in for something special.

So, before we go on our last bike ride through Hawkins with these kids, you can literally watch them grow up by streaming the first four seasons of Stranger Things with a Netflix subscription.

Stranger Things’s Finn Wolfhard is circling a remake of one of the best horror movies of the '90s, Idle Hands. According to a recent report, he is set to co-write a possibly co-direct a reimagining of the 1999 great one-off horror flick with collaborator Billy Bryk for Sony Pictures. And while I’m intrigued, I do have some major concerns. Let's dive into it.

What Excites Me About The Remake

Variety reports that Wolfhard and Bryk (who recently co-wrote, co-directed, and starred in the horror-comedy Hell of a Summer) are not only writing but may also direct this remake, giving them significant creative control. Also, according to the report, the pair aim to revive the original’s chaotic teen energy for a new generation.

The original Idle Hands, which starred Devon Sawa and Jessica Alba, follows a slacker teenager whose hand becomes possessed, leading to chaos, murder, and dark humor. As a nostalgic throwback to late-90s horror-comedy, it’s certainly an interesting choice for a remake. And while I’m intrigued by what the Canadian-born actor might bring to the table, I have one big concern about this ambitious project.

Let’s be real: some of the best '90s movies were horror comedies, and Idle Hands stands out as one of those quirky, slightly under-the-radar cult classics. For fans of dark humor and B-movie horror, it’s a flick that embraced a sense of “anything goes.” The idea of Stranger Things's Mike, an established face in the sci-fi and horror genre, taking a swing at this material feels like a natural progression. Not only has the young actor proven he has an eye for the genre with his performance in Stranger Things and It, but he’s also shown promise as a filmmaker with Hell of a Summer. His project with Bryk received critical acclaim at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and was picked up by indie distributor Neon, known for horror hits like Longlegs. The 21-year-old’s foray into directing has already gotten positive feedback, which could bode well for Idle Hands.

Also, the commitment Wolfhard and Bryk bring to representing teen life authentically might give Idle Hands the kind of updated charm it needs. The duo has been vocal about the challenges of modern teen portrayals. The former Carmen Sandiego voice actor recently told Variety at TIFF, “Our No. 1 conversation was how annoying it is to see new teen movies and how badly our age group is represented.” If they can bring that authentic voice to Idle Hands, we might get a remake that feels relatable to today’s audience while honoring the original's dark humor.

Why I’m Worried About This Remake

Despite my excitement, I can’t shake a few serious concerns about the upcoming horror movie. First, having Jason Reitman as a producer on this project makes me slightly nervous. While Reitman’s involvement undoubtedly brings credibility, I worry that his approach might be a little too respectful of the source material. His recent Ghostbusters sequels, Afterlife, and Frozen Empire, leaned heavily on nostalgia and reverence for the originals. While that works for a franchise like Ghostbusters, though I wasn’t a massive fan of either movie, it’s a different story with Idle Hands. The original wasn’t a blockbuster but a cult classic with an offbeat, dark, and irreverent tone. I worry that Reitman’s style might dampen the edgy, chaotic spirit that made Idle Hands so unique in the first place.

Then there’s the big question: can Finn Wolfhard capture the charisma and goofball energy that Devon Sawa brought to the original? Sawa’s performance as Anton, the stoner with a murderous hand, perfectly balanced humor, horror, and quirky charm. While the Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio star is a strong actor who has been starring in one of the best Netflix shows of all time for nearly a decade, I’m not sure he has the same chaotic energy that Sawa brought to the role. Tackling such an iconic cult character might prove challenging for him, especially since Idle Hands isn’t your typical horror-comedy—it’s a film where slapstick violence, horror, and teenage slacker humor collide in unexpected ways. But, admittedly, I’m excited to see the young star prove me wrong.

While I’m cautiously optimistic about the remake, I’m left with a few big questions. Will the team behind the project be able to bring the right amount of irreverence to the script? Can Reitman resist over-romanticizing the source material? And most importantly, will this new take on capture the wild, unpredictable spirit of the original, or will it play it too safe? Only time will tell.

For now, I’ll keep an open mind, but let’s just say I’m hoping for some serious 90s chaos and edge rather than a nostalgic rehash.

Folks can revisit Finn Wolfhard in the first four seasons of Stranger Things with a Netflix subscription. The upcoming fifth Season of the hit show marks its last, and it's expected to hit the streamer sometime in 2025.

Stranger Things is considered one of the best Netflix shows of all time, and is arguably the flagship series of the entire streaming service. Those with a Netflix subscription have followed for years as the down of Hawkins dealt with the supernatural world of The Upside Down, and are hyped for the show's fifth and final season. Actor Finn Wolfhard revealed that he's trying to avoid "senioritis" on set, and his comments highlight some of the challenges of shows ending.

What we know about Stranger Things Season 5 is very limited, but the stakes for the series have never felt higher. Fans have not-so-patiently been waiting for the final set of episodes, especially after the wild ending of Stranger Things Season 4. Mike himself Finn Wolfhard recently spoke to Us Weekly about his final time filming the show, and explained that there's no "senioritis" for him. As he put it:

Honestly, that makes sense. The cast of Stranger Things have grown up before our eyes, and have been filming the Netflix series on and off since 2015. And since Season 5 will be the final chapter, Wolfhard is being really specific about his work on set. Now give us the episodes, already!

In the same interview, the actor/director also spoke about the scale of the upcoming fifth and final season. And despite "lots of action sequences" he also claims that Season 5 is still "intimate" and character-driven. And fans like myself are absolutely struggling to wait until the final chapter is released to the public.

Narratively, it feels like the final season of Stranger Things could go just about anywhere. The finale of Season 4 saw The Upside Down starting to bleed into Hawkins / "the real world", so the cast's big secret is seemingly about to go public. And given Vecna's fury over his defeat, smart money says Jamie Campbell Bower's villain is going to be out for vengeance.

There are some big questions that fans were left with after Season 4 came to an end. In addition to The Upside Down's invasion, fans were also left wondering if Sadie Sink's Max will end up coming out of her coma. She's a wildly popular character, and fans were distraught after she was killed by Vecna, before being brought back to life by Eleven. Fans have also been waiting for Will's story to play out, including his apparent queerness.

Stranger Things' fifth and final season is expected to air sometime in 2025, but the exact date is currently unclear. For now, check the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

The team behind Stranger Things Season 5 is in the midst of production with the hope of getting the final season of the hit sci-fi series out during the 2025 TV schedule. As the ending nears, the cast has started to reflect on the show's meant to them and what their future looks like without it. While some of the cast are ready to leave their iconic roles behind, others find the ending more bittersweet, like Finn Wolfhard, who is already planning to take a prop or two home with him when filming ends.

While taking props from sets is often frowned upon by production, it hasn’t stopped actors from taking home small mementos in the past -- like the Full House cast. And it’s certainly not going to stop Wolfhard from trying, especially since this is Stranger Things' final season. In an interview with People magazine, the SNL: 1975 actor revealed what he’s hoping to bring home with him to remember his breakout role:

In case you haven’t binge-watched Stranger Things from the beginning in a while, Wolfhard is referring to the game piece from his very first scene on the show. The then-13-year-old sat behind his makeshift Dungeon Master screen, guiding the game for his friends before ruining their mood by presenting the infamous DND monster that became the inspiration for the Upside Down Demogorgon creature hunting the town of Hawkins.

It’s a solid choice that should be easy to sneak out if the It star gets denied the small token by the prop department once filming is finished. In fact, Wolfhard could probably smuggle it out right now, considering that the game piece hasn’t been featured in the show since that first episode. Still, the choice feels a little safe, considering how many amazing props and set design pieces have been used while filming one of the best Netflix shows of all time.

As it turns out, Wolfhard seems to agree because he admitted that the Demogorgon piece is just the beginning of what he hopes to bring home with him when his time as Mike Wheeler is over.

Now, we’re talking! Though they might not scream Stranger Things to a non-fan, the bikes are basically characters in their own right. They’ve been featured in every season and are a major mode of transportation for the young kids and even the teenagers, as we saw in Season 4, Part 1.

Wolfhard might not be able to ride the same one he did during Season 1, given how much older he is now -- a problem the costume department has dealt with, but it would be a great memento to commemorate his time on the hit series. While he didn’t include anything else on his wish list, there’s bound to be a bunch of other things he’s hoping to take from the set — maybe even something specific to Season 5.

While what we know about Season 5 remains limited to behind-the-scenes photos shared by the team, that hasn’t stopped fans from theorizing about what to expect. Hopefully, the wait won’t be too much longer. In fact, some fans are hopeful that this year’s Stranger Things Day will include a teaser trailer for the final season. Until then you can stream the first four seasons with a Netflix subscription now.

SNL fans have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming months. Not only will Season 50 premiere on the 2024 TV schedule, but the sketch comedy series is getting its own biopic! It’s about time the NBC series finally got a movie treatment of its own considering how many films we have based on SNL characters, and the project's cast and crew is excited to celebrate it. So, as Saturday Night’s crew promotes the flick with llama pics, you might be asking- what’s the deal with that? Now seems like the perfect time to tell the story behind the infamous visual gag.

We know Saturday Night is a biopic that follows the events leading up to SNL's first episode, with some favorite cast members and crew from the famed series reenacted by stellar talent like Dylan O’Brien, Cooper Hoffman, Nicholas Braun, Finn Wolfhard, and more. Plus, Juno director Jason Reitman co-wrote and directed the film, and his father Ivan Reitman worked with many former OG SNL cast members.

Many of them celebrated the film with llama picks recently, and I don’t think we all want to wait until the movie premieres in October to understand the connection. So, now seems like a good time to see what the deal is with SNL’s long-running visual gaga.

The Origin Story Behind SNL’s Backstage Llama

If you look back at SNL seasons, and by back, I mean backstage, there are a lot of unusual things you’ll find. How unusual? Saturday Night Live’s production designer Eugene Lee told Vanity Fair what exactly you’ll find when a camera goes behind the scenes:

Seeing this wooly mammal may not have been so apparent looking back at the ‘80s and ‘90s of SNL. Unless, of course, you count a couple of Eric Idle episodes from 1979 and 1980. If anything, you can thank long-running Saturday Night Live cast member Seth Meyers for keeping the gag going since he started as a writer on the Emmy-winning sketch series in 2001. The llama was very prominent in Season 38 when hosts like Martin Short and Kristen Wiig took us backstage. And lo and behold, there was no hiding that adorable animal. 

