Ahead of Stranger Things’ final season, fans were vocally worried about nearly everything, but few things inspired more impassioned theories than Steve’s fate. The creators kept fans stressing over Steve potentially dying in one heroic fashion or another, and the trailers for the split-apart season didn’t help matters. Of course, Joe Keery’s character survived the finale’s events, making the start of the 2026 TV schedule that much less depressing, and now Matt and Ross Duffer admit that they intentionally played into that widespread worry.

Beyond the general idea that major TV characters tend to become victim fodder in final seasons, the Steve-centric paranoia came to a head in the final episode as he was dangling from the radio tower, and his fingers let go before anyone reached down to grab him. And then a gobsmacking cut to black! The joke was on us, though, because Hawkins’ finest head of hair was indeed saved and went on to keep crushing at life.

Appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast (also streaming on YouTube), the Duffer brothers admitted that bit with Steve was the very rare instance where they pointedly and purposefully stoked fan fear just for the sh-ts and giggles of it all. Here’s how Matt Duffer addressed it:

Elsewhere during the interview, Ross Duffer explained in more specific terms just how they f-cked with fans. As it turns out, the brothers were inspired to go a little further with that shot than what they'd originally filmed. As he put it:

While in the midst of filming the seemingly endless number of scenes that made up the finale, and the final season at large, it makes sense that certain visuals like Steve's radio tower dangle just didn't get enough coverage on the day. Would it have turned out fine if they'd just kept what they had to begin with? Maybe, maybe not. No reason to speculate, though, since they absolutely went back and beefed that part of the scene up a little.

Ross Duffer continued:

Surely they didn't have the cut-to-black moment in mind initially. I do wish there was some kind of measurement that clocked how many gasps happened during the moment when it seemed like he was a goner.

When it comes to the actor himself, Keery knows that Stranger Things provided him the role of a lifetime, and that for some people, he may always be known as Steve Harrington, which is just fine with him. He’s more into his music era now anyway.

The Duffer brothers’ efforts at Netflix aren’t yet extinguished, either. Fans can find their latest executive-produced series, the upcoming horror series The Boroughs, streaming via Netflix subscription starting on Thursday, May 21.

It’s only been a few months since the Duffer Brothers wrapped Stranger Things’ run on Netflix, and already we’re getting their follow-up project, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen. The miniseries stars Camila Morrone and Adam DiMarco as an engaged couple whose wedding plans get derailed (presumably by something very bad). Critics were able to screen the horror show before it hit the 2026 TV schedule on March 26, and they’re mostly pleased with the results.

The Duffer Brothers, who serve as executive producers on the new Netflix series, know a thing or two about subverting the frustrating aspects of horror television, so hopes are high for what Angie Han of THR calls a clever and satisfyingly bloody spin on prenuptial jitters. Han continues:

Belen Edwards of Mashable says the title is quite the undersell, with not just one but many very bad somethings happening during the upcoming horror TV show’s eight episodes. Thankfully, the critic says, binge-watching the series on Netflix wasn’t one of them. Edwards writes:

Noel Murray of AV Club gives Something Very Bad a B, writing that it crackles with originality. There are highs and lows, Murray says, and the series could have “easily” been cut down to six episodes. However, some elements work exactly as intended. The critic continues:

Tai Gooden of Nerdist rates Something Very Bad 3 out of 5 stars for solid performances all around and its terrifyingly slow burn toward one hell of a bloody ending. Gooden says:

Some critics, however, aren’t able to overlook some of the series’ downfalls. Judy Berman of Time says Something Very Bad falls on the wrong side of the thin line that separates suspense from boredom. Three episodes in, this critic says she felt more dread about having five episodes to go than anything happening on-screen. Berman continues:

While the critics admit the miniseries has its faults, the majority seem to have enjoyed the Duffer Brothers’ Stranger Things follow-up. If you’re intrigued by this dark soulmate story, the entire eight-episode series is available to stream now with a Netflix subscription.

Now that the dust has settled on the Stranger Things finale, fans can now zero in on the fact that its creators have multiple new shows on the 2026 Netflix schedule. And the first of those series is a creepy series called Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen. EPs Matt and Ross Duffer serve as producers on the new horror series, which is about the scary happenings in the week leading up to a young couple’s wedding. The show has certainly piqued my interest, especially now that the showrunner has explained how she's avoiding a key pitfall.

Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen creator and showrunner Haley Z. Boston talked about crafting her horror concept for Netflix. Here’s what she had to say about the latest of upcoming horror TV shows:

Thanks to Boston's new interview with SFX Magazine on CinemaBlend, I learned that the series will open with our protagonist Rachel (Camila Morrone) walking down the aisle on her wedding day as she distressingly holds back tears. Then, the audience will be taken back to five days prior where Rachel and her fiancé Nicky (Adam DiMarco) seem as love as ever as they head to the secluded vacation home of his family for the festivities.

During the show’s first episode, “a few terrifying hints” already start to emerge for people to catch on to, and some of our questions will apparently be answered in the first episode, and then slowly delivered to us throughout its eight episodes. I love that Boston and co. aren't looking to overwhelm viewers with questions that won't be answered, which is quite common when it comes to horror TV shows. Sure it's great to have some great mysteries at play, but there are so many cases in which viewers are left without answers.

It's refreshing to hear a producer like Boston say she doesn’t like it when horror shows can ask a lot of questions without providing answers. Of course, she's also cognizant that what she and her team are doing is easier said than done:

The series also stars Jennifer Jason Leigh and Ted Levine as Rachel’s in-laws-to-be, which is exciting considering both actors have had memorable horror roles over the years. And, of course, she had the Duffer Brothers on her side, who she said were “so supportive” of her vision and “very honest” throughout the process. This is completely different from Stranger Things, but I'm excited to see which of the Duffer Brothers' creative sensibilities are present!

Anyone else ready for this terrifying rollercoaster? I know I am after Boston shared her thoughts on the new series, which was officially revealed in 2024. The creator also said she was inspired to create Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen while being a woman in her late twenties with the very relatable “intense pressure” to find the person she wants to spend the rest of her life with. I look forward to seeing how she injects those experiences into a story that thankfully won't lead viewers one without any kind of payoffs.

You can check out all eight episodes of Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen with a Netflix subscription starting on Thursday, March 26. It's just one of several notable titles set to hit the 2026 TV schedule this spring.

Spoilers ahead for Stranger Things Season 5, so consider yourself warned. Stream the whole series with a Netflix subscription.

It’s been a few weeks now since Stranger Things officially came to an end after five seasons, and there’s plenty that fans are still debating: What happened to Eleven? How did Max graduate on time after spending nearly two years in a coma? Why was Linda Hamilton’s role so badly botched? Did Rockin’ Robin and Vickie stay together? The Duffer Brothers weighed in on this last question, and I’ve got my own thoughts on the matter.

Vickie (Amybeth McNulty) was introduced in Season 4 as a member of the Hawkins High School band who Robin (Maya Hawke) had a crush on. By Season 5, the two were officially (but secretly) an item, and Vickie even got in on some of the Vecna-fighting fun. So did this traumatic experience bring Robin and Vickie closer or drive a wedge between them? Ross Duffer told EW:

So, just like the fate of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Ross and Matt Duffer are letting each individual fan decide if they think the couple lasted, despite admitting that they did talk about the characters’ futures. However, as Ross mentioned above, there are some hints.

Vickie didn’t attend the graduation with Robin in the epilogue, and she wasn’t seen or mentioned by name either, which some fans are taking to mean they broke up. That theory is only strengthened when Robin talks to Steve, Nancy and Jonathan about “overbearing significant others,” though it’s unclear if she’s referring to her own love life or Steve’s (Joe Keery).

Matt Duffer offered his own slightly more-decisive take, saying:

His response is still noncommittal, but he makes a valid point. While Nancy and Jonathan did end their relationship, Max and Lucas’ bond was strong enough to endure, and Joyce and Hopper got engaged. All of these decisions make sense narratively to me, and that’s why — in my opinion — the right choice would be to break up Robin and Vickie.

Both young women are so, well, young, and they’re still discovering themselves. It’s far more realistic that despite sharing something beautiful (and, at times, horrifying) as teenagers, they would continue to evolve when they go to college, move out of Hawkins and meet other people. As Matt Duffer pointed out, not a lot of high school sweethearts survive that.

I also really don’t like it when a book or TV series shows its characters in the future having not made any new friends, found new hobbies, dated anyone else, etc. I want the people I’ve invested so much time in to live big, full lives that aren’t confined to one specific chapter.

That’s just me, though, and by not giving a definitive answer to the Robin-and-Vickie question, the Duffer brothers are fine with letting everyone call that ending for themselves.

To say that Stranger Things’ series finale sparked debates is like saying the great Biblical flood caused some dampness. It’s now one of few TV shows with an ending so disputed that a chunk of the fandom conspiracy-theorized that their displeasure was the intent of creators Matt and Ross Duffer, and that a secret episode would be released with the”real” ending. That doesn’t seem to have panned out, but it seems clear that this will forever be in the much-discussed TV finale annals.

Considering its final season cemented Stranger Things as Netflix’s biggest domestic commodity, Millie Bobby Brown will likely always get asked about the show in interviews, regardless of what she’s promoting. But the Duffer brothers added some additional fuel to that fire by confirming Brown does indeed know the truth about Eleven’s fate, and whether or not Mike’s epilogue theorizing (which I take issue with) reflected reality or not.

Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the co-creator siblings talked about a slew of topics regarding the finale and the franchise’s immediate future. Naturally, the conversation also turned to the mystery behind what really happened to Eleven, who seemingly sacrificed herself in the destruction of the Upside Down, with Mike later hypothesizing that she looped Kali in to keep her safe. Not that the Duffers actually clarified anything on that front, but they did confirm that there IS a hard answer, as opposed to an amorphous idea. As Matt Duffer put it:

In some ways, I fully understand where he's coming from, and I agree that shielding audiences from certain parts of the creative process is more or less necessary. Lots of truly great ideas come from truly stupid places, so knowing every inch of the ins and outs won't always add to one's enjoyment of a particular project. When it's about the unclear destiny of a Top 3 character, however, there should be more closure, more insight, more something that isn't just Mike's glass-half-full take shared with his friends that he'd literally just come up with that day.