It’s an incredibly hilarious form of writing to go backstage and see something as random as a llama hiding back there. The only time a llama made an appearance in an actual sketch was when Kevin Hart was a Season 43 host, and a llama played the part of a camel in the “Nativity Play” sketch. At least we know for sure they had one. The visual gag is still ongoing, but Eugene Lee jokingly admitted he had no idea why:

Now we know that a llama is a very important mascot for the SNL cast and crew to have. In the future, we know to look more closely backstage to see if the llama is having some downtime back there.

Saturday Night Promotes New Movie With Some Llama Photos

With the origin of SNL’s llama story clarified, we can see the true significance the mammal plays on set. So, why not commemorate the SNL biopic with some cute llama photos? One of the film’s stars Andrew Barth Feldman sure did in this Instagram photo below of him petting the famed llama:

I can’t get over how cute and calm that llama looks as the No Hard Feelings actor pets him in a hallway. Compared to the llama staying cooped up backstage, Feldman confirms we’ll actually see the furry creature in the movie which is making me all the more excited. Another social media pic from Finn Wolfhard shows this llama is ready for its closeup:

With so many comments asking for this dear llama’s name, it proves the precious animal is getting folks excited about the movie. Just like Pixar has the desk lamp and MGM has the lion as mascots, clearly, the llama is the unlikely furry mascot the sketch comedy series needs. 

Along with the cast, this Instagram post from Saturday Night shows that the llama is ready for their close up:

Even Jason Reitman’s post couldn’t help promoting the mammal's star quality for his project on the 2024 movie schedule. It looks like this llama is gonna need an Instagram page of their own now once the new film releases.

Saturday Night’s promotion has been a series of llama photos to represent the visual backstage running gag that Seth Meyers helped keep going, and we love it! Now, I can’t wait for the upcoming movie to show us the llama, and possibly its origins, when it hits theaters on October 11. Also, while we're on the topic of the legendary sketch comedy series, make sure to add Season 50 to your list of things to watch as it premieres on NBC on September 28. Who knows, maybe we'll see a llama in the hallway?

The Marvel Cinematic Universe just expanded in an exciting way for fans who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order. After a long wait, Deadpool & Wolverine hit theaters and is making serious money at the box office. Lots of fans went to theaters, and it turns out that even the Stranger Things cast totally saw Deadpool 3 on opening wekend. And now I totally wish there’d been a Demogorgon in the void.

Those with a Netflix subscription are not-so-patiently waiting for Stranger Things Season 5 to finally arrive and end the beloved series. Filming is underway, but some of the cast used their time off to support director Shawn Levy's MCU debut. Levy shared a photo of the group on his Instagram Stories, check it out below:

How cute is that? While the entire cast isn't assembled, a number of fan favorites from Hawkins got together to see Deadpool & Wolverine during its first weekend in theaters. And yes, now I kinda want a crossover with the MCU.

In this image we see a number of fan favorites from Stranger Things. Steve Harrington himself Joe Keery is shown with a peace sign, and behind him are the Wheeler siblings Finn Wolfhard and Natalia Dwyer, as well as Noah Schnapp. We'll just have to see how many of their characters end up surviving the show's final season.

A big part of Deadpool & Wolverine's runtime is set in The Void, which is where pruned variants are sent by Loki's Time Variance Authority. We got to see all sorts of characters and places there, so why not throw in a Demogorgon for good measure? I mean, the fans are having a hard enough time waiting for the final season of Stranger Things to finally get here.

While without any ties to Stranger Things (besides Shawn Levy of course), the Deadpool threequel put Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds' faux feud on display, to great results. The movie was filled with laughs, some truly epic action sequences, and (most importantly) heart. And given how wildly successful the blockbuster has been in just a few short days, one has to wonder how the studio will use the two title characters for upcoming Marvel movies.

Shawn Levy has worked on Ryan Reynolds on a number of major films, including The Adam Project and Free Guy. But despite his long career as a producer and filmmaker, he truly became a household name thanks to his contributions to Stranger Things. In addition to being a producer, he's expected to direct at least one episode for the beloved series' final season on the air.

It's currently unclear when the final season of Stranger Things will premiere, but anticipation is at a fever pitch. For now, you can watch Deadpool & Wolverine in theaters, and check the 2025 movie release dates.

The Ghostbusters are back…again. Following a successful return in Ghostbusters: Afterlife the classic is team is here alongside the new generation in a sequel that, based on the critical response, will probably work for anybody who is simply dying for more Ghostbusters movies, but is otherwise weak where it counts. 

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire sees the story pick up from the Ghostbusters: Afterlife ending, with the family played by McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon, and former teacher and not-quite-stepdad Paul Rudd, as the new professional Ghostbusters in New York City. With support from Dan Aykroyd’s Ray and Ernie Hudson’s Winston, the team has a new spiritual threat to deal with when a mystical orb of unknown origin comes into their possession. 

Critical response is not being kind to Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire overall, making it clear this is not the best movie in the franchise. Having said that our own Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire review thinks that the good outweighs the bad, with the new movie a solid balance between the first two movies and the new direction of the last one...

Most would agree that the movie has bright spots here and there, but the things that work in the movie aren’t given enough time to shine thanks to a jumbled script. Fresh Fiction says the movie suffers due to a plot that moves in fits and starts, saying…

If there was a major issue with Ghostbusters: Afterlife, it was the way the movie seemed more homage to the franchise than an actual entry in it. Screen Daily feels that Frozen Empire is much in this same vein, with the new movie focusing on referencing the previous ones, rather than trying to have an identity of its own…

Deadline holds a similar opinion. It points out that what Frozen Empire does have that’s new, some interesting stories from the new characters introduced in Afterlife, is pretty good. The problem is that everything else gets in the way of all that, preventing the good stuff from becoming a bigger part of the story…

This is not to say all critics feel that the bad entirely outweighs the good.  iO9 admits that the movie has a whole host of issues on the story side, but argues that Frozen Empire still has the feeling of being a Ghostbusters movie, such that fans will likely be happy with it… 

In the end, it seems pretty clear that Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has some significant storytelling problems, the question for its potential audience will be whether those issues are significant enough to sink the entire film, or if there might be enough Ghostbusters fun in there to make it a fun good time. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire's release date is this Friday.

Finn Wolfhard might not be the face of Stranger Things in the same way Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven is, but that doesn’t mean his character Mike Wheeler isn’t vital. In fact, he was one of the catalyst characters in the first season who welcomed El in with open arms, and in Season 4 he continued to harness that inspirational leadership quality, encouraging her to keep fighting and defeat Vecna. Now, the actor is opening up about that last season of the show, why it was harder to work on, and how Season 5 will be different.

With Stranger Things Season 5 in production and Wolfhard on a press tour promoting the highly anticipated 2024 movie Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, it’s the perfect time for him to look back on his Stranger Things journey. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he specifically looked back on the filming of Season 4 and how it differed from the prior season of the hit Netflix show. 

Stranger Things superfans will remember that much of the fourth season, especially Volume 2, saw Wolfhard’s Mike Wheeler and several other cast members away from Hawkins and the rest of the Upside Down fighting team. It was the farthest away the characters had been from each other, and by far the most divided since no one knew the full scope of what they were up against. When asked if that isolation was a “bummer at times,” the It actor answered: 

It’s no secret that the sci-fi horror series has a massive cast. It’s a fact that has been scrutinized by fans and the cast (like Brown) several times over the last few years. With that comes the reality that not everyone gets to work together every season, despite the fans (and cast members) desperately wanting to see certain pairings together. It seems like separating the cast the way the Duffer Brothers did in Season 4 had some positive outcomes though according to Wolfhard since he finally got to act opposite Charlie Heaton in a number of scenes. 

Stranger Things has always been praised for its ability to juggle multiple engaging storylines, and the penultimate season was no exception. However, the Hawkins storyline, which left many wondering what’s going to happen to the town and Max Mayfield, as well as if Eddie Munson is really dead, was definitely the strongest of the four stories. It’s where most of the action took place, and it definitely had the highest stakes.

It’s hard for an actor like Wolfhard to know what’s happening with the other storylines when he’s not involved in the scenes, so it’s no surprise the actor-turned-director was intrigued by all the action his fellow castmates were up to. He even went on record saying that the Hawkins storylines were his favorite part of Season 4 after watching the season in its entirety:

With the way Season 4 ended, it’s common sense that the entire gang (minus Argyle who is allegedly not returning) will be united back in Hawkins for one final battle. But it’s reassuring to hear Wolfhard confirm that too. 

I for one can’t wait to see what new conspiracies arise as Hawkins is infiltrated by Upside Down creatures like Demogorgons and Demobats. It’ll also be nice to see everyone back together to explore how their friendships and relationships have changed with each other since Season 1. 

The fifth and final season of Stranger Things is in production, but it will be a while before we get to see the fate of Mike and the rest of the cast. Until then you can revisit the show with a Netflix subscription and stay up to date. And don’t forget to support Wolfhard in his latest project Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire when it hits theaters on March 22nd. 

Between a host of lovable characters, skin-crawling monsters and the mysterious underworld of the Upside Down, Stranger Things is one of the most obsession-worthy shows imaginable for fans of science fiction. As we prepare to say goodbye to one of Netflix’s best creations with Stranger Things Season 5, it’s a great time to show your love of the TV show in your living space (or give a great gift to a fellow fan) with the show’s many available Funko Pops.

Across the four seasons of Stranger Things that have been released thus far, so many iconic character moments and they’ve been immortalized through Funko Pops. If you’re shopping for the best Stranger Things Funkos, look no further to become a master of Pop-pets. 

Eleven With Eggos And Mike With Walkie Talkie (From Season 1) 

Friends don’t lie! Our love of Stranger Things all started back in 2016 when the first season introduced us to Eleven and the gang of friends who help her. Eleven and Mike create a special bond from the start, and those beginnings have been turned into a pair of Funkos you can buy together, because as we know, Eleven and Mike don’t like to be apart for long.

Will The Wise (From Season 3) 

It’s safe to say the Stranger Things boys may not have become the best of friends that they are without the power of Dungeons and Dragons, which they would play every week together before their life kind of became a game of survival on its own. In the spirit of that, a unique Funko to own is this glow in the dark “Will The Wise” figure! 

Hawaiian Shirt Hopper (From Season 3) 

David Harbour’s Jim Hopper is one of the best parts of Stranger Things, between his character arc and funny moments with the cast. His best fit of the series has to be in Season 3 when he rocked a Hawaiian shirt and does some action-packed investigating. Hopper fans will love this find. 

Max with Walkman (From Season 4) 

I don’t think we’ll ever forget the emotional “Running Up That Hill” sequence starring Sadie Sink’s Max in Season 4 of Stranger Things. The moment that made Kate Bush’s ‘80s song go viral decades after its release has been tributed though this Funko Pop. She looks a lot more content as a frozen figure than how she appeared in the show, that’s for sure. 

Joyce with Christmas Lights (From Season 1) 

When we first fell for Stranger Things, Joyce’s sequence with the Christmas Lights in an effort to communicate with Will from the Upside Down was one of those big moments that got us there. This Funko Pop's price has lit up a big higher over the years as it's become more rare, so snatch it up before you have to communicate by otherworldly means to get your own! 

Robin In Scoops Ahoy Outfit (From Season 3) 

It’s hard to believe Maya Hawke’s Robin has only been around for two seasons on Stranger Things, because she’s become a favorite of ours so quickly! While she’s worn a lot of great fits since her introduction, her most identifiable outfit remains from Scoops Ahoy, where she was once a coworker with Steve Harrington at the mall. A lot of mileage comes from that hat font.

Eddie Munson & Dustin With The Demobats (From Season 4) 

The last we saw of the series was the Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 2 ending, where Dustin and Eddie came across some pesky Demobats in the Upside Down and had to fend them off. Ultimately, Eddie fended them off and lost his life saving everyone doing so by playing Metallica’s “Master of the Puppets” on his guitar. Funko made this special set of both Eddie and Dustin coming against the Demobats. It’s a great keepsake for an all-time great moment in the series. 

Steve Harrington with Spiked Baseball Bat (From Season 2) 

I say with confidence that Joe Keery’s Steve Harrington remains the No. 1 heartthrob of Stranger Things in many of our hearts, and him swinging his spiked baseball bat with Demogorgon-destroying rage was most certainly a highlight of the character’s arc on the show thus far. This Funko Pop was a San Diego Comic Con exclusive, so it’s pricer than the others, but we’re not bat-ting any eyelashes at that, since it’s a great figure!  

Alexei with Slurpee (From Season 3) 

Another iconic slice of Season 3 (arguably the most iconic of anything free from danger and romance) was Alexei’s Slurpee moment. The Russian scientist quickly became a beloved character during the 2016 season of the show. Sadly, Alexei did not make it long enough to try new flavors, but this Funko Pop can keep him alive forever. 

Barb (From Season 1) 

The first famed casualty of Stranger Things was Barb. Anyone and everyone who saw Season 1 of Stranger Things needed a few business days (or business years, honestly) to cope with the sudden death of Nancy’s best friend so early in the series. She was gone too soon…but at least the character found justice in Funko form. 

Billy On Halloween (From Season 2) 

No list of ST characters would be complete without the hellacious Billy Hargrove, who first arrived in Season 2. The older step-brother of Max Mayfield was used as a vessel by the Mind Flayer, making him a sizable villain in Stranger Things. Perhaps his most memorable fit was on Halloween when he wore the leather jacket without a shirt. It’s one of the most sought after Funkos as well, given the price tag.  

Black Light Vecna (From Season 4) 

Speaking of villains, the big bad of Stranger Things is Vecna of course. With the release of the fourth season of the series, Funko released a special black light version of Vecna that will add some creepy coolness to whatever space you place it in. Is it Number One? That's up to the buyer.

Camo Lucas (From Season 3)

Caleb McLaughlin’s Lucas Sinclair has had tons of great moments in the series (and plenty of Funko editions as well), but our favorite is this sweet fit he wore in Season 3. As you may recall, Lucas wore the same camo bandana in Season 1, so it was fun to see him bring it back for Season 3 with an upgrade to his ‘80s sense of style. 

Hunter Nancy (Season 4) 

Another OG Stranger Things character to add to your collection is Nancy Wheeler. While there’s many versions of the high schooler in Funko form, we argue the best is from Season 4 when she went into badass mode, gun and all! She might also have the best plastic 'do of anyone.

Jonathan With Camera (Season 1) 

And to finish out our collection of best Funko Pops, check out this Season 1 figure of a glaring Jonathan holding his camera. It’s going for $70 these days because it’s more rare than a lot of other figures, and presumably not because of what's on the camera's film. Treat yourself to Funko treasure! 

As you go down the Funko Pop rabbit hole, check out what movie Funko Pops we cannot believe hasn’t been made yet! You can also catch up on Stranger Things now with a Netflix subscription. 

The fifth and final season of Stranger Things is on the way, and it’s really hard to comprehend the fact that there won’t be more after this. It turns out, the cast is also coping with this realization too, and they’ve been quite open about how they’re feeling. While this cast loves the show, and they have become uber-successful because of it, many of them are also ready to move on to other projects. And like a lot of the fans' feelings about the finale, they all seem to have those bittersweet emotions about one of Netflix’s best shows. With that said, here is what David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown and the cast of the Duffer Brothers' smash hit have to say about their series ending with Season 5. 

David Harbour 

David Harbour has seen some scripts for Season 5, and he’s very excited about the upcoming season. While we all have questions about how Vecna and those pesky demogorgons will impact the series and its end, the actor is aware of how the show is going to finish, and he calls it “moving.” While on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the man behind Hopper said:

Along with these comments, now that the writers’ and actors’ strikes are over, the cast and crew can get back to work. And the Harbour confirmed that they are wasting no time getting Stranger Things Season 5 into production. 

Millie Bobby Brown 

While she loves the show deeply, Millie Bobby Brown is ready for Stranger Things to end. During a conversation with Seventeen, the Eleven actress spoke about the end of this era, saying:

It makes sense that she’s ready to move forward. Between Enola Holmes 3 being in development and her other projects like Damsel, she’s a busy gal. Overall, she’s been clear about her excitement for the other work she’s pursuing along with Stranger Things.

Finn Wolfhard  

While Finn Wolfhard isn’t ready to say goodbye to Mike, he’s very excited to see what happens next. While speaking to Uproxx, the actor shared his thoughts on saying so-long to Hawkins, explaining:

However, while he doesn’t want the show to end, he also knows it’s the right time. He went on to say that if the series continued past Season 5 it would “be ridiculous.” With all that said, he noted that he’s positive the Duffers have figured out “a perfect ending,” and he hopes that it will be “satisfying for fans.” 

Caleb McLaughlin  

Along with joking about what he’d like to see from Lucas in the final season of Stranger Things (it’s him playing more basketball), Caleb McLaughlin has also shared his candid thoughts on the series ending. As he reflected on growing up on the show, he told Collider:

His comments are so sweet, and it turns out the majority of the original cast feels this way about the show ending.  

Noah Schnapp 

Noah Schnapp was 10 when he started working on Stranger Things, and like all the kids, he’s literally grown up on this show. Thinking about that fact, the Will actor reflected on the end, and how he’ll feel when the final “cut” is called, telling Collider:

Over the years, we’ve seen both Will and Schnapp grow so much, and we can’t wait to see how they evolve during Season 5. 

Gaten Matarazzo 

Gaten Matarazzo, who plays the beloved Dustin, spoke eloquently about the show coming to a close when he appeared on The Tonight Show in March. Speaking to Jimmy Fallon, the young actor explained:

I totally get where Matarazzo is coming from. The Stranger Things cast makes a lot of money, and this show has provided a lot of stability for them throughout the years. Moving forward must be a bit scary. 

He also said that while he doesn’t know how Dustin’s story will end, he trusts the Duffer brothers completely. Speaking about how he’d like to see the show wrap up, he said:

I hope that Dustin and the crew get this kind of ending too; they deserve it!

Sadie Sink 

Considering Max’s state at the end of Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 2, it’s unclear what kind of role Sadie Sink will play in the upcoming episodes. However, according to a statement she made on Today, even though she has “no idea what is going to happen,” she’ll “be there.” Continuing to speak about the show, the actress said:

While Max wasn't introduced until Season 2, she quickly became an essential part of the family. And like Sink, I think we’ll all be sad to say goodbye to her and the Stranger Things family. 

Joe Keery 

Like most of this cast, Joe Keery, who plays the adored Steve Harrington, sees this as a bittersweet situation. While he’s ready to move forward, it’s also sad to say goodbye to a show that made such a big impact on his life. He told WWD: 

Overall, Keery’s comments seem to sum up the general consensus among the cast. There’s no question that Stranger Things is special, and it’s had an immensely positive impact on this cast and pop culture as a whole. However, all good things must come to an end, and why not go out on top?

Now that the actors’ strike is over, Stranger Things Season 5 should get going, and hopefully, it will hit Netflix in the next year or two. We here at CinemaBlend will be sure to keep you posted on everything regarding the final season of this gargantuan hit -- from the actors’ sweet comments about it coming to a close to the wild theories surrounding the folks of Hawkins and the Upsidedown. In the meantime, you can mentally prepare for the final season by streaming the legendary show with a Netflix subscription. 

Warning: slight spoilers for Scott Pilgrim Takes Off are in play. If you haven’t watched the Netflix limited series yet, you’ve been warned. 

People with a Netflix subscription have been able to dig into the eight-episode run of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off for over a week now. Between a wide range of reactions and a secretly spoilery title, there’s also a lot of cameos in creators Bryan Lee O’Malley and BenDavid Grabinski’s new series that need to be discussed. Especially when one of those moments was shared by Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard as a “childhood dream” come true!