Beyond fans' confused frustrations, though, the Duffers maybe should have thought about Millie Bobby Brown's own future before revealing that the actress 100% knows the answer. As Matt put it:

If only it were as easy as saying "Don't waste your time." IF ONLY. Don't get me wrong, I know that people would throw that question at her constantly even if Matt Duffer claimed that she didn't know the real answer, so just having a mysterious ending in and of itself is a double-edged sword in that way. But there's a big difference between a softballed "You really don't know what happened?" and a probing "Seriously, if you know, why can't you just say it?" One can only hope everyone's default mode will be "curiously polite."

When asked if Noah Schnapp might know anything, the brothers laughed, and then immediately went to work on making sure the answer to that was a resounding "Nope." Ross responded with:

As he was saying it, Matt was already pulling his phone out to text Brown to double-down on advising her to not share it with her good buddy, lest he also get hounded for the rest of time about what happened to Eleven.

All five seasons of Stranger Things are available to stream on Netflix, with the animated spinoff Tales from '85 hitting the 2026 TV schedule at a later point.

SPOILERS are ahead for the Stranger Things finale, now streaming with a Netflix subscription.

There’s few TV finales that have been as highly anticipated as the end of Stranger Things. Leading up to the last episode, our theories kept piling up, but the biggest question on everyone’s minds was this one: ‘Who’s going to die?’ Now that we know all the characters’ fates, I can’t help but think about what the Duffer Brothers told CinemaBlend just ahead of the finale about how they approached executing the ending.

At the time, “The Rightside Up” hadn’t yet come out, so I didn’t know that the only characters that would die would be Vecna/Henry Creel, Kali and Eleven, who is presumed dead, but really her fate is up in the air. Here’s what Ross Duffer told us about killing characters:

Fans have essentially had from the finale of Season 4 (which came out back in July 2022) until New Year’s Eve of 2025 to make guesses and bets about who would survive the end of the show. It became an obsession of the fandom, with it being popular for fans to get worried about the fate of Steve Harrington in particular, and update odds and guesses up until the two-hour episode dropped on December 31.

As Ross Duffer shared, they decided to drown out the “noise” of outside opinions and ultimately do what felt right to them and the writer’s room. They said they were inspired a lot by their work on Season 1, before the show became a phenomenon. I can absolutely see that in the episode itself, especially regarding that emotional D&D sequence with Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas and Max. He also told us this:

As they probably expected, since the finale aired, there’s been a lot of conversation about what was good about it and the things people didn’t like about it. I know I found it to be really emotionally satisfying to see it all play out, even if the finale epilogue doesn’t completely add up for Max and Dustin. (It even had one more big music moment I can’t stop thinking about!) Tons of fans were even afforded the opportunity to see it in theaters with fellow fans. So, all around, I'd say we got a great ending!

Plus, the Duffer Brothers told Variety this week that they are working on a Stranger Things spinoff, which will answer fans' questions about the mythology of that stone with “completely new characters, new town, new world, new mythology." So, as we say goodbye to Stranger Things, it’s interesting to hear their perspectives on writing the last episode and how they handled the outside pressure.

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.

SPOILERS are ahead for Stranger Things 5 Vol 2, now streaming with a Netflix subscription.

When Vol. 1 of Stranger Things 5 teased Jonathan Byers’ plans to propose to Nancy Wheeler, I shared my negative thoughts about an engagement amidst what’s been going on in the hit Netflix series. So, you can imagine my relief when the “un-proposal scene” happened in Season 5’s Episode 6, “Escape from Camazotz”. But what was the Duffer Brothers’ reasoning behind Jonathan and Nancy’s breakup?

When CinemaBlend talked to Matt and Ross Duffer about the Vol. 2 reveals (including how they arrived at the long-awaited explanation of the Upside Down), I had to ask them about this now much-talked-about sequence between Nancy and Jonathan. In Ross Duffer’s words:

For years, there’s been tension between Nancy, Jonathan and Steve, and which of them might be endgame. I don’t think a lot of fans were expecting what actually went down, which was a quite mature conversation between Jonathan and Nancy regarding how they’ve grown out of their relationship, and need to stop forcing it.

It’s actually a really sweet and amicable breakup scene that I really appreciated seeing on screen. As Ross Duffer continued:

In another interview, the Duffers confirmed the scene is definitely “a breakup” before bringing up the point that many people don’t “wind up” with their high school sweetheart. Ross also added this in our interview:

I, for one, am really grateful that the Duffers went in this direction, because I felt the same way that they did. At this point in the story, it just doesn’t make sense for Nancy to “end up” with either one of them. Especially considering this whole season has revolved around Nancy dealing with Vecna kidnapping her little sister and putting both of her parents in the hospital. It’s not really the best time for big romantic scenes – or for a young woman to have her head clear to decide who she wants to spend the rest of her life with.

Following the events of Vol. 2, there’s just one episode left, and what’s high on the mind is whether there will be any heartbreaking deaths in the finale. Ahead of the last episode of Stranger Things dropping on Netflix at 5 p.m. PT (and theaters at the same time), a finale trailer has dropped that has us wondering what’s next for the beloved characters from Hawkins we’ve been following for nearly a decade now.

We're nearly at the point of mere hours counting down until the New Year's Eve finale of Stranger Things Season 5 in the 2025 TV schedule, so the time is now to work out last-minute theories for the two-hour episode that needs to tie off all the loose ends. There are admittedly a lot of loose ends after Volume 2, ranging from characters whose deaths might have been foreshadowed to whether or not Kali will betray Eleven. The explanation of the Upside Down set up an epic final conflict against Vecna.

But one small moment from Episode 7 (available streaming with a Netflix subscription now) has me thinking ahead to what could be an unforgettable music moment before the final credits roll, and it's all thanks to a preview from the Duffer Brothers ahead of Season 5 combined with Stranger Things' history of unforgettable needle drops.

What The Duffer Brothers Said

Stranger Things has been known for incorporating '80s music at pivotal (or at least fun) points in the story going back to the first season, and the inclusion of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" in Season 5 turned that 1985 song back into a chart-topper nearly three decades after the release. So, when EW asked about a needle drop moment in Season 4, Matt Duffer said:

Thanks to the success of Kate Bush following Season 4, the Duffers were able to secure a song that's "never been on a TV show before." That alone was enough to fuel speculation ahead of Season 5. That said, Matt Duffer's phrasing didn't rule out that this mystery song had been used before in a movie. Later, speaking with ET, Ross Duffer expanded on the music moment that's on the way:

Not to keep harping on "Running Up That Hill," but Kate Bush's song being so central to Max's journey in Season 4 means that the Season 5 finale certainly won't be the first time that a song rather than a score is used for a "very pivotal moment." Season 4 also used Metallica's "Master of Puppets" for Eddie's last stand, with Metallica even praising Joseph Quinn's performance.

Again, the Duffers teased here that the song has never been licensed for TV, and I just have to say – if they picked a song that one of their friends or cast members pitched, then I think that person has eternal bragging rights. I'm glad that it rules out "Running Up That Hill" or "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" being played again, but it does mean I have to stop joking that Stranger Things is going to Rickroll us all with Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up," as that was memorably used in Ted Lasso.

But after Volume 2 pitched a couple of songs, I think that we have a big clue for the "pivotal" moment.

A Possible Clue From Volume 2

Music has been part of Season 5 going back to the very beginning, with the reveal that the heroes have been using the WSQK – a.k.a. the Squawk – radio station, with Robin as host. The possible clue about the finale song didn't happen until the last twenty minutes of the penultimate episode, however, when Mike revealed that a record is key to their plan to destroy the Upside Down bridge.

Do I know why Mike Wheeler, a junior in high school, knows how to build a bomb out of random supplies he could find at the radio station? I do not, but his explanation to Robin sets up what could be an iconic melodic moment of the finale:

• Mike: "Just imagine that this bike bell is the bomb's remote trigger, so when this wire touches this warrior here, kaboom."
• Robin: "Genius. One thing is, is I don't know if we can blow up the Upside Down to the dulcet tones of the Butthole Surfers."
• Mike: "I built the bomb, I should be able to pick the record."
• Robin: "As far as 'save the world' soundtracks go, this one's lacking."

As somebody who owns a record player, I'll just say that I hope Mike's plan doesn't rely on his record of choice playing without any scratches if he's lugging it to the Upside Down and using it as the timer for a bomb! In all seriousness, Robin was against Butthole Surfers, but Mike wasn't all-in on her suggestions of The Replacements as a... well, replacement either.

The episode playing a short clip of Butthole Surfers' "Human Cannonball" initially made me wonder if that was just a tease of the song that would be blared over a climactic Upside Down fight, similar to how "Master of Puppets" was used last season. But would the Duffers really have spoiled their pivotal music moment before the big reveal?

For that reason, I think we can rule out anything from Mike's pick of the Butthole Surfers or Robin's pitch for The Replacements. In fact, I'm now guessing that the episode didn't drop any clues about what it will be, but I do think that it confirmed the timing of the pivotal music moment and what to expect. As far as I'm concerned, it will be 1) be when Mike sets off his bomb in the Upside Down and 2) not any of the songs that have been previewed to date.

How Will It Rank Among Stranger Things' Most Epic Music Moments?

There have been enough big musical moments throughout the five seasons of Stranger Things even before the series finale that I think fans could probably debate almost endlessly about which stand out as the best. I'd of course be remiss to leave out Kate Bush and Metallica's contributions last season, as well as the Season 5 song that caused a huge boost for Diana Ross.

That said, I'm going to have to cheat with my top moments and include a couple from trailers, because I maintain that the song choices for the Season 2 and Season 3 previews were immaculate. Here are my picks for the best musical interludes ahead of whatever is coming in the finale:

• The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go" – Season 1
• Pete Gabriel's "Heroes" - Season 1 and Season 3
• Moby's "When It's Cold I'd Like To Die" - Season 1
• Michael Jackson's "Thriller" - Season 2 Trailer
• The Police's "Every Breath You Take" - Season 2
• The Who's "Baba O'Riley" - Season 3 Trailer
• Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" - Season 4
• Metallica's "Master of Puppets" – Season 4
• Journey's "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) - Season 4
• Diana Ross' "Upside Down" - Season 5
• Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone Now" - Season 5

I admittedly already knew and loved some of these songs before Stranger Things, so I'm curious to learn if the tune teased by the Duffer Brothers will be another one that I know by heart – like "Baba O'Riley" and "I Think We're Alone Now," as two examples – or one that I come to better appreciate after the show includes it.