Why Finn Wolfhard’s Scott Pilgrim Cameo Was A Childhood Dream

The young actor took to Instagram recently to celebrate the fact that he actually plays a role in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’s companion series, which debuted on 2023’s TV schedule. As you’re able to see and read blow, Mr. Wolfhard is a fan of Edgar Wright’s film himself, which inspired this story: 

Finn Wolfhard, who can also be seen in the first trailer for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, isn’t alone with his fandom for all things Scott Pilgrim. But what makes things truly adorable is the fact that the Stranger Things star held a special place in his heart for this picture since his younger years. Hearing his voice among returning cast members like Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead means more than just streaming network synergy.

Where You Can Find Finn Wolfhard In Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

So in case you haven’t watched or experienced Scott Pilgrim Takes Off just yet, a slight spoiler warning is in play. But if you’ve seen this original series that’s new on Netflix, and you missed Finn Wolfhard’s cameo, here’s the exact spot you can find it. Keep in mind, what we’re about to share applies only to the cast of the English-language version.

In episode 3, “Ramona Rents a Video,” Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Kim Pine (Allison Pill) share a moment where Kim fills her in on her backstory with Scott (Michael Cera). Flashing back to their teenage years in school, and in their brief relationship, Teen Scott (Finn Wolfhard) cracks a joke about drawing maps and sheep. 

It’s a cute moment, and it’s where Scott Pilgrim Takes Off gets to show off its Stranger Things cast member cameo. It's also a moment of uncanny vocal resemblance, as most could be fooled into thinking that Michael Cera was still providing the voice work for this scene. 

As fans all over are enjoying Scott Pilgrim’s precious but massive resurgence, every cameo, easter egg, and reference will be pored over. One talking point will have to be Finn Wolfhard, his teenage dream, and how it helps this brand new enterprise really take off. 

If you’re ready for the entirety of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, you can head to Netflix and binge the entire tale right now! At the time of publication, you’re also able to catch Scott Pilgrim vs. The World on that very same platform.

The streaming wars have been in full force for years now, and every service has a handful of megahits that are used to get subscribers. For Netflix, the biggest hit show continues to be The Duffer Brothers’ Stranger Things. Each installment breaks the internet, and there’s just one more season left. Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard aka Mike Wheeler revealed his feelings about the Netflix hit ending, and what he wants to see in Season 2.

It’s almost hard to believe it, but the first season of Stranger Things was made available with a Netflix subscription back in 2016. The young cast have grown up in front of our eyes, and the fifth season will end the beloved series for good. Finn Wolfhard spoke to Uproxx about the show ending, and asked if he was ready to say goodbye to Hawkins. The 20 year-old actor responded honestly, saying:

Honestly, same. Stranger Things’ Season 4 finale left us with a huge cliffhanger, as the barriers between Hawkins and the Upside Down are seemingly breaking for good. The wait in between chapters is usually painful for fans, but that sentiment is seemingly echoed by even cast members like Wolfhard. We’ll just have to wait and see how far back Stranger Things 5 will ultimately be, especially as the writer's strike continues on.

It was no doubt a wild experience growing up on TV, especially in a widely popular show like Stranger Things. The show was a star-making moment for its young cast, with actors like Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard keeping busy in a number of high profile projects. For the latter, he was seen in projects like IT and The Goldfinch. And as he mentioned, he and his Stranger Things co-stars can move to the next stage of their lives after Season 5 is released.

Later in that same interview, Wolfhard explained how five seasons is the perfect amount of time for the beloved sci-fi series to stay on the air. Although the franchise itself will be expanding with Stranger Things spinoffs, the main story will get a concrete end. Mike himself approves of this choice, sharing:

Suddenly the wait for Stranger Things’ return feels even more painful. There are countless questions about what will come in the final eight episodes, and exactly how the story will end for the beloved cast of characters. For his part, Finn Wolfhard would like for the story to get a bit more intimate, while also rolling with the high stakes that came with Season 4’s cliffhanger ending.

The cast of Stranger Things finally united in its final moments, and I’m hoping that Season 5 will feature more of them as a group, rather than spread out among various stories. We’ve only got a handful of episodes left, and I want to see the whole group united against Vecna and the insidious forces of The Upside Down. Then there’s the fate of Sadie Sink’s Max, who the fans are rooting for.

It’s currently unclear when Stranger Things 5 will finally hit Netflix. In the meantime, check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

Last year was a big one for everyone with a Netflix subscription. After waiting a whopping three years, we finally got to enjoy all that Stranger Things Season 4 had to offer, and, boy howdy, it offered a lot. It was a season like no other, bringing us an impressively terrifying new villain in Vecna, and the near destruction of Hawkins, IN in the finale, which were all perfect ways to lead fans right into the final installment, Stranger Things Season 5. Now, star Finn Wolfhard has touched on his hopes for Mike’s fate, and what he thinks his co-stars, including David Harbour, will be doing in the future.

What Did Finn Wolfhard Say About Mike’s Stranger Things Fate?

Though the fifth season of the sci-fi mega hit gave viewers several standout characters, some of whom were new to the series (R.I.P. and rock on, Eddie Munson), we will always want our core group of teens and adults to succeed and somehow live on after each increasingly dangerous battle with the Upside Down and its many disgusting denizens. So far, Mike has come out of each season relatively unscathed, and while doing an Actually Me interview for GQ, his portrayer was asked if he thought the D&D-loving lad might actually die in Season 5. Wolfhard replied: 

OK, as far as we know, the Duffer brothers are still writing the last season of the show, so it’s completely understandable that the Ghostbusters: Afterlife star would put in a request that his character either survive the final fight, or go out as a miraculous hero. Of course, even if the plan is to have Mike die after saving everyone, I’m sure that would be a bittersweet way to end his time on the show, as is evidenced by Wolfhard’s “maybe” after posing the idea of Mike’s heroics. He continued:

I think it’s probably incredibly unlikely that Mike will die so early in the next season that Wolfhard will have little to do on the show, even if we do see the teenager’s demise later on. I mean, even Dr. Brenner got a send-off befitting his character’s importance to the show and Eleven, why wouldn’t Mike, as well?

What Did Finn Wolfhard Say About David Harbour?

The actor had plenty of other questions from fans on the internet to answer, including one about his career predictions for his co-stars. He revealed that he thinks Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas) is likely to become a “great businessman” or “restauranteur” along with being “an incredible dramatic actor,” while he sees Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin) as “an unbelievable character actor...on Broadway.” As for David Harbour, who has shined every season as the gruff, lovable (now former) police chief Jim Hopper, he has something very different in mind:

Wow. Obviously, I don’t know Harbour at all, but I don’t see him as a hermit-in-the-woods kinda guy, unlike Hopper, who (if he didn’t have his job, anyway) basically was that man in the first season. I mean, just look at where the Black Widow and Hellboy actor lives now:

Mr. Wolfhard, sir? No man who’s that excited about a kitchen chandelier and his “bed womb” (Thanks for that, Lily Allen!) is going to retire to the woods and never speak to anyone again. OK?

At any rate, we still have quite a wait ahead of us to see what becomes of Mike, El, Hopper, and all the rest of the gang in Stranger Things Season 5, but you can always relive the adventure so far on Netflix. 

Throughout Stranger Things, and specifically during the latest season, fans have been speculating that Will Byers is gay, and they desperately want him to be with Mike, who he clearly is crushing on – a fact that was made abundantly clear during at the end of Season 4 Vol. 2. Following the latest season of the Netflix hit, and the discourse surrounding Will, the actor behind him, Noah Schnapp came out as gay on TikTok, and now, Finn Wolfhard to plays Mike, is talking about his co-star’s announcement and the future of their characters on the hit sci-fi series.

While talking with IndieWire, Wolfhard was asked about Schnapp’s light-hearted and heartfelt coming-out video. The actor was 100% supportive of his long-time co-star and is super proud. He said:

It's so sweet to see Wolfhard supporting his friend and co-star. Along with him, many fans of the show have also shown their love for Schnapp, and are even more passionate about Will finally getting a queer love story.

Last summer, right when Season 4 dropped, Stranger Things EP Shawn Levy commented, sort of, on Will’s sexuality, saying if viewers noticed “bread crumbs of plot and character,” in Vol. 1 of Season 4, “it’s probably no accident.” So, hopefully, we’ll finally see Will find love in the show’s fifth and final season.   

On this subject, Wolfhard discussed the future of Mike and Will on Stranger Things, saying:

Me too, Finn, me too. I also hope Will gets his happy ending, and Mike too…who knows maybe their happy ending will be together? I personally would love that. 

While Wolfhard’s answer didn’t give us much insight into if Will and Mike will end up together, it’s nice to see the actor hopeful about the characters’ futures, and confident that his character will be accepting of Will. 

Along with Wolfhard, Schnapp has been open about his character’s identity and storyline. The actor behind Will explained that he thought his character’s story was “beautifully addressed,” and he was thrilled with how it turned out. 

I’m so happy that both actors are excited about Will’s storyline, and are hopeful that he’ll get a happy ending in Season 5. I also appreciate Wolfhard’s acknowledgment of how “clueless” Mike was last season, hopefully, he’ll come to his senses, and be totally accepting of his friend come the new season of Stranger Things. 

Sadly, we’ll have to wait a while for Stranger Things' fifth and final season, however, you can go back and watch the first four seasons of the series with a Netflix subscription.

One of the many things Millie Bobby Brown and Sadie Sink have in common, other than getting recognition from Stranger Things, was experiencing their first kisses on the set of the hit Netflix series. The show’s second season may have been a real thriller seeing Will after being taken over by the Mindflayer, but we experienced heartwarming moments too, like the Snow Ball scene that ended in two on-screen kisses. After Millie Bobby Brown spoke about her on-screen kiss with Finn Wolfhard, Sadie Sink is now speaking honestly about her first on-screen kiss with Caleb McLaughlin.

Having your first kiss can be excruciating on set when you have a whole camera crew watching. Sadie Sink received her first on-camera smooch in the season two finale of Stranger Things when her character Max kisses Lucas played by Caleb McLaughlin. In an interview with W Magazine, Sink spoke about what that kiss was like. 

It’s good that she doesn’t cringe when she thinks about her first kiss. Part of growing up is realizing that not every kiss you have when you’re younger needs to be perfect. After the kiss scene premiered, Sadie Sink’s kiss scene actually got a controversial reaction when, according to Bustle, it was revealed in an episode of Beyond Stranger Things that the Duffer Brothers joked about making her kiss McLaughlin which “freaked her out.” Apparently, the kiss scene was brought in spontaneously by the Duffer Brothers which made her nervous. Fans were outraged thinking this filmmaking duo forced a teen girl to kiss somebody. However, The Whale actress has clarified that the Duffer Brothers didn’t force her to do anything and understood why it was important for the Snow Ball scene to feature Max and Lucas’ first kiss.

Millie Bobby Brown’s first kiss was also on the set of Stranger Things with Finn Wolfhard. A lot of Eleven’s greatest moments have had to do with Mike like when she saved him from falling off a cliff in season one and their Snow Ball dance after being apart for over a year. But, the Emmy-nominated actress has received controversy with fans for saying on Vanity Fair that Wolfhard was a “lousy kisser” and hasn’t improved since. 

Thankfully, the Ghostbusters: Afterlife actor was not offended by this as he said he understood from her perspective. Brown was a young girl having her first kiss ever on camera with everyone watching. Plus, it doesn’t help that the first time they kissed, he said practically “head-butted her.” Kissing may not be their favorite activity together, but they both have excellent on-screen chemistry. They’re a dynamic duo we can’t get enough of as Mike is the brains while Eleven is the telekinetic muscle of the group.

It’s safe to say that Sadie Sink and Millie Bobby Brown have both had their share of awkward first kisses with their co-stars while on Stranger Things. The final arc has been compared to other seasons as having a little bit of everything from each season. So hopefully amidst fighting monsters, we can still see some budding romance in there. You can watch all four seasons of the series on your Netflix subscription to get caught up before Stranger Things Season 5 premieres in the near future.

As fans of Stranger Things prepare for the end of the Netflix hit, some of the cast have been busy promoting other projects. Though at the same time, they've still been talking about the popular sci-fi series during interviews. It was during this stretch of time that Millie Bobby Brown declared that co-star Finn Wolfhard is a "lousy" kisser and, now, the actor has responded to that claim with some honest thoughts.

Millie Bobby Brown participated in Vanity Fair’s much-beloved “Lie Detector Test” segment, in which she was asked about kissing Finn Wolfhard, and she didn't hold back with her sentiments. She admitted that he was a lousy kisser and hasn’t improved all that much. Wolfhard recently appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show, and that exact topic was brought up. Funny enough, the young actor didn’t take the comments to heart and provided a detailed description of his and Brown's painfully awkward first kiss on set:

Kissing on-screen definitely seems like a stressful thing, especially if you’re young and are doing it for the very first time. It’s nice to know that Finn Wolfhard doesn’t mind the comments his on-screen girlfriend shared. Though I wonder if they’ll discuss the matter at any point prior to filming Stranger Things Season 5.

Eleven has had some great moments over the past four seasons, and some of them involve boyfriend Mike. Although their relationship was a bit on the rocks in Season 4, they seemed to be closer than ever when fans last saw them. Of course, there's still the question of whether or not the two characters will be together by the series finale.

Aside from Finn Wolfhard’s kissing skills, Millie Bobby Brown has been spilling the tea on a number of topics related to the series. She’s also admitted that she doesn’t like waffles (as her character does) and also shed light on how the crew is able to work around this during production. When it comes to locking lips, you have to wonder whether Wolfhard has ever kissed Brown while her breath has smelled of Eggos. That certainly be something for the actor to joke about himself.

As for the upcoming final season, not much is known about what the series co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer have planned. Millie Bobby Brown likes the idea of a musical ending for the Netflix show, while co-star Maya Hawke admitted she wouldn’t mind if her character, Robin, died. Fans are likely still mourning previous deaths on Stranger Things, but there's likely more heartbreak on the way. If we're lucky, this whole saga ends with a sweet kiss shared between Mike and Eleven -- one that's not "lousy" for either of the stars playing the roles.

Stream the first four seasons of Stranger Things using a Netflix subscription! Also, check out the Netflix TV schedule to see what’s coming to the platform this year.

Taking the world by storm last fall, co-writer/director Jason Reitman’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife reignited the legacy franchise through a successful new movie release. With talented young leads like McKenna Grace and Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard representing the next generation of paranormal investigators, parents and children alike could share the enthusiasm for the next chapter of this surprise 2021 box office hit. 

Much as the world is waiting for the sequel to Afterlife, Wolfhard himself is excited to return to his character of Trevor Spengler in this still mysterious follow-up. Speaking with the actor during the press rounds for Netflix’s Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, the sequel codenamed “Firehouse” came up in conversation. While he couldn’t give too many details, Finn Wolfhard did share with CinemaBlend why he was so excited to get back to busting: 

As we saw through Ghostbusters: Afterlife’s ending, the famed firm of haunted hunting was on the rise yet again. With Trevor, his sister Phoebe (McKenna Grace) and some friends they made along the way, the family legacy of ghostbusting had been passed onto the next generation. Though tears were shed, hope bloomed as another warning of impending danger closed out Reitman's big legacy-quel.

Finn Wolfhard’s excitement for the next Ghostbusters movie is even more palpable when taking into account the fact that the young man will be hard at work on the final season of Stranger Things. As he's no stranger to weird happenings from beyond the veil, one could see working on both projects as business as usual. 

While we don’t know much about how much Trevor has grown since the events of Afterlife, we do know that director Gil Kenan will be leading the charge on this new Ghostbusters project. How much Finn Wolfhard knows is a mystery, but apparently he knows all he needs to in order to be ready to once again sling a neutron wand in service of saving the world. 

The differences between Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Stranger Things can be parsed out even finer once this sequel is released. As the officially-untitled sequel known as “Firehouse” won’t be in theaters until the December portion of 2023’s new releases schedule, that’s quite a bit of time on the hands of moviegoers. It's a wait fans are used to by now, but will accept easier through enthusiasm such as that displayed above. 

In the meantime, you can catch Finn Wolfhard, as well as the rest of the voice cast of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, through both theatrical and streaming release. If you can’t find a theater near you running the picture, you can use your Netflix subscription to enjoy this animated delight. 

Every once in a while, there comes a movie I am so hyped for that I literally count down the days until it gets here. For a long time, it was the Harry Potter series. Then I started to convert that energy to movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But as I’ve gotten older, I also have that same energy for a certain filmmaker whenever he releases a new project, and that’s Guillermo del Toro. 

A master of fantasy and horror, del Toro is one of my idols in the movie world, and someone I truly look up to in terms of what I believe is a great moviemaker. And now, he’s coming out with a new film on Netflix, his adaptation of Pinocchio that he’s been working on for years. And let me tell you – the cast is stacked. 

From people who have appeared in several del Toro movies before, to brand new actors, here is where you might have seen (or heard) the Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio cast before. 

Ewan McGregor - Sebastion J. Cricket

First up on the list, we have Ewan McGregor, who plays Sebastian J. Cricket in Pinocchio, and McGregor has been around in the business for years. Most people might know McGregor from his role as Obi-Wan in the Star Wars franchise, a role he reprised in 2022 in the Disney+ original series, Obi-Wan Kebobi, but McGregor has done so much more in the world of movies and television that you might know. 

For example, McGregor has an amazing voice, and he performed in the movie musical Moulin Rouge!. He’s also appeared in many other films, including Big Fish, Trainspotting (and its sequel), Black Hawk Down, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, The Ghost Writer, Angels and Demons, Christopher Robin, and more. He was also in Birds of Prey, as well as the Stephen King adaptation, Doctor Sleep. In terms of voice-acting, he played Lumiere in the 2017 live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, and was the main protagonist in the film, Robots. 

McGregor hasn’t done as much on television, but his starring roles are significant. He played two of the main characters in the third season of Fargo, and starred in Halston, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award. 

David Bradley - Geppetto

Gepetto is the man, the myth, the legend in Pinocchio who creates the titular boy, and he is voiced by David Bradley. Another of Hollywood's familiar faces, Bradley has been around in the industry for a long time. Some of his biggest roles include playing Filch in the Harry Potter franchise, as well as Lord Walder Frey in Game of Thrones, but he’s done so much more. 

Some of his biggest movies include The Intended, Harry Brown, The Young Messiah, Jolt, and others. In television, he worked with del Toro before in the animated series Tales of Arcadia, but has appeared in many other shows, like The Strain, Mount Pleasant, After Life, and Thieves Like Us, among other guest appearances. 

Gregory Mann - Pinocchio And Carlo

Of course, we have to have Pinocchio in Pinocchio, and he is voiced by Gregory Mann, who also voices Carlo in Pinocchio. Gregory Mann is a relative newcomer to Hollywood, with his only credit thus far being in the 2019 version of Cats, but I’m sure that as time goes on, you’ll get to see him more and more. 

Burn Gorman - Priest

Moving on, we take a look at Burn Gorman, who plays Priest in Pinocchio. Like many of the cast members on this list, he has been in many movies and TV shows – and has worked with Guillermo del Toro in the past. Gorman was a part of the Pacific Rim movies, and had a role in Crimson Peak. Some of his other films that you might have seen him in include The Dark Knight Rises, Fred Claus, Watcher, Enola Holmes, and Imperium. 

Gorman has also had a very recognizable career in television, appearing in shows such as Torchwood, Turn: Washington’s Spies on AMC, as well as The Man in the High Castle on Amazon. He also appeared in the Halo series on Paramount, was a part of The Offer cast, and was in The Expanse. Truly, all over the map, this one. 

Ron Perlman - Podesta

Next up is Ron Perlman, who plays Podesta in Pinocchio. Perlman is another actor who has done so much in the world of movies and TV, but he’s also a really good voice actor, too - with almost too many roles to even talk about. My personal favorite is when he voiced the Stabbington brothers in Tangled. 