Luckily, the wait is nearly over. The two-hour series finale of Stranger Things will release on December 31 at 8 p.m. ET on Netflix. The episode will also be released in select theaters on December 31 and January 1, so be sure to check out local showtimes if you want to experience the Upside Down on the big screen.

Spoilers below for Vol. 2 of Stranger Things’ final season, so be warned if you haven’t yet watched it via Netflix subscription.

During these days between Stranger Things Season 5 Vol. 2 and the reality-shattering series finale, fans are digging as deep as possible into everything we’ve seen thus far to figure out what the endgame might be. I’ve already picked out the major characters I think will die in the final episode, and we’re pretty certain Kali is going to dupe Eleven in one way or another. But I honestly didn’t expect to go into the final episode worried about Jonathan and Nancy’s current state of affairs.

Jonathan And Nancy's Big Un-Proposal Conversation

In "Chapter Six: Escape from Camazotz," several of the main characters witnessed their corner of the Upside Down turning into a big melting mess of goo after Nancy shot a round into what the teens assumed was a shield generator, but was instead the outer perimeter of a wormhole. It seemed like all was lost for Charlie Heaton and Natalia Dyer’s characters, inspiring the pair to put all of their relationship cards on the half-sunken table they were trapped on.

From panic came a sense of exhausted honesty, kicked off by Nancy confessing how much she dislikes The Clash, much to Jonathan's surprise. They continue to air out their previously shielded differences, and I know I'm not the only fan who was totally taken aback by him saying he gave her pink sweater to Goodwill without telling her.

In any case, the dour admissions culminated in Jonathan pulling out a John Coltrane cassette case, hidden in which is the engagement rignt that he'd been waiting for the right time to pull out. Which led to this tearful exchange:

• JONATHAN: One last confession. A big one. I figured I’ve screwed up enough with you. It’d be nice to get something right for once in the end. . . . Nancy Wheeler, will you not marry me? I tried to convince myself that this would somehow fix everything, but it was just gonna make things worse. Which is why it’s been sitting like a cannonball in my pocket the last two days. So what do you say? Do you accept my un-proposal?
• NANCY: I accept your un-proposal.
• JONATHAN: I loved you. I love you, Nancy Wheeler.
• NANCY: I love you, Jonathan Byers.

Okay, so the entire time this scene was playing out, my brain was bouncing from believing it to be a break-up scene to believing that it was Jonathan and Nancy's version of Ross and Rachel's controversial break in Friends. In fact, by the time that episode was over and the next one was kicking off, I'd convinced myself that the un-proposal wasn't truly a split at all, but rather a mutual understanding that the current version of their coupling was flawed, and they'd need to adjust it to move forward.

What's more, when I asked others who'd watched about it, I didn't get many of the exact same answers, with some believing it to be a permanent fissure, while others didn't think it was even a temporary break-up. The same kinds of varied takeaways were present on social media as well. So imagine my surprise to find that Stranger Things' creators already supplied guidance for confused souls such as myself.

The Duffer Brothers Address Jonathan And Nancy's Relationship Status

For all these years that the Duffer brothers have had to hold back on sharing concrete details about the characters in this series, they were surprisingly open about confirming with People that the star-crossed lovers are indeed kaput. Here’s how Matt Duffer put it:

No arguments here. I’ve never been entirely against this particular pairing, even if I’ve always found Jonathan to be a bit of a dull plug next to Nancy’s vibrant and welcoming nature. I was all good with that mismatch so long as it kept her happy, since I was even less interested in seeing Nancy and Steve ending up together. But if the endgame idea is for her to strike out on her own and find new adventures and new lovers to call her own, that’s the ideal in my mind.

Matt Duffer pointed out the unlikelihood that the two teenagers would wind up staying together for the rest of their lives, saying:

I really hope the series finale doesn’t immediately retcon this idea by showing us a post-climax resolution where Jonathan and Nancy DO end up together, which kind of feels like the kind of thing the Duffer brothers would do. But that would butt up against my prediction that Jonathan is going to die in the episode, so scratch that.

Stranger Things will close out its final chapter with an extended finale hitting both Netflix and theaters around the country on December 31, 2025, leading into the Vecna-free 2026 TV schedule. At least that’s what I’m assuming.

The list of upcoming Stephen King adaptations has grown at a rapid rate in recent years, thankfully with the bulk of the announced projects making it through the full production cycle. One such live-action imagining that’s long-confounded Hollywood has been King and Peter Straub’s 1984 bestseller The Talisman, though hopes went sky-high in 2021 when Amblin Entertainment partnered with Netflix and Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer to craft a Talisman streaming series. Unfortunately, it looks like audiences won’t be visiting Arcadia Beach just yet.

As Stranger Things’ final season wraps up the horrors in Hawkins, the Duffer brothers have been answering myriad questions about the Upside Down (CinemaBlend’s included), but it’s been a while since they’d addressed making the jaunt to The Territories with Jack Sawyer for The Talisman. Comic Book Resources got the latest from the sibling creatives, who shared the rather tragic update that the previously announced adaptation is no longer happening as is. But it sounds like not all hope has been dashed, possibly. As Ross Duffer put it:

That comment was quickly followed by one from the other brother:

Ross Duffer then addressed the fact that this definitely isn't the first time an attempt to get a Talisman adaptation off the ground has come up short. As he put it:

Similar to The Dark Tower, which has also long perplexed writers and directors aiming to bring that epic tale to life in full, The Talisman isn't the usual cup of horror tea that either King or Straub are known for, and the lengthy first novel skews far more darkly fantastical. There's something about this side of King's imagination that's harder to bring from the page to the screen than more visceral realism.

Why There's Still Hope For The Talisman TV Show (Or Movie)

Something that Stephen King fanatics might know, but the general public wouldn't, is that Amblin Entertainment's connection with The Talisman goes back to 1982, when Steven Spielberg essentially talked Universal Pictures into acquiring permanent rights to the novel, as opposed to more traditional licensing windows. So for the past 40+ years, every time a Talisman feature script was written, or when a TNT miniseries adaptation went into development in 2006, Spielberg has always been behind the scenes trying to make the passion project happen.

As such, if the Duffer brothers say they aren't involved anymore, and that it isn't happening at Netflix anymore, neither of those updates indicates a permanent reversal of fortune. It just means Amblin's previous deal with Netflix and the Duffers expired, allowing for another iteration to kick up dust elsewhere. Which is where things get even more potentially interesting.

When announced back in 2021, this latest Talisman adaptation also notably had Paramount Television Studios on board. It's currently unclear whether or not Paramount is still on board in any capacity, especially since the game-changing merger with Skydance happened in the meantime. But if that studio still is in the mix, then it's entirely possible that the Duffer brothers could get right back on board as executive producers.

After all, it was just in August when news broke that Matt and Ross Duffer's Netflix deal was ending in place of a new partnership with Paramount, with the studio shift being prompted by the brothers' goal of directing theatrical features. Obviously this now-defunct attempt was for a series and not a film, but that wouldn't preclude their involvement. In fact, it might just shift the approach back to the feature side if they're in control again.

For now, it's hard to know where things will end up, especially as the final victory lap for Stranger Things has yet to conclude. Hopefully more will come to light once Vecna and his demo-minions are vanquished for good.

BIG SPOILERS are ahead for Stranger Things 5, specifically for the Episode 7 “The Bridge”, now streaming with a Netflix subscription. Catch the new episodes before you read further.

It was over nine years ago when Stranger Things first introduced the Upside Down to audiences, and since then, the demogorgon-filled place has become a cultural touchstone. But, fans have always wondered: “What exactly is the Upside Down?” In the penultimate episode, “The Bridge,” which makes viewing the series a holiday affair, we finally have our answer to the question. When CinemaBlend had the chance to speak to series creators the Duffer brothers, I had a question of my own about giving fans that moment: How did they decide Gaten Matarazzo’s Dustin would be the character to deliver the big news?

Here’s how Matt Duffer explained the major turning point in the history of Stranger Things:

Of course! It just makes sense. But the creators certainly had a lot of ways they could have decided to unveil it all. It could have been Will Byers, whose kidnapping into the Upside Down kicked off the show in a big way. It also could have been Eleven, or Nancy, or really anyone. That being said, I love the reasoning they gave me as to why Dustin was the obvious choice.

In “The Bridge,” Dustin shares that the Upside Down is a wormhole leading from our dimension to another world, which he coins “The Abyss.” It’s all held together by dark matter (that big glowing orb that Nancy shoots) that’s very unstable, and if exploded, it will collapse the Upside Down entirely. In regards to Dustin also getting to name “The Abyss,” Matt Duffer also said this about giving Henderson the honor:

One of the reasons Stranger Things has been one of the best shows to binge watch on Netflix for nearly a decade has been due to the intrigue and terror associated with the Upside Down, and while having it be the wormhole to another world may not be completely surprising, but I know I found it satisfying. With one episode left of the series, I know I still have some questions about the Upside Down and what these findings will mean for all the characters we’ve grown to love.

It must have been difficult to keep this secret all this time, but it sounds like picking Dustin was a no-brainer for the brothers. As Ross Duffer added:

Dustin is absolutely the MVP of Stranger Things in so many ways, but as they mentioned, Steve's "slinky" plan is also very impressive. There’s a lot of standout characters this season. How about Mrs. Wheeler finally getting a crack at a Demogorgon after being mostly in the background? Or Holly Wheeler helping Max finally wake up from a coma after being captured by Mr. Whatsit/Vecna? Now, all that’s left is to find out how things shake out with the finale dropping among the last of 2025 Netflix releases on New Year’s Eve.