Other than that, Perlman has made a lot of films. Some of his biggest roles are in the 2021 movie, Don’t Look Up, Drive, the Hellboy films, Alien: Resurrection, Quest for Fire, and several more. Perlman is also a frequent collaborator with del Toro, and has appeared in many of his movies, including Cronos, Blade II, Nightmare Alley, and Pacific Rim. 

In television, he had a main role in the Beauty and the Beast TV series, and was a big character on the popular FX drama, Sons of Anarchy. 

John Turturro - Doctore

Moving on, we take a look at John Turturro, who voices Doctore in Pinocchio. Another major player in the world of Hollywood, Turturro has appeared in many movies, including Do The Right Thing, Five Corners, The Big Lebowski, The Jesus Rolls, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the Transformers film series, and even 2022’s The Batman. 

In terms of television, most recently, Turturro took a role on the popular Apple TV+ series, Severance, but has appeared in many other shows including Monk, The Night Of and The Plot Against America. 

Finn Wolfhard - Candlewick

Candlewick in Pinocchio is played by Finn Wolfhard, someone who really got his start in Hollywood by playing Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things, a role he has continued to play to this day and will continue to do so in Season 5 of the show. However, Wolfhard has also appeared in several movies during his career so far, including the IT films, The Goldfinch, Ghostbusters: Afterlife (which is getting a sequel) and The Addams Family animated film. His career is still so new – but I’m sure we’ll be seeing a whole lot more of him as time goes on. 

Cate Blanchett - Spazzatura

Another star on this list, Cate Blanchett voices Spazzatura in Pinocchio. I could go on for hours about Blanchett and how brilliant of an actress she is, but we’ll be swift and say that she’s appeared in many amazing movies. For a highlight of what she’s done and what you might have seen her in, she was in The Lord of the Rings franchise as Galadriel, Elizabeth and its sequel, Hamlet, The Aviator, Blue Jasmine, Carol, Notes On A Scandal, and so many others. 

Blanchett also voiced a main character in the How To Train Your Dragon franchise, and was a part of many other recent films, too, such as Nightmare Alley, Cinderella, Ocean’s 8, and Thor: Ragnarok, where she played Hela, Thor’s sister. 

The actress has also appeared in a few television shows as well, such as Heartland, Stateless, and the miniseries, Mrs. America, but movies are where she frequently shines. And, I can’t wait to see what she does with this role. 

Tim Blake Nelson - Black Rabbits

Tim Blake Nelson voices Black Rabbits in Pinocchio, and Nelson has been in the business for some time. He’s worked on many films including Minority Report, Lincoln, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Syriana, Old Henry, and, like many others on this list, Nightmare Alley. And that’s just a highlight of some of his best. 

Nelson has also done some work in television. Most recently, in 2022, he was a part of the cast for Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, but he’s also worked on shows such as Watchmen and Lost Ollie. 

Christoph Waltz - Count Volpe

Christoph Waltz is a name I’m sure many of us are familiar with, since he’s such an amazing actor, and of course, he’s voicing Count Volpe in Pinocchio. Waltz has done so much in the industry. He’s primarily known for his breakout role in the Quentin Tarantino film, Inglorious Bastards, but has appeared in many other movies, including Django Unchained, Carnage, The French Dispatch, Spectre, and No Time To Die. He was also in Downsizing. 

Waltz has also done some work in television as well. While he primarily appeared on German television shows for many years, he’s also had guest appearances on American shows like Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, and had a role in Most Dangerous Game. 

Tilda Swinton - Wood Sprite And Death 

Last but not least, we have Tilda Swinton, who voices both the Wood Sprite and Death in Pinocchio. Swinton is certainly a star of Hollywood, and has appeared in many, many films where you might have seen her. Some of her best include Orlando, Caravaggio, The Last of England, War Requiem, Young Adam, Julia, Constantine, We Need To Talk About Kevin, The Chronicles of Narnia series, and so many more. 

She’s also appeared in several Wes Anderson movies, including The Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch, and Moonrise Kingdom. She also portrayed the Ancient One in Doctor Strange and Avengers: Endgame. In television, she’s had guest appearances on shows such as What We Do In The Shadows, Getting On, and What If…?

Truly, a cast of stars is here and they are bringing it in Pinocchio. And who knows? You just might have found a new show or movie to fixate on starring these incredible actors. So many amazing projects to pick from – where will you start? 

There have been some amazing stop-motion animated movies released while I have been alive on this earth. And now, a master of horror and fantasy is going to be adding his own to the mix in the form of Pinocchio. That’s right, Guillermo del Toro’s vision of the famous fairytale is finally going to be coming to life soon on Netflix as part of the 2022 movie schedule.

But with more news coming out about this film, one might be wondering who's in the cast, or what the story will be about. Look no further, because we have some quick things about the upcoming Netflix movie that you’ll want to know as soon as possible, starting with when we'll see Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio. 

Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio Will Release In December 2022 On Netflix

It feels like this film has been in development for forever, but fortunately, we have some news on when this movie will debut. According to a new trailer that was released in July 2022, the new Pinocchio film directed by Guillermo del Toro will release in select theaters in November 2022, and release on Netflix in December. 

While there is no specific date of when in December, we can at least be thankful that this can be added to the 2022 Netflix movies, and it's surely one to look out for. 

Pinocchio Has A Star-Studded Cast Including Ewan McGregor, Finn Wolfhard, And More

If you’ve already watched the trailer at this point – and if you haven’t, you’ll find it below – you might have recognized that familiar voice behind Sebastian J. Cricket. That’s right, it’s Ewan McGregor who plays the little voice of wisdom for Pinocchio in the movie. And featured in the trailer are several other stars whose voices you may recognize. 

The Pinocchio cast list is stacked with stars. According to Deadline, several big names have signed on to the stop motion film, such as David Bradley (from the Game of Thrones cast) as Gepetto, Finn Wolfhard (who was recently in Ghostbusters: Afterlife in 2021) as Lampwick, Cate Blanchett (who was a part of the Don’t Look Up cast in 2021) as Sprezzatura the Monkey, Tilda Swinton as the Fairy with Turquoise Hair, John Turturro as Master Cherry, Christoph Waltz as the Fox, and more. 

You might be wondering who might be playing the titular character, and that’s newcomer Gregory Mann, per the Deadline article. The little boy will have his first big role in Hollywood voicing Pinocchio. 

With a cast list like this, and a great production team behind the scenes, how can this movie not be amazing?

Del Toro Is Teaming Up With Mark Gustafson To Direct Pinocchio 

While many know who Guillermo del Toro is thanks to some of his big-time hits, such as the dark fantasy movie, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, Hellboy and more, he's teaming up with a big-shot in animation to see that Pinocchio is done right, and his partner is Mark Gustafson. 

Gustafson, who has worked for a long time in the animation industry, is most known for being the animation director of Fantastic Mr. Fox, another fun stop-motion animation movie with an amazing cast. 

This partnership has been one that has been going on for some time - dating all the way back to 2012, per IndieWire - so here’s hoping that he and del Toro are going to bring this wonderful fairy tale to life perfectly. 

Alexandre Desplat Will Write The Score For Pinocchio

That name might sound quite familiar to you. Pinocchio already has an amazing cast, and some awesome people behind the scenes. All it really needed was a brilliant composer, and del Toro got that in the form of Alexandre Desplat. 

Desplat has written the scores to some very famous movies. Two of his best, written for The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Shape of Water (which del Toro directed as well) won him the Academy Award for Best Score, but he’s written the music for many films that you might recall. 

Some of his most notable scores include Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Parts 1 & 2, The Golden Compass, Rise of the Guardians, Zero Dark Thirty, Isle of Dogs, Moonrise Kingdom, The King’s Speech, and most recently, the latest addition to Wes Anderson’s films, The French Dispatch. 

Truly, he’s a pro at what he does, and as someone who loves many of his scores (I still cry when listening to "Severus and Lily" from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2), I can’t wait to see what he produces for his second collaboration with Guillermo del Toro. 

Pinocchio Will Be A Stop-Motion Adaptation Of The Classic Fairytale

Disney+ is also working on a new adaptation of the fairytale, but the streaming platform’s upcoming Pinocchio will be live-action, starring Tom Hanks and several other stars. As mentioned earlier here, Pinocchio is going to be a stop-motion animated movie. 

This means that it will join the ranks of other famous stop-motion movies such as Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Corpse Bride, and more. I’ve always been a huge fan of this style of animation, so to see something like Pinocchio use the technique is so cool. 

According to the movie’s description, the main premise of this version of the story is that it will follow the titular character, Pinocchio, as he searches for his place in the world, taking him on a wild adventure.  

Del Toro Compares His Version Of Pinocchio To That Of Frankenstein 

While the premise of this movie is already interesting enough, del Toro, in an interview with Collider, said that he compares his version of Pinocchio to that of the classic monster movie, Frankenstein, and noted it’s always been a passion project of his: 

When the film was still in production, Del Toro spoke passionately about what he was making: 

And now, with the latest trailer already out, it’s looking like we’re going to get to see his version of the fairytale soon enough. Can I make a deal with God and just wish for December to come quicker? I need to see this movie sooner. Where’s my time machine?

Watch The Trailer For Pinocchio!

If you haven’t seen the trailer for Pinocchio yet, be sure to check it out down below:  

Which part of this movie are you excited for the most? I know that as soon as it’s available to watch, I’m going to stream it, and probably love the heck out of it. But until then, I must be patient.  

Spoiler Alert: The article below contains details pertaining to events from Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 1. If you’re not caught up on the series through the first part of Season 4, read on at your own risk. 

Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 1 premiered in May 2022 and quickly broke Netflix records in terms of viewership as the first seven episodes raked up 286,790,000 hours of viewing during a three-day period. The first chunk of episodes, which featured several all-stars (both newcomers and longtime fan-favorites) taking on perhaps their most diabolical enemy yet, came to an end with those very same characters stuck in some rather perilous situations. But we don’t have to wait all that much longer to see how things shake out for Eleven, Eddie, Hopper, and the rest of the characters.

In no time at all, we’ll be crowded around our TVs, computers, phones, and every other device that allows for a Netflix subscription to surely break even more records with the second half of the latest chapter of the Duffer Brothers’ beloved sci-fi series. Here is everything we know about Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2…

Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2 Premieres July 1

The first three seasons of Stranger Things premiered in full in July 2016, October 2017, and July 2019, respectively, but the show’s fourth season was split up into two parts. The first seven episodes, aka Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 1, debuted on Memorial Day weekend in May 2022, with the final episodes coming later in the summer. 

Those two final episodes are set to premiere and conclude this chapter of the beloved series on Friday, July 1. But fans of the series shouldn’t feel like they’re getting a raw deal because those final two installments, aka Volume 2, are going to be much longer than just about anything that has come before.

Both Remaining Episodes Are Feature Length

According to Netflix’s official fandom site Tudum, Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2 will clock in at around four hours in length. The penultimate episode, titled “Chapter Eight: Papa” is 1 hour, 25 minutes in length, while the season finale is almost two-and-a-half hours in length, the longest episode the series has featured so far.

“Chaos” Is Coming

The Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 1 ending left Hawkins’ heroes (both in the cursed Indiana city and elsewhere) preparing for their biggest fight yet, a battle of good against evil that will continue when the chaotic final two episodes debut on July 1. When speaking with TV Line, co-creator Matt Duffer revealed that Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2 quoted Joseph Quinn (who portrays Eddie Munson) by describing the final episodes as a “mad symphony of chaos.”

The Stranger Things Season 4 Cast Includes Returning Stars And New Additions

When the show returned in May 2022, the Stranger Things cast included 15 new characters, with Joseph Quinn’s Eddie Munson, the leader of the Hellfire Club, Thomas Wlaschiha’s Dmitri, and Eduardo Franco’s Argyle quickly becoming fan-favorites. And how could we forget Robert Englund in one of his most tormenting roles yet as convicted murderer Victor Creel or Jamie Campbell Bower as the mysterious Rainbow Room orderly Peter Ballard?

Those new additions joined Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Noah Schnapp, Natalia Dyer, Caleb McLaughlin, Joe Keery, Charlie Heaton, Sadie Sink, Maya Hawke, Brett Gelman and Priah Ferguson as the first seven episodes of Stranger Things Season 4 carried out.

The Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2 Trailer Teases A Final Showdown With Vecna

Ahead of the release of Stranger Things Season 4, Netflix released multiple teaser trailers showcasing the show’s new locations (sunny California, the Russian prison camp, the haunted Creel house, etc.) with a mixture of tones and imagery. The teaser trailer for Volume 2, however, is straight up horror in its brief display of what’s to come for Eleven, the Hellfire Club, and Hopper and company behind the Iron Curtain. The short video also teases an ultimate showdown with Vecna, who says he has been “freed” by Eleven. Check it out below:

The short video doesn’t offer much in terms of information about what will happen in the final two episodes of Stranger Things Season 4, but it does look like we’re about to see one massive assault from all sides…

Hawkins, Indiana Isn’t The Only Setting In Stranger Things Season 4

The majority of the first three seasons of Stranger Things took place in the confines of Hawkins, Indiana, but the fourth installment in the Netflix series gave its characters a much larger playground to explore. 

Over the course of the first seven episodes, viewers were taken back to Hawkins and to some new locations including that terrifying Russian prison camp and its Demogorgon, California, the vast American West, and the Upside Down, which was explored more than ever before when Nancy, Robyn, Eddie, and Steve crossed through the “Watergate” to get to the bottom of Vecna’s mystery. 

And judging by the trailer mentioned above, the Upside Down looks to be a place we will spend even more time when Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2 arrives on the scene.

Stranger Things Season 4 Is The Beginning Of The End

Our time in Hawkins will soon come to an end, but not with Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2. When the Duffer Brothers announced in February 2022 that the show’s fourth season would be split into two parts, the show’s co-creators also revealed that it will be the penultimate season with the saga of Eleven and her friends coming to an end following one more chapter:

But don’t get too sad as the Duffer Brothers also revealed that there are more exciting stories within the Stranger Things world that could be explored in the future. What the adventures are, and if they will include any familiar characters, remains to be seen.

It is hard to say what the future holds for Netflix’s most popular show, but we’ll know more about the supernatural love-letter to ‘80s pop culture in the coming weeks and months. And if you’re looking for something to watch while you wait for Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2, check out our schedule of the 2022 TV premiere dates for all the latest on new and returning shows coming out before year’s end.

After months of teases and awesome trailers Stranger Things 4 has officially dropped on Netflix, with Volume 2 set to premiere in the Netflix schedule this July. With Season 5 confirmed to be the final ride for the Hawkins kids, it’s surprising that Netflix has yet to announce a spinoff for the popular series. That being said, series creators Matt and Ross Duffer were recently asked if they have one in mind. It turns out they do have an idea and Finn Wolfhard is the evidently the only one so far that has sussed it out.

The Duffer brothers revealed to Variety that they are planning a spinoff following the conclusion of Stranger Things, but they have managed to keep their plans pretty secret from most. Finn Wolfhard, who portrays Mike Wheeler on the sci-fi/horror series, is the one other person who has figured out what's in the works:

The story of Stranger Things is far from over, and there are plenty of potential spinoff opportunities that could be seen from the series as it exists. However the show ends, there are bound to be even more stories that could spring from its core cast, premise or lore. It’s not surprising to hear that someone in the cast figured out the plans, and that someone being Finn Wolfhard. It also seemingly means that it could be centered around something that’s already been established, given it was able to be guessed.

This isn’t the first recent talk of a Stranger Things spinoff. Earlier this year, Gaten Matarazzo, who portrays Dustin, was open to the possibility of a Dustin and Steve spinoff. The two characters quickly went from enemies to a complete bromance, with some even saying that Steve is like the mother of the group. While Matarazzo didn’t think that a “full spinoff is sustainable,” he did mention that it could work as a web series on YouTube or something similar.

The spinoff talks have been in in the air as early as Season 2. In 2017, CinemaBlend sat down with the Duffer brothers and brought up a potential Kali-centric spinoff (the girl that Eleven got mixed up with and who brought her into her murderous band of misfits). The episode “The Lost Sister” felt like a backdoor pilot, but the brothers mentioned it was just about Eleven’s journey. 

Stranger Things has grown beyond Eleven and the Upside Down, digging deeper into other characters while still keeping the focus on whatever the kids have to go up against. While it’s going to be sad to say goodbye to the series in the near future, knowing that there’s a spinoff in the works makes it an easier pill to swallow. We’ll hopefully get more information about it soon, but I expect a spinoff of one of the best shows on Netflix will be great no matter what. 

The first seven episodes of Season 4 of Stranger Things are streaming now on Netflix. Episodes 8 and 9 are set to drop on July 1.

It’s almost here!

That’s right. Stranger Things Season 4 is right around the corner as part of the 2022 TV schedule, and I am so excited. While there are plenty of things to remember before Season 4, and all the major deaths that we have to anticipate, it’s sometimes hard to remember that it’s been three years since 2019, when Season 3 came out. And, the cast members of this show have been doing a lot. 

For fans of the Stranger Things cast, here is what they've all been up to in between Seasons 3 and 4. So, maybe you’ll be able to find something new to watch then in now. 

Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers)

Starting off strong, let’s take a look at Joyce Byers, the loving matriarch of Stranger Things that we all fell in love with during Season 1, played by the wonderful Winona Ryder. This actress has been in plenty of movies and TV shows in the past, and in the last three years, that hasn’t changed a bit. 

Ryder recently made an appearance in the thriller, The Cow, and also had a main role in The Plot Against America, as well as the television special, Sarah Cooper: Everything’s Fine. But, it won’t be long before we see her as Joyce Byers again on the small screen. 

David Harbour (Jim Hopper)

While we may all know David Harbour as Jim Hopper, the slightly gruff sheriff who became a father to Eleven and ended up “sacrificing” himself at the end of Season 3 of Stranger Things, Harbour has been very active these last few years. 

His biggest role thus far was being a part of the Black Widow cast, where he played Alexei. Some of his other big roles over the last three years was playing the titular character of Hellboy, a role in Extraction, and a part in No Sudden Move. He’s also guest-starred on many television shows, like The Simpsons, Q-Force, Big City Greens, and more. 

Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler)

You want to talk about a young man who’s been making a name for himself? Look no further than Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things. Over the last several years, Wolfhard appeared in several movies, such as reprising his role in IT: Chapter 2, had a huge part in the Ghostbusters: Afterlife cast, appeared in the movie, The Goldfinch, had another starring role in The Turning, and many others. 

He also had a main role on the Netflix reboot of Carmen Sandiego, and guest starred on many TV shows such as Smiling Friends, Home Movie: The Princess Bride, and more. 

Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven / Jane Hopper)

Arguably one of the most known names from Stranger Things is Millie Bobby Brown, who blew up after her starring role as Eleven - later known as Jane Hopper. Millie Bobby Brown has consistently proven herself a valuable actress, and has appeared in a couple of movies. 

Her biggest role was starring in Enola Holmes as the titular character, a role which she will reprise in the upcoming sequel. She also had a role in the big-time monster movie, Godzilla Vs. Kong, and had a guest spot on Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special. 

Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson)

I think everyone else has collectively decided that we all love Dustin Henderson on Stranger Things, and he could only be played by the wonderful Gaten Matarazzo. While this young actor hasn’t been in any movies since Stranger Things Season 3 came out in 2019, he’s been very active in television. 

He guest-starred on the show, Nickelodeon’s Unfiltered, and hosts his very own prank show on Netflix called Prank Encounters, and with that charming personality, it’s not surprising that he’s won the hearts of viewers through his hosting skills. 

Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair)

Moving on, now we have Caleb McLaughlin, who plays Lucas Sinclair in Stranger Things, and he’s been quite active in both movies and TV during these three years. He appeared in two films, the sports drama High Flying Bird, and the urban western, Concrete Cowboy. He also voiced Ghost in the animated series, Summer Camp Island.

Most recently, McLaughlin had a guest spot on The Boys Presents: Diabolical, an animated spinoff of the Amazon Prime original series, The Boys, so McLaughlin hasn’t strayed too far from television. 