Know that as I write the next sentence, I’m feeling very stressed and annoyed with myself that I’m worrying about this again. OK, alright, here we go: I’m nervous that Steve Harrington is going to die in Season 5 of Stranger Things. Yeah, once again, I’m concerned for the fate of Joe Keery’s character as we go into the final episodes of this show. However, this time, these feelings came up because of a very silly thing the Duffer Brothers did ahead of the episodes dropping on Netflix’s 2025 schedule.

Now, this silly thing involves Funko Pops and an appearance on The Tonight Show. As Matt and Ross Duffer spoke to Jimmy Fallon about what’s to come, the host asked them to use the figurines give hints about how the rest of Stranger Things will go. They put Barb on the floor, stacked Henry, Will and the big bad Vecna on top of each other, and Eleven got put in a glass of water. It was ridiculous. However, things took a turn when they put Steve on the edge of the desk, AND THEN HE FELL (as you can see in the images below):

Notably, the crowd had a worried reaction when the Duffers put Steve on the literal edge (which you can see in the video below). While the creators claimed that “he’s fine,” I can’t help but think about this as a bad omen. Obviously, they could be messing with us, especially since Joe Keery’s character dying has been a big worry for a long time now. However, I do think there’s reason to be concerned.

First of all, for a very long time now, there have been theories about Steve dying. Joe Keery’s character is a fan-fave, and Steve’s best moments are iconic; losing him would be seriously tragic. However, to me, it seems possible that he could sacrifice himself to save the kids and Hawkins and go out a hero.

Adding to this, in the trailer for Season 5, Volume 2, Steve and Dustin have a moment where they tell each other, “You die, I die.” And while it appears that literally everyone is in danger and all their lives are on the line, it would seem that these two boys might be in a particularly precarious situation. Plus, with them fighting this season, and Dustin putting himself in danger on a couple of occasions, I'm worried that things could go too far and one or both of them could wind up dead. So, yeah, I’m anxious.

Now, these silly little Funko Pops were the final nail in my coffin. Why, of all the characters, would they put Steve Harrington on the edge? What does he do that constitutes that line of thinking? I mean, I know he’s willing to put himself in danger to save everyone, but what specifically will happen in the episodes that are about to air on the 2025 TV schedule that made the Duffers do this?

Maybe they’re just trolling, that’s certainly possible. However, no one is safe on Stranger Things, I know that. Therefore, this funny little move tipped me over the edge into worrying about Steve Harrington again.

Thankfully, we don’t have to wait long to find out what happens to him and the rest of the Hawkins gang. That’s because Vol. 2 of Season 5 will be available to stream with a Netflix subscription on Christmas, and the series finale will drop on New Year’s Eve.

Spoilers ahead for Volume 1 of Stranger Things Season 5, available streaming with a Netflix subscription now if you haven't checked it out just yet.

The first four episodes of Stranger Things' fifth and final season may have turned a lot of Thanksgivings completely Upside Down with its release on November 26 in the 2025 TV schedule, and that was the first of three holidays to take fans back to Hawkins this year. The wait is currently on for Volume 2, comprised of the next three episodes, and some comments from the Duffer Brothers about the family relationships of Season 5 have me thinking about Hopper and Eleven. They had a solid bond in Volume 1, but I'd love for one thing to change moving forward.

But first things first!

What The Duffer Brothers Said About Hopper And Eleven

The Duffer Brothers spoke with outlets during a Stranger Things press event ahead of the Season 5 premiere, with Matt Duffer weighing in on the use of Dungeons & Dragons as a means "for the kids to be able to reference in order to help them understand what was going on," as well as specifically "to help Eleven [undertand] what was going on." That's certainly the case with Vecna, who El and Hopper spent much of Season 5, Volume 1 chasing. (Or at least trying to.)

On the subject of how parental connections between the various characters – Hopper and Eleven, Joyce and Will, even Karen and Holly – resonate with audiences, Ross Duffer named Hopper and Eleven's relationship as a little family unit as important for Season 5. He began:

It's no secret that classic '80s films have inspired elements of Stranger Things, with the Duffer Brothers previously listing movies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), The Thing (1982), Romancing the Stone (1984), and the Indiana Jones classics (1981, 1984, 1989), to name just some. The family relationships seem pretty unique to the Netflix show, however, and Ross Duffer went on to explain the importance of Hopper and El in Season 5:

Before the release of Volume 1, I would have assumed that Joyce and Will would have the most important parental relationship of Season 5 just based on what the trailers revealed about the ordeal that Will would be going through. Having seen the first four episodes, however, Hopper and El spent almost all of their screentime together, which isn't the case for any other parent/child relationships so far. Ross went on:

Given that the Duffers dropped their comments ahead of the Season 5 premiere, it wasn't too surprising to see ways that the Hopper/Eleven relationship had evolved during the time skip from spring of '85 - fall of '87. They didn't have anybody else to bounce off of other than enemy soldiers for most of their scenes. I think it's safe to say that the brothers weren't just trying to obscure spoilers when they indicated the importance of Hopper and Eleven, a.k.a. the only parent/child relationship of the series that involves adoption rather than blood relation.

But with so much emphasis on their importance and how Hop has been rubbing off on Eleven in some pretty endearing (and other more stubborn) ways, I'm ready for something to change in the coming episodes.

What I Want To Change For Volume 2 And The Finale

We got some great focus on Hopper and Eleven in Volume 1, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel the emotional gut-punch of him saying "I love you, Jane" before going off on what he fully expected to be a suicide mission to save her. I reached for some tissues at that point! But I'm ready to see both characters interacting with some of the others in Volume 2.

Stranger Things has a trend of splitting Eleven away from most of the ensemble for a lot of a given season, presumably because her powers would make it too easy for them to win if they had her on hand. That was especially the case in Seasons 2 and 4, and could well have been the case in the first four episodes of Season 5, Volume 1.

But this is the very last season, and I want to see more of El with her friends, and Hopper should spend some screen time with at least Joyce. Besides, with Will now developing the ability to siphon Vecna's powers, there's already a twist on Stranger Things needing to hold her back until the day needs to be saved.

Fortunately for me, some trailer footage has confirmed that the duo won't spend the next four episodes in the Upside Down. There's one shot of a quiet scene between Eleven and Mike in a trailer that's definitely in the Rightside Up, and I'm assuming that's not going to be in the last twenty minutes of the last episode. Plus, the discovery of Kali at the end of Episode4 surely means some interactions between the sisters. Most other trailer footage of Hop and El was already revealed in Volume 1; it seems that there are just a lot of secrets for their stories moving forward.

I hope that Stranger Things can maintain that importance of their relationship while still letting them interact with the other characters. Time is running out on this show, after all. For now, we can all count down the days until Volume 2 premieres at 8 p.m. ET on Christmas Day, followed by the two-hour series finale on New Year's Eve.

Major spoilers ahead for Stranger Things Season 5's first four episodes.

If you have made it through the first four episodes of Stranger Things' final season, which just landed on the 2025 TV schedule, you are probably still trying to steady yourself after that major Will Byers twist. And, honestly, same. If you have not watched Episode 4, “Sorcerer,” this is your last chance to bail. I think we’re alone now, and it is just us Upside Down die-hards now. On that note, the Duffer Brothers finally explained what the twist actually means. I get it now, and you probably will too.

During a recent interview with Variety, the creators broke down what is really going on with Will’s sudden discovery of powers, the one that made him look like he went full Eleven and snapped those Demogorgons like they were action figures. The internet immediately started asking the same question. Did Will gain powers that mirror Eleven’s? Ross Duffer stepped in with the clarification fans needed, telling the outlet:

If you need a quick reminder of where things stand, the Hawkins crew hits a serious low point at the end of Season 5’s initial four-episode run. Vecna makes a dramatic entrance, zeroes in on Will, calls him weak, and then lets loose a pack of Demogorgons on the group. Just when it looks like the nightmare is about to hit its peak, Will taps into abilities he never realized he had, freezing the creatures and taking them out using the same bone snapping technique we have seen from Vecna himself.

After the dust settles, Will swipes away a nosebleed, echoing a signature Eleven move, which raised the question of what his powers actually are. Matt Duffer broke down the logic behind it, explaining:

In other words, Will is not a second Eleven, but is instead a conduit to the hive mind, using Vecna’s strength against him. His powers depend on proximity to the hive, and they only exist because Vecna once hooked him into it. Had Will never been taken in Season 1, this never would have happened.

The Duffers also confirmed that Will’s emotional arc is central to why he unlocks these abilities now. His biggest shift is internal. His connection to Robin, his growing acceptance of himself, and Mike’s encouragement all feed into this breakthrough. Ross Duffer noted that the early drafts of Episode 4 were missing that emotional clarity, which is why the team added the home movie flashback montage. It visualizes Will’s change in a way the story needed.

And Vecna’s mistake? Matt Duffer says the villain simply underestimates Will, as many characters have since the beginning. That will not hold for long, especially as we head into Volume 2's release, with episodes 5, 6 and 7 dropping for everyone with a Netflix subscription on Christmas, December 25.

Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS ARE AHEAD for the first volume of Stranger Things Season 5, available streaming now with a Netflix subscription.

The long wait of Stranger Things fans to see how Hawkins could recover from the catastrophic Season 4 finale has ended, and there were plenty of new disasters for the fifth season. The fourth episode of Volume 1, released ahead of Thanksgiving in the 2025 TV schedule, included a large-scale assault of Demogorgons on the MAC-Z , with soldiers dying en masse while Will, Mike, Joyce, and a band of kids were just trying to survive. By the end, I was reminded of what the Duffer Brothers said about the show’s “most violent death,” and I think I know who it was.

Ahead of the Season 5 premiere, the Duffers spoke with The Times about the increased amount of violence as the series continued over the past decade. They said:

• Ross Duffer: "The goal was always to scale up each series with the age of the characters and our audience. But then we keep getting new audiences. Hopefully parents don’t get too mad at us."
• Matt Duffer: "I would say season five is not as violent as season four, but it has the most violent death of any season."

When I first read those quotes from Ross and Matt Duffer, I had a hard time imagining how a death could get any more violent than what we saw happen to Vecna’s victims in Season 4. Even the sounds of those bone-breaking deaths were scary! But after the fourth installment of Season 5’s first volume, called "Sorcerer," there was one demise that I think was gruesome enough to qualify, and it happened to this unlucky man around the 1:13:45 mark of the episode:

The soldier had the dubious honor of being killed by Vecna himself rather than shredded by a Demogorgon, which was what happened to most of the soldiers at the MAC-Z. The claws of one of the villain’s hands went right into and then out of the soldier’s head, going straight through his eye sockets and leaving him a very bloody mess from the shoulders up.

While the guys who Vecna lit on fire with their own flamethrowers and soldiers who were blown up by their own grenades after Vecna pulled the pins might have suffered more than the man who was speared through the face (and probably died immediately), I would say that Vecna’s hands-on kill of the soldier who was trying to crawl away is the one that was gruesome enough to possibly qualify as “most violent death of any season.”

Sure, there are still four episodes left of Season 5, with the finale boasting a run time of a little over two hours, so there is time for some deaths that will be more violent than the unfortunate fellow at the MAC-Z. Still, I’m going to name him the #1 candidate after Volume 1, and I’m at least happy that none of the major characters were killed off to become candidates themselves. (Karen would have been a contender if she hadn’t survived her encounter with a Demogorgon.)

There’s still Volume 2 and the series finale that everybody needs to survive, however, and there are surely going to be many more casualties before the final credits roll. The release schedule for the remaining episodes is a bit odd, as fans will have to wait a month after Volume 1 for Volume 2 on Christmas Day, and then under a week for the finale on New Year’s Eve, with just hours to spare before the start of the 2026 TV schedule. For now, you can always watch and rewatch every episode of Stranger Things so far on Netflix.

Stranger Things is heading back to the small screen very soon and is one of the most exciting titles on the 2025 TV schedule. It’s been over three years since the previous season, as the fifth and final season has had a lot of setbacks due to scheduling and the 2023 Writers Strike. There is excitement about the release date drawing closer but also some fan concern, as some are worried about how much central cast has aged in the last few years. Thankfully, series creators the Duffer Brothers aren’t too concerned.

The twin filmmakers recently spoke to Variety and opened up about some of the flak they've been getting over the cast aging throughout the show's various hiatuses. Historically, gaps between Stranger Things seasons have led to the cast looking much older between installments (when, at this point, only a few years have passed within the show's actual timeline). This is the biggest gap yet, but the Duffer Brothers are set that things aren’t as glaring as a person might argue. Matt Duffer said:

Of course, it's fair to say that in certain respects, the aging differences are evident. Ross Duffer also acknowledged that:

There was notably a COVID shutdown that affected production and led to parts of Season 4 being shot a year apart. A year is a lot of time with a young cast, as voices can change and teenagers rapidly grow up. Sadie Sink was in her late teens at the time, which benefited the team greatly as there wasn’t as big of a difference as there would have been if the cast was still middle school age. Fans not being able to catch this change bodes well for the upcoming season, especially as aging slows down once you are out of the puberty phase, which most of the cast is. Matt Duffer explained this, saying:

Puberty definitely is the biggest factor on child actors seemingly growing into teenagers overnight. The Duffer Brothers even noted that they shot with a new child actor in the upcoming season whose voice started dropping while they were shooting and they had to adjust with technology. Now, that the primary cast members are past this stage of adolescence, there likely won’t be as stark of a difference like there was between Seasons 2 and 3.

Basically, it seems like fans won’t have anything to worry about with the cast aging. Yes, they admittedly are all in their early 20s now, as it’s not uncommon for 20 year old actors to play teenagers in Hollywood. But, as they've grown, the show has also taken on darker themes as was the case with Season 4. That direction seems to also be present within Stranger Things Season 5. Details are still under wraps, but I’m excited for what’s to come!

Check out Volume 1 of Stranger Things Season 5, which drops on November 26th for Netflix subscription holders. The season is set to be released in three parts, with subsequent drops on December 25th and December 31st. For more information on other exciting titles coming to the streamer later this year, make sure to consult the 2025 Netflix release schedule.

After waiting well over three years, Stranger Things Season 5 is only a week away from premiering on the 2025 TV schedule. Still, considering what a monumental effort it’s been to make each season of the science fiction/horror series, it’s rather fitting that we’ve had to wait the same amount of time as often passes between two blockbusters from the same film series. Stranger Things episodes are also quite lengthy, although while setting the record straight on the runtimes for the Netflix subscription-exclusive show’s final episodes, creators Matt and Ross Duffer had a disagreement about where the “movie-length” rumors started.

Stranger Things Season 5’s release is being broken into three parts, with the first four episodes coming out on November 26, the next three following on December 25, and the series finale releasing on December 31. The Duffer Brothers were asked during an interview with Collider how long the last four episodes would be, which resulted in the following exchange:

• Matt:  I mean, episode four is on the longer side, an hour 20. I think the only episode that breaks an hour and a half is the final episode, which is two hours.
• Ross: A little over two hours.
• Matt: I don't know exactly how they got out that every episode was gonna be a movie, but --
• Ross: I think we said it.
• Matt: No. Let's dig up that evidence, I don't think I said it.
• Ross: I think we may have said, we did not say it was movie length, we said like a movie.
• Matt: The season is like a mega movie.

We learned how long the first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5 would be last month, and while Chapter Four does indeed clock in at 83 minutes, the other three will respectively be 68 minutes, 54 minutes and 66 minutes. While the runtimes for Chapters 5-7 remain a mystery, they won’t surpass the series finale’s two-hour length, which is 30 minutes less than the Season 4 finale. Like I said, Stranger Things is quite the time commitment, but only the finale is going to actually be movie-length.

Evidently there was a miscommunication between The Duffer Brothers and certain Stranger Things fans when Ross said earlier this year Season 5 is like “eight blockbuster movies.” To be fair, they did clarify what they meant by that statement not long after, in that the episodes will feel like they’re movie-quality. So for anyone who didn’t receive that memo, Matt Duffer is hopeful you won’t be disappointed by these shorter-than-presumed runtimes, saying:

Matt Duffer then added that it would have been too overwhelming to make every episode of Stranger Things Season 5 two hours or more. Or as he specifically put it:

Well we don’t want that! Judging by the Stranger Things Season 5 previews, these eight episode certainly look like they’ll make the final showdown with Vecna and the forces of the Upside Down a cinematic-quality event. To tweak an old saying, runtime is just a number, so fans needn’t worry about this final chapter not getting the attention it deserved.

The end is near for Stranger Things, as Season 5 will mark the conclusion of the hit Netflix show. At present, there’s a considerable amount of speculation floating around in regard to what lies ahead for the likes of Eleven, Mike, Hopper, Joyce and co. However, something that’s not up for debate is the fact that this is indeed the final chapter for the Hawkins, Indiana characters, specifically. That confirmation comes from series creators Matt and Ross Duffer, and they have good reasons for closing the book on their protagonists.

Known collectively as the Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things’ pair of creators are quite shrewd when it comes to their storytelling. The pair recently spoke with SFX Magazine on CinemaBlend to discuss some of the finer details of their show’s final season, which will soon hit the 2025 TV schedule. The brothers eventually addressed the notion of producing another installment in this franchise starring these same characters, and Ross shut down that notion:

For me, it’s great when creatives tell a specific story and know when it’s time to conclude it. The Duffers seem to be of the mindset that they’ve told the tale they want to tell and want to make sure it ends on a definitive note. Honestly, that’s something I truly appreciate, especially in an entertainment landscape that’s populated by long-running franchises and TV shows that can sometimes overstay their welcomes. While Matt Duffer apparently joked with the cast about doing more, he’s not seriously considering a direct sequel series:

Fans of the Hawkins characters will get to revisit them, though, thanks to the animated Tales from ‘85 spinoff, which takes place between the events of the second and third seasons. Also, a live-action spinoff is also reportedly in the works, with cast member Finn Wolfhard having sussed out that it’ll be an anthology series of sorts that doesn’t focus on Eleven and co. So, while this IP will expand, fans shouldn’t get their hopes up that they’ll see any of the core characters again following their final battle with the evil Vecna.

The much hyped Stranger Things series finale also marks the end of a chapter for the Duffer Brothers in a number of respects. The conclusion of their hit show also coincides with their decision to leave Netflix for a new deal at Paramount, where they’ll develop TV shows as well as movies that’ll be released theatrically. When it comes to any further ST offshoots, the brothers will serve as EPs, which seemingly indicates they’ll have less involvement. That may seem like a bummer but, at the very least, I’m pleased that they’ve reached the point at which they’re ready to bid a fond farewell to the primary characters they’ve been tracking.

Netflix subscription holders should prepare themselves, as Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 1 arrives on November 26. Volume 2 will then be released on December 25 with the series finale arriving on December 31.

It won't be much longer before fans will be watching the beginning of Stranger Things Season 5 with a Netflix subscription and seeing the final chapter of the acclaimed series unfold. As expected, the war between humanity and the Upside Down is going to be big. Fortunately, for the residents of Hawkins, Indiana, Millie Bobby Brown's Eleven is getting a considerable boost in power, with one of the EPs even making a Star Wars connection while explaining it.

Eleven's telekinetic abilities have always been impressive, and they've aided her and her allies on various occasions over the course of ST. What we'll see in Season 5, however, seems to be unlike anything that's come before. As for the extent of those abilities, Matt Duffer spoke to Empire and referred to a certain fictional power within the galaxy far, far away to describe El's abilities:

Eleven's powers were further illustrated by an exclusive photo shared with Empire. The pic shows the teen jumping over a school bus with ease, and that's something she definitely couldn't do in previous seasons. In fact, up to this point, she's only been able to accomplish smaller telekinetic feats through most of Stranger Things, and the act of doing so drained her. So it's intriguing to hear Matt Duffer compare her new skills to the the Force.

That said, reliving the trauma of the Nina project helped El unlock many of the abilities she lost, and she may have been able to tap into more techniques as well. Despite that, however, he noted that Stranger Things fans shouldn't expect her to become some massive force of nature. Ross Duffer acknowledged El's upgrade but also used two specific heroes to illustrate what she won't be like:

In spite of that, based on what we've seen in Stranger Things final season trailer so far, Eleven mirrors Luke Skywalker following his training with Yoda. This is to say, she's strong enough to take down Jabba's palace handily, but she might need backup to take down someone of the caliber of Emperor Palpatine. Palpatine, in this case, is Vecna, who is using the Mind Flayer and other forces to change the world.

Fortunately, Eleven has more than enough backup in the form of her friends, all of whom are seen in the trailer doing their part to try and save the day in Stranger Things. The Duffer Brothers think they have a tear-jerker of a finale on their hands, which may mean we may end this series with a few members of the gang meeting their ultimate fates by the end of the show.

The good news is that the ST finale is still a ways off, as the runtime of Volume 1 alone exceeds four hours in length. The first batch of episodes is set to drop on November 26th, just in time for families in the United States to gather for Thanksgiving. It should make for some good talk around the dinner table, including discussions of Jedi comparisons involving El.

It's wild to think Stranger Things' return is not that far away, especially after how long fans have waited to see this final season! Kill what time remains by checking out other upcoming Netflix shows as they arrive, and get ready for what should be a wild time.

We've been waiting for the final season of Stranger Things for years, and now it's going to go out with a bang on the big screen. You read that right, one of the best shows on Netflix will take its final episode to theaters, and it sounds like it's going to be an emotional experience. That's because the Duffer Brothers said we're going to need our tissues for this one, and I'm already stressing out about why they'd say that.

When it was revealed that Season 5 would be the last season of Stranger Things, I wanted to rip the bandage off and learn how this story ended. However, the wait lasted years due to long production and setbacks, like the strikes. Now, though, we're finally getting the last episodes, and I already figured we were going to be crying during them. However, the show's creators emphasizing that point in their latest post makes me extra nervous.

The Duffer Brothers Posted About The Emotional Stranger Things Finale Being Released In Theaters

Just like New Year’s Eve marks the end of a great year, Stranger Things 5 signals the end of an amazing Netflix run. By putting these two big events together, the streamer is giving the 2025 Netflix release the biggest series finale it's ever had, as the two-hour episode will also play in theaters on December 31 and January 1. The Duffer Brothers took to Instagram to share in the excitement, but I’m also concerned about one teasing aspect in their caption:

Based on Ross Duffer’s cryptic post, we’re guaranteed to cry during the finale?! I mean, I knew it would be an emotional experience for anyone who’s seen Mike, Eleven, Dustin, Lucas, Will and Max grow up. Even the young cast's heartfelt tributes about production wrapping got me in my feels. But in terms of any plot points that’ll bring me to tears, I’m already feeling my anxiety spiking after reading this message.

My Theories About Why The Stranger Things Finale Will Leave Me In Tears

Having to say goodbye to some of TV’s fan-favorite characters already had me prepping to stock up on tissues in time for the finale. But with the Duffer Bros. saying tears are an expected reaction for what we’re about to see, I'm starting to think up theories about what might happen.

One theory I have is based on Ross Duffer’s photo of the picture Max drew for Lucas of the two going on a date. Sadly, her brave sacrifice into the Upside Down to take down Vecna led to her bones breaking, her eyes being gouged, and now she's in a coma. Now, I'm wondering if her story could somehow get even more tragic.

The streaming series creators’ previous Season 5 comments about Max and possibly Lucas have me worried that their movie date will never happen. All we know is that she’ll be in a “heartbreaking” scene, and it will involve her running. Maybe Max or Lucas will sacrifice themselves for one another? Considering Ross Duffer posted this particular emotional photo to reflect his teasing caption, something tells me the story of Max and Lucas will be a tear-jerking one.

However, one long-held theory I’ve always had about Stranger Things’ ending has to do with Will. Noah Schnapp hyped the final season by saying the story started with Will, so it will end with Will. Each significant moment from the character’s history showed how everything started when he was taken by the Demigorgon in Season 1, and he's been haunted by the Upside Down ever since. So, I could imagine Will Byers making the ultimate sacrifice in being the one to defeat Vecna, all to keep his friends (especially Mike) alive.

I can come up with a bunch of theories about why the Duffer Bros. think we’ll be reduced to tears for Stranger Things 5’s finale. But, I look back to what Hopper’s David Harbour said about calling the ending “satisfying” compared to “happy or sad.” No matter what tragedies fall on Hawkins and its residents, I have a feeling fans will be happy to see how everything is tied up with a closure that will make saying goodbye a lot easier.

However, that doesn't mean saying goodbye won't come with a few tears.

So, grab your tissues, because the first four episodes of Stranger Things 5 will be available with a Netflix subscription on November 26th. And don’t forget to check your showtimes to watch the series finale episode in theaters on New Year's Eve.

Stranger Things Season 5 is nearly here, and it’ll close out an action-packed, scary and emotional ride fans have been on for nearly a decade. Of course, steering the ship have been brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, who not only co-created the show but also serve as writers, directors and EPs. The Duffers put a lot of time and care into their craft, and they’ve proven themselves to be shrewd storytellers. Even with that, though, I was surprised to hear how Christopher Nolan and his Batman films influenced the Duffers’ work on their show.

Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy has been cited as a cultural touchstone by filmmakers and general audiences alike. Still, I never would’ve guessed the Duffers were among those who followed in Nolan’s footsteps from a creative standpoint. SFX Magazine on CinemaBlend dropped a previously unreleased Duffer Brothers interview from the archives, and they discussed some of their influences. As part of that piece, Matt revealed his and Ross’ Nolan-style way of approaching each ST season:

The Oppenheimer helmer is indeed someone who’s motivated by creative inspiration more so than box office bonuses. Each of his DC films – Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises – have received varying levels of praise. However, all three are firmly unique from each other in specific ways. Likewise, each season of Stranger Things also has its own unique vibe, though all four of them are perfectly in sync narratively and aesthetically. I’d say the Duffers were correct to follow Nolan’s lead.

If there’s any other way in which Ross and Matt Duffer have emulated Christopher Nolan, it’s in the way they seek to make their productions so cinematic. Nolan obviously makes big-screen epics, with his latest being his upcoming adaptation of The Odyssey. Still, the Duffers manage to create thrills on ST that could easily play on a big screen and, if reports are to be believed, that’s going to happen soon. Sources claim Netflix is negotiating a deal that would allow the show’s series finale to be shown in AMC Theaters locations.

That purported agreement would just be the first step in a new cinema-related era for the Duffers. It was reported this year that the twins would be leaving Netflix after the expiration of their deal in early 2026, and they’ll be heading over to Paramount. As part of that new four-year agreement, the Duffers will not only produce TV productions but also feature films that will be made exclusively for theatrical release. The two siblings’ biggest regret regarding Stranger Things is the fact that it consumed so much of their time and left them unable to tell other stories. Now, they’re not only in a position to tell fresh tales but to also make their own mark on the history of cinema.

Ahead of that, though, the Duffers still have to cross the finish line with Stranger Things. The cast and crew, including co-star Finn Wolfhard, expressed concerns about the finale, given the backlash to Game of Thrones’ final episode. However, if anyone can stick the landing, it would be Matt and Ross Duffer. Let’s hope they deliver a conclusion to this show that’s as satisfying as the third acts of the best Christopher Nolan movies.

The first volume of Stranger Things Season 5 will be available to Netflix subscription holders on November 26, and the second arrives on December 25. As for the series finale, that’ll drop on December 31 and essentially close out the 2025 TV schedule.

We’re just over two months away from finally learning the ultimate fate of Hawkins, Indiana and its monster-fighting residents, as Stranger Things Season 5 is at last set to make its debut via Netflix subscription for fans who’ve been waiting literal years for new episodes. The holiday-based drops already seemed targeted to lure in viewers on vacation from work and school, and now it’s being reported Netflix aims to truly go for the gold by bringing the sci-fi horror series back to theaters!

Specifically, the streaming giant is allegedly looking to give Stranger Things’ presumably epic series finale its time to shine on the big screen, at least according to Puck (via ComicBook.com). Nothing official has been locked down or announced just yet, but the Hollywood scooper claims that it’s only a matter of time before ongoing conversations are made official, and that the goal is for it to be a multi-chain approach, saying:

Okay, a New Year’s Eve theatrical premiere for Stranger Things’ final episode would almost definitely amount to the biggest event of the 2025 TV schedule and beyond, even if it’s just a one-night affair. It might seem like a ballsy move to plan finale screenings before audiences have seen and judged the preceding seven episodes, especially given many fans’ lack of excitement for new episodes due to the extended hiatus between seasons.

On the other hand, this is one of the biggest TV shows of all time, so it’d be naive to think that fans wouldn’t show up, especially for such a momentous installment. This plan would sound way more suspect if the goal was only to have the fourth episode screened. But everyone and their mother’s BFF will be dying to know how things end after Eps. 5-7 go live on Christmas, so the finale is indeed the ideal choice, and I can only imagine how much money will come rolling in.

Assuming this all does go down as expected, the real question will be how heavily Stranger Things screenings will affect the usual New Year's Eve festivities across the rest of the country. Depending on the timing, theaters could very well be more packed than bars and Times Square in the hours before 2026 arrives in earnest.

That ep is reportedly one of the two longest of the season, though reportedly still less than 90 minutes, at least going by Matt Duffer's recent debunking of the runtime rumors. Still feature-length, technically, but not so long that fans will be as old as the cast when they exit the theater.

Didn't Netflix Already Turn The Duffers' Theatrical Plans For Stranger Things Down?

This is hardly the first time that Matt and Ross Duffer have attempted to bring their work to the big screen, and it's something fans have been wanting for ages. A recent report from Variety indicated that Netflix still had no desire to go bigger than usual with Stranger Things' final episodes, but those interviews took place during a set visit back in July 2024, long before KPop Demon Hunters proved itself a chart-topper both in streaming and in the box office.

Those comments were also made before the Duffer brothers revealed they signed a massive overall deal with Paramount, as the company supports their goal of making movies for theaters, which Netflix did not. So it's possible that Netflix wants to take advantage of this experiment while it still can, so that perhaps the same process can happen with the upcoming spinoff(s).

Not all updates are positive, such as Matt Duffer no doubt shattering lots of hearts with the reveal that Joseph Quinn will not be back for Season 5. But maybe Netflix can hire him to be a ticket-taker for the night....

Stay tuned for more updates on Stranger Things' potential theatrical future, and be sure to catch the first four episodes when they arrive on Thursday, November 27.

The end of an era will soon be upon those who have a Netflix subscription. The long-awaited Stranger Things Season 5 is wrapping up this sci-fi/horror saga that began nearly a decade ago, with eight final episodes being released between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve on the 2025 TV schedule. But Matt and Ross Duffer, who created Stranger Things, are already well into reminiscing mode, and they shared one regret about the show that they needed to learn to live with going forward.

The Duffer Brothers admitted in an interview with Variety that in addition to things like the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2023 writers and actors strikes delaying Stranger Things Season 5’s arrival, “immersion” was also a self-imposed problem of theirs. They were insistent on directing as much of the series as possible and ended up helming 24 of the 42 episodes, including the series finale. However, this prevented them on working on other things, with Matt saying:

A show with as massive scale as Stranger Things was always going to be a time-intensive undertaking. These episodes are essentially mini-movies, and the Season 4 finale was even feature-length, clocking in at two hours and 22 minutes. And yet, while Matt may regret not delegating more work to others to allow for him and Ross to delve into other stories, Ross realizes that Stranger Things was a prime opportunity for them in the early years of streaming. As he put it:

It’s no secret that Stranger Things is one of Netflix’s biggest successes, with Season 4 being the first English-language series being the first to cross 1 billion hours streamed. Keeping that in mind, Matt added that it was ultimately their decision to stick with Stranger Things for the long haul, and it was the right call:

It’s worth noting that even after Stranger Things ends, The Duffer Brothers won’t be done with Netflix. They’re “heavily creatively involved” in the live-action Stranger Things spinoff that’s in development, and two shows from their Upside Down Pictures banner, The Boroughs and the animated Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, are both set to premiere in the first half of 2026. However, they’ve signed also signed a new deal with Paramount and are intent to work on “original stuff” rather than jump into existing IP.

That next stage of their careers kicks off when their arrangement at Netflix ends in April. Before that, Stranger Things fans can look forward to Season 5’s first four episodes premiering on November 26, followed by the next three episodes on December 25, and then the series final on December 31.

Thanksgiving parades, NFL games, and New Year’s Eve countdowns could potentially see a sizable dip in viewership thanks to Netflix splitting Stranger Things Season 5 up across three, holiday-centric release dates. I’d long thought that trifurcated approach was near necessary, due to the size and scope of the final episodes, with Maya Hawke saying early on they were filming eight movies essentially. More recent rumors indicated every installment was at least 90 minutes long, and I can’t exactly say I was 1000% enthusiastic about that eventuality.

Thankfully, at least for yours truly, co-creator Ross Duffer took to Instagram to not only address those runtime reports, but also to straight up debunk them. It wasn’t an entire top-to-bottom debunking, mind you, as he only pulled back the curtain on Volume 1's four episodes. Still, it was enough to spark some relief for me and other time-restrained fans with Netflix subscriptions.

Here's the breakdown for the first rollout:

• Chapter One: The Crawl - 68 minutes
• Chapter Two: The Vanishing Of... - 54 minutes
• Chapter Three: The Turnbow Trap - 66 minutes
• Chapter Four: Sorcerer - 83 minutes
• TOTAL VOLUME ONE RUNTIME: 4 hours, 31 minutes (271 minutes)

Even though those runtimes are still pretty lofty, and would be downright ludicrous when applied to a lot of other streaming shows, I could only breath in sighs of relief after that Duffer brothers-approved reveal. I've been a huge fan of Stranger Things technically since before the first season was released, thanks to screeners, so I'm generally more excited than others whose excitement for the final season is waning or is altogether depleted due to the three-year stretch since Season 4.

The Duffers don’t like yearly TV seasons, and though their comments on that matter sparked more than a few opinionated reactions online, at least that helps justify why they've been so comfortable keeping fans waiting. Granted, the writers strike was a big factor this time around, but even if it hadn't happened, complaints about the actors being far older than their characters would still exist.

Some might argue that the actors wouldn't have aged so much if the seasons wouldn't take so long to come together, which wouldn't happen if the episodes didn't so often push beyond traditional runtimes. Although in that scenario, the Duffer brothers could very well just opt to produce twice the number of episodes.

No reason to delve into hypothetical scenarios, however, since we now know exactly how long the first half of Stranger Things' final season will be, and I know I'm not the only one out here who'll spend Turkey Day giving thanks for overblown rumors that get proven to be untrue.

Check out Ross Duffer's IG post below, which earned quite a few relieved and thankful comments. Sure, there were others, but I'd prefer to just believe everyone's on my side here.

The Duffers have shared previously that the fourth and eighth episodes are the longest ones of the season, which necessarily means that Chapters 5, 6, and 7 will all be shorter than 83 minutes. So unless the final final edits go wildly against expectation, none of the final season's installments will be longer than 90 minutes. Which is exactly how it should be.

Stranger Things' first four Season 5 chapters will hit Netflix's 2025 lineup starting on Thursday, November 27.

A new era is dawning for Matt and Ross Duffer, the sibling producers behind the hit series that is Stranger Things. It was announced this past August that the Duffer Brothers would leave Netflix after agreeing to an overall deal with Paramount Pictures. The pair of EPs seem excited about the move and have since discussed that decision as well as some of their thoughts on the entertainment landscape. With that, Matt recently revealed why he’s not big on new seasons of shows being released annually, and I respectfully disagree.

Why Don’t The Duffers Like TV Shows Dropping New Seasons Every Year?

The Duffers recently appeared at Variety’s Entertainment and Technology Summit, where they opened up about taking their talents to Paramount Pictures. An aspect of the move that’s most notable is that it’ll see the twin producers develop original movies that will have theatrical releases. Still, the agreement will also include TV projects, but fans probably shouldn’t expect lengthy seasons or for episodes to arrive every year. Matt shed some light on his and his brothers’ perspective on that:

So, in other words, the Duffers have a preference for what have become known as event series, which is what Stranger Things is. There may be multiple seasons, but each one features a short run of episodes with a very specific storyline. It’s also typical that such episodes don’t come out on an annual basis. Such a method of storytelling also runs in stark contrast to the traditional network TV model, which has historically involved 22 to 24-episode seasons every year.

Ross and Matt Duffer also confirmed the shows they’ll make over at Paramount will have “eight-to-10 episode seasons.” With that, I’d also wager that like ST, those shows will have significant gaps between seasons. Considering the Duffers have found success in working that way and given their relationship with TV, it makes sense that they’d want to stick with that method of production. Still, I’m not so keen on the notion that releasing new episodes yearly isn’t ideal.

Why Do I Disagree With The Comments Matt Duffer Shared?

Honestly, I can’t say for sure what Matt Duffer specifically considers to be a “diminishing return” for annual TV seasons. However, based on how he laid it out, I took it as him implying that viewers might lose interest in a particular show if new episodes are constantly churned out. I think it does the polar opposite, as I think a consistent release of episodes helps keep an audience hooked, especially when it comes to streaming shows. I actually think two or three-year gaps in between seasons can hurt a series, as some viewers may lose interest during that time, especially given how much content is now available in this marketplace.

With all that said, there are still plenty of people who are hyped for Stranger Things Season 5, and that show has remained consistently popular since it debuted for Netflix subscription holders in 2016. However, very few shows are able to penetrate pop culture in the way that the Duffers’ show has. I also understand that given the scale of ST, it’s a show that takes a while to craft. However, it’s still wild to say that over nine years after its premiere, the sci-fi, horror series will end with only five seasons and a total of only 42 episodes.

I may just be old fashioned, though, as there are those who don’t mind long waits for new seasons of their favorite shows. Still, I just feel as though yearly releases would be great for streaming shows. I’m also a fan of the traditional network model, which sees TV shows drop new seasons in the fall, run through the following spring and then start all over again.

My thoughts on the Duffers’ views aside, I remain excited to see what they produce next whether it be at Paramount or Netflix. At the streamer, the siblings still have Stranger Things productions in the works as well as the supernatural show The Boroughs along with horror series Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen. Of course, their most highly anticipated title remains ST Season 5, and Part 1 premieres on November 26. Part 2 follows on December 25, with the finale debuting on December 31.

The highly anticipated fifth season of Stranger Things will close out the beloved science-fiction/horror show’s run, marking the conclusion of an era. Now, however, that acclaimed show isn’t all that’s coming to an end as far as the streamer is concerned. Matt and Ross Duffer – the creators of ST – are officially leaving Netflix and headed for Paramount. While the deal signifies an exciting new step for the Duffers from a creative standpoint, it leaves me concerned about potential Stranger spinoffs for one reason.

The Duffer Brothers Agree To A Deal With Paramount

Up until this point, it had only been reported that the Duffer Brothers were planning to exit Netflix, though now it’s been confirmed. THR reports that the famous siblings inked a four-year deal with Paramount (which recently merged with Skydance) that’ll encompass TV, film and streaming productions. However, it’s said that the Duffers are most excited about the prospect of being able to “write, produce, and direct large-scale theatrical films.” Matt and Ross released a statement in which they expressed their excitement about the deal:

The Duffers also shouted out Netflix, thanking the leadership team for their support and calling their tenure – which will end when their current deal expires in April 2026 – “incredible.” Paramount will allow the brothers the opportunity to develop new IPs, which will be produced through their Upside Down Pictures production banner. While I’m excited by the prospect of the Duffers being able to move on to new endeavors, I am concerned about what this means for the proposed Stranger Things spinoffs.

Why I'm Concerned About Stranger Things Spinoffs

As it stands, aside from Stranger Things Season 5, the Duffers have two other confirmed shows still happening at Netflix. Those productions are the wild-sounding sci-fi series The Boroughs and horror series Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen. Also, an animated ST spinoff has been ordered, and it’s been alleged that more offshoots are on the way. However, as noted by THR, Matt and Ross Duffer will only serve as executive producers on any future installments in the franchise, meaning they’ll likely have less creative input.

One of the major reasons why the Duffers’ massive IP has been so successful is because of the amount of time and effort they personally put into making it work. Not only are they the creators of Stranger Things but, across all five seasons, they’ve written and directed episodes as well. As executive producers on future shows, it’s very likely that the Duffers won’t be involved in the day-to-day work that would go into any of the shows. The fact that the pair have their sights set on making big movies makes me even less optimistic about the chances of them being heavily involved in Stranger shows.

In terms of the content of the Stranger Things spinoffs themselves, one of them is the animated show subtitled Tales from ‘85, which sees the characters fighting off new monsters in the town of Hawkins, Indiana. That show is set to debut sometime in 2026. As for the live-action spinoff, details on that are scarce at the moment. However, cast member Finn Wolfhard has already sussed out the Duffers idea, and he’s even correctly compared it to Twin Peaks.

We’ll just have to wait and see what lies ahead for the Stranger Things franchise without any heavy involvement from the Duffer Brothers. More immediately, make sure you have a Netflix subscription, so you’ll be able to stream Season 5, Part 1 when it drops on November 26 amid the 2025 TV schedule.

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.

The long wait for Stranger Things Season 5 continues, and the promise that the final season will arrive in the 2025 TV schedule for fans with a Netflix subscription doesn't mean that the better part of a year isn't still left of the long break. That doesn't mean we should all mope in enough doom and gloom to fill the Upside Down, though, and I'm particularly rejuvenated after what the Duffer Brothers said to clarify their comment about "eight blockbuster films on the way."

Matt and Ross Duffer were honored at SCAD TVfest in Atlanta with the Variety Showrunner Award for their work as creators, writers, directors, executive producers, and – of course – showrunners of the Netflix show that became a worldwide phenomenon. The ceremony also happened to occur just a week after Ross hyped up a crowd a a Netflix event (via EW), saying "It's like eight blockbuster movies" and "It's pretty, pretty insane."

Considering the length of some of the episodes of Season 4 and particularly the Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2 ending, I doubt many fans were surprised by the idea that the final season's episodes could be blockbuster-length! In the discussion following their SCAD TVfest award – which was presented to them with a lovely speech from cast member Caleb McLaughlin, a.k.a. Lucas – the brothers gave some background to those comments, stating that it just "sounded like a good sound bite" and acknowledging that they "do write quite long episodes." Matt Duffer went on:

While blockbuster films are certainly fun and there are even those among us who would happily watch eight movies in a row, that's not really what the Duffer Brothers want to accomplish with the final season. Even though working on the special effects is what they expect to take the longest in 2025, viewers "deeply" caring about the characters in a long-running, serialized TV show matters more.

Of course, most shows don't need ten years to release five seasons, and the Duffers agreed that it blows their minds to see the kids who grew up on set as adults now. After all, the Eleven actress is married now with a list of upcoming Millie Bobby Brown projects, and even I couldn't believe from the SCAD TVfest audience how adult Caleb McLaughlin looked when he was giving his speech before presenting the Showrunner Award. (Admittedly, he is 23 and several years older than his Stranger Things character.) Matt Duffer went on:

The Duffer Brothers haven't been spoiling many details about Season 5, so I'm going to hold on to the morsel of them mentioning flashbacks to Season 1! It's certainly better than nothing, and I'm already more excited about the final season after the clarification that it's not really going to feel like eight blockbuster films. This is a TV show, after all, and fans haven't been watching for four seasons just because of movie-length episodes. In fact, the first two seasons are arguably the most beloved, and they were the least cinematic of the four.

And in more good news, the brothers confirmed that they started back in January on the "digital effects sequences," and it's going well enough that they're "actually ahead of schedule, which is rare for us." So, whether than means the final season will be ready in time for the nine-year anniversary of Season 1 in July, by November as a nod to when the first season took place, or December 31st at 12:01 a.m., the goal of 2025 seems reachable.

For now, fans can always revisit the first four seasons streaming on Netflix. With how long the fourth season episodes really were, they can be rewatched at leisure without needing to binge and avoid any spoilers this time around!

The end of an era is coming soon, and now we’re one massive step closer to it, as Season 5 of Stranger Things just wrapped its production. In celebration of this big update that also solidified the fact that our final trip to the Upside Down will be part of the 2025 TV schedule, Netflix posted the sweetest BTS photos while Ross Duffer uploaded a sentimental statement about finishing filming. Now, as we mix all that and the nostalgia together, I’m left sitting here in my feels.

This trip down memory lane that also has me stoked about what’s to come began with a co-post from the official Stranger Things account and the series’ co-creator Ross Duffer. It featured a handful of behind-the-scenes photos (which you can see below) of the kids with Winona Ryder, the Duffer Brothers, the Steve, Nancy and Jonathan actors, and so much more.

Admittedly the one that really got me was the final image of Maya Hawke, Joe Keery, Finn Wolfhard and Charlie Heaton. They’re all smiling so big, and seeing the Robin, Steve and Mike actors with their arms around each other makes me all emo.

Plus, just generally seeing the kids all grown up with their older co-stars puts all this in perspective. The young actors are taller than most of their colleagues now, and they’re all also adults, which is wild to think about. And it’s crazy to comprehend this fact both in terms of their lives and my own, because like them, I was a kid when Season 1 came out.

So, we’ve all truly been on a wild ride over the years with Stranger Things, and Ross Duffer’s statement about wrapping touched on that too, as he wrote in part in his Instagram post:

After a year of production and over two years of waiting, it’s surreal to think that Season 5 of Stranger Things is completely filmed and way closer to being released.

Now, the wait for its premiere on Netflix’s 2025 schedule is really on, and that makes me feel excited, nostalgic, sad and a myriad of other emotions. This is all because between getting the Season 5 episode titles and seeing Duffer’s post along with these BTS photos, it really feels like we’re in the endgame now.

To contextualize that statement, we’ve been waiting for Season 5 since the summer of 2022 – that was the year I started working at CinemaBlend. Season 1 came out in 2016 – my senior year of high school. My life has changed dramatically since the show's premiere, and I can't help but feel so much nostalgia and bittersweet sentiment for this journey we've all been on.

I imagine a bunch of Stranger Things fans are looking back on how their lives have changed while this show has been on too, and if they’re like me, they’re in their feels. So much has evolved both in Hawkins and in real life, and it genuinely feels like the end of a major chapter now that this Netflix megahit is coming to a close next year.

So, while I make sure I’m stocked up on tissues for what’s bound to be an action-packed and emotional season of one of Netflix’s most binge-able shows, you can go back and watch Stranger Things' first four seasons with a Netflix subscription. Then, as we get closer and closer to this highly anticipated conclusion, make sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend, because we’ll be keeping you updated on all things Upside Down.

For all the extended waiting that fans have to do between seasons, one of the best Netflix shows available to stream at any given time will always be its Hawkins-set horror drama, and fans are desperate for Stranger Things Season 5 to finally arrive. (Even if it’s not on the 2024 TV schedule.) One of the biggest worries among the viewership centers on Sadie Sink’s Max, who was left in a coma by the end of Season 4. Now, the Duffer brothers have further stoked that fear with their latest comments.

Sink herself was interviewed by Variety about her current status as a beloved young Hollywood star, as well as how she’s handled the hurdles that come with fame. Since all eyes will be on her when Stranger Things returns, questions obviously came up regarding fan-favorite Max’s health status, which she teased in a way that made it clear the character will be active, though not in what capacity. Matt and Ross Duffer offered slightly more context, but in a way that make things seem slightly more worrisome for Max and/or possibly Caleb McLaughlin’s Lucas. In their words:

• Matt Duffer: She’s going to play a part in the season
• Ross Duffer: But we don’t want to reveal how that’s possible.
• Matt Duffer: Right, because she’s in a coma. . . . I think she’s grown just more confident as an actor and in her choices. We did film a scene the other day with her that was just absolutely heartbreaking. I don’t know how she hits those notes.

It's quite interesting for Matt Duffer to bring up Max being in a coma in the same conversation as complimenting Sadie Sink for her acting choices. Granted, I guess she could pull off some A+ coma-acting choices that really bring the house down, but it does seem like those scenes will just involve her lying there without much acting involved.

As such, one would have to imagine that whatever the "heartbreaking" scene is that the co-creator mentions, it presumably takes place away from Max's hospital bed. And considering she's already lost her semi-redeemed douchebag brother Billy, I'm not wholly sure what kinds of heartbreaking moments she could experience that wouldn't involve either her or Lucas dealing with something tragic.

So could Matt Duffer have been referring to Lucas being killed off? Or perhaps it's a scene where she has to sacrifice herself for the greater good, and he's referring to her farewells to others. I could probably continue down this trauma-filled path with a bunch of other theories about what could go wrong, but nobody needs that kind of stress this far ahead of Season 5's arrival.

For her part, Sadie Sink only brought up one specific action when referring to her character getting physical in Season 5, and it's an action that speaks directly to Max's favorite tune. Here's how she put it:

Although she did go on to say that the prior week of filming was particularly active, and that it made her forget just how busy things could get. Having such a large cast means quite a bit of downtime for certain actors, depending on what characters are in scenes together. So it sounds like at least one episode will be quite heavy on Max in action. Just hopefully without any heartbreaking stuff involved.

Here's hoping the worst thing that happens is her Walkman breaks. Sure, that would suck, but better to have to buy a new cassette player than to attend a friend's funeral. At least we don’t have to worry about Will’s hair anymore, thanks to his new ‘do. And I guess we don’t have to fret over Stranger Things not having a dedicated line of candles, because it does now.

We’re still waiting on a premiere date for Season 5 of Stranger Things, but check out what the Duffer brothers are working on next in the meantime.

As Stranger Things fans undoubtedly know well by this point, the hit Netflix series is set to wrap with the upcoming fifth and final season. There are plenty of questions that need to be answered before the final credits roll after how Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2 ended... and the show certainly is taking time to get it right with what actress Maya Hawke described as "basically, eight movies." Co-creator Ross Duffer shared some behind-the-scenes images, and even though there are some exciting options, I found one particularly relatable.

The Duffer Brothers have dropped