Noah Schnapp (Will Byers)

Will was the boy we were all looking for in Stranger Things Season 1, but now it seems that he and Eleven are going to be spending plenty of time together in California in Stranger Things Season 4, where he will continue to be played by Noah Schnapp. 

Schnapp has appeared in a few movies over the last few years, including the films Abe, Waiting for Anya, and the Netflix Adam Sandler original, Hubie Halloween. Schnapp also appeared in a guest spot on the YouTube Red comedy series, Liza on Demand. 

Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield) 

Sadie Sink is a name that I’m sure you have heard a lot over the several months. 2021 was really her year, because not only did she have a pretty big role in the popular Netflix horror trilogy, Fear Street, she also had a starring role in Taylor Swift’s short film, All Too Well, based on the song that Swift wrote long ago for her album, Red. She also appeared in the movie, Eli. 

Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler)

Nancy Wheeler was one of those characters where, at first, you wanted to not like her because of how she abandoned Barb in Stranger Things Season 1, but now, after some time has passed, you can’t help but admire her persistence to want to do good and her lowkey badassery. And, she's still played by Natalia Dyer. This young actress has been putting in work over the last couple of years, appearing in a variety of movies. 

She appeared in the films, Yes, God, Yes, Velvet Buzzsaw, After Darkness, Tuscaloosa, United States vs. Reality Winner, and Things Heard & Seen. She also had a guest role on the TV series, Acting for a Cause, where she guest-starred on the episode, “Jane Eyre,” playing the titular character. 

Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers)

Another character that I genuinely liked since the beginning of Stranger Things was Jonathan Byers, the strange yet sweet older brother of Will who would do anything to keep his family safe, and who ends up being Nancy’s boyfriend in Season 2. Jonathan is played by Charlie Heaton, who has appeared in plenty of movies and TV shows over the last few years 

In terms of film, he played a part in the movie, No Future, and was a part of The New Mutants cast. He also played Jim Dagger in The Souvenir: Part II. Heaton also had a guest role on the series, Soulmates, where he appeared on the episode, “Break On Through” as Kurt. 

Joe Keery (Steve Harrington)

Oh, Joe Keery. The person that I have truly fallen for over these last couple of years, because he is just so dang funny. To fans of Stranger Things, you know Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, the character that started off as someone that we all sort of collectively didn’t like, but over the last several seasons, he’s proven just how much of a nice guy he is - and a lowkey mentor to all of the children we know and love on the sci-fi hit. 

Steve has some amazing moments and they could only be performed by Keery. I can’t picture anyone else pulling it off. Well, maybe Ryan Reynolds - whom he does co-star with in Free Guy - but that’s besides the point. 

Anyway, Keery has been in a couple of movies and TV shows, which include being a part of the Free Guy cast, as mentioned earlier, as well as appearing in the film, Spree as Kurt Kunkle. Keery also has a recurring role as Officer Ed Reinhardt in No Activity, and had a special role in two television specials on Netflix, Death to 2020 and Death to 2021, where he played Duke Goolies. You just gotta love him. 

Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley)

Last but not least, we have Maya Hawke. While she only joined Stranger Things in Season 3, her character, Robin Buckley, left an impression on audiences and quickly became a fan-favorite, and also gave us some adorable friendship moments between her and Steve, who are basically besties now. Hawke has been very active these last several years, appearing in a variety of movies and TV shows. 

She appeared in the films Human Capital, Mainstream, and Italian Studies, and even was in Fear Street: Part One: 1994. Hawke has also stepped into the TV world a bit more, appearing in the miniseries, The Good Lord Bird, where she played Annie Brown.

With Stranger Things Season 4 around the corner, one can only wonder what these amazing cast members are going to do next. Are they going to end up joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Will we see more sci-fi from them after Stranger Things comes to a close? Only time will tell. But, you can bet that no matter what, I’ll be there watching from the sidelines to see whatever they do on the big or small screen. 

It’s been nearly three years since Season 3 of Stranger Things was released to Netflix subscribers. While fans are finally about to get some answers to our numerous questions following that shocking Season 3 cliffhanger ending, they may also be surprised at just how much our Hawkins, Indiana friends have grown in that time! Stranger Things Season 4 had its red carpet premiere in Brooklyn on May 14, and the whole gang was there, including Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp and more. And those adorable kids from Season 1 are all grown up!

The changes aren't too surprising, considering how long it's been since Season 3. Like practically everything in the past couple of years, Stranger Things saw production of Season 4 delayed by COVID, although producer and director Shawn Levy saw the silver lining. He said the delay allowed for the writing and rewriting of the full season before they shot, making the quality of Season 4 “exceptional, maybe better than ever.” Fans should certainly be in for a treat when the sci-fi series returns on Friday, May 27. Honestly, it was a treat just to see the cast together again, looking fantastic at the season premiere:

Excuse me, down in front! Millie Bobby Brown is almost unrecognizable with her long blonde hair and bangs. The party’s mage wore a white Louis Vuitton gown with thigh-high slit, black tulle shoulder and silver belt. Brown’s character is iconic, as Eleven has provided some of the best moments on what has consistently been one of Netflix’s best shows to binge. We don’t know what El has in store for us in Season 4, as we’ll explore her past with Dr. Brenner, but we’re already blown away by the looks Brown served at the premiere.

Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, and Joe Keery joined the “grown-ups,” Winona Ryder and David Harbour, on the red carpet, but seeing the younger generation — including Caleb McLaughlin, Finn Wolfhard, Sadie Sink, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, and Priah Ferguson — all together again really made us wonder where the last three years have gone. 

The actors all rocked their own style on the red carpet, with Caleb McLaughlin going full Dalmatian in his polka dotted suit with fur trim and flare legs. Noah Schnapp and Gaten Matarazzobut looked great in pink, but David Harbour stole the show in his custom Stranger Things suit, which featured Eleven, the Upside Down, a demogorgon, and an Eggo waffle (of course).

Joining the Stranger Things universe for Season 4 will also be some new faces. Freddy Krueger actor Robert Englund was cast as convicted murderer Victor Creel, and Thomas Wlaschiha, who made a name for himself as Jaqen H’ghar on Game of Thrones, will be portraying a Russian guard who befriends Hopper.

Season 4 is said to be Stranger Things’ most challenging season yet, and it’s not one we’ll be able to binge through in one sitting. The fourth season will be released in two parts, with the first set of episodes coming May 27 and the second volume dropping July 1. It won’t end there, either. It was announced in February that while Stranger Things will return for a fifth go-round, Season 5 will be its last. 

While we count down the days to Stranger Things Season 4, check out our 2022 TV schedule to see what other shows are premiering soon.

During an era in which fan service pop culture has become a standard (for better and for worse), seeing a film that challenges audiences with un-likability is fascinating. It’s obviously risky storytelling, as simple missteps can derail an effort into “unwatchable” territory, but balanced properly it can be its own kind of captivating and provide a distinctive perspective which movies that overly try to please cannot. Jesse Eisenberg’s When You Finish Saving The World is a genuine example of the latter, and all the more impressive because it is the Oscar-nominated actor’s debut as a writer/director.

When You Finish Saving The World premiered last night as a curtain-raiser for the all-virtual 2022 Sundance Film Festival, and it’s an odd feature to take that position given how it naturally divisive it is. It’s a movie that requires an audience to be tuned into its wavelength – but what you discover if you’re tuned in is a snarky, smart comment on egotism in modern liberal ideology, and also an often bitter but sometimes sweet mother/son story.

Adapted from Jesse Eisenberg’s Audie Award-winning audio drama of the same name, the film is quick to leave a bad impression with its characters – Evelyn Katz (Julianne Moore) making her entrance by shushing a co-worker’s birthday party, and her son Ziggy (Finn Wolfhard) crooning songs of teenage woe and virtually panhandling in a popular livestream before raging at his mom for having the audacity to knock on his door. We learn that they are noble in their aspirations, but also spectacularly narcissistic in their actions.

Ziggy, who doesn’t go anywhere without at least some form of self-branded clothing, claims that he wants to be more political in his music, but he has no opinions or cognizance of what’s happening in the world, and is in actuality far more focused on impressing his activist crush, Lila (Alisha Boe). This unfortunately also comes paired with a powerful lack of self-awareness, singing songs about fearing graduation during a meeting of progressive students sharing art about global issues.

Evelyn, meanwhile, is the director of a domestic abuse shelter and has a degree in social work, but she is consumed with resentment directed toward her narcissistic progeny, and acts to fill that void in her life. When she meets Kyle (Billy Bryk), the caring, thoughtful teenage son of a woman (Eleonore Hendricks) who becomes a resident of the shelter, she perceives an opportunity, and begins trying to guide his life and future to fit her own ideals and standards – remaining ignorant of his actual passions.

Jesse Eisenberg makes an impressive directorial debut with his tale of mother-and-son narcissists.

For his directorial debut, Jesse Eisenberg makes some bold choices, and he succeeds with a deft approach to tone that allows When You Finish Saving The World to function as a biting and funny commentary with dramatic subject matter. Its sweet spot is cringe comedy, and it delivers spectacularly in both narratives, but it also never feels mean, as the writer/director does give the characters moments of genuineness that allows you to see their hearts beating under many layers of self-absorption.

Both Ziggy and Evelyn are roles that require layered performances, and Finn Wolfhard (fresh off of last year’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife) and Julianne Moore are phenomenal and deliver ironically ego-free turns. They’re both typically so charming and charismatic on screen that there is something almost throttling to see them in these parts, but ultimately it’s a tribute to the impressive quality of their work in the film. And not only are they excellent in their respective stories, but they have a sharp, claws-out dynamic when they share scenes, and it can be both shocking and hilarious.

There’s a lot of what Jesse Eisenberg does best as an actor in When You Finish Saving The World, and it’s exciting to see him so quickly establish a prominent voice in his work as a filmmaker (like many great actor-cum-directors before him). It’s a surprising and impressive start to a new road in his career, and he’s going to have great success if he can continue to deliver unique perspectives and evoke more performances like these.

A24 is already on board to distribute the film, adding it to its excellent catalogue of indie movies, and while no release date has been announced, hopefully that will change soon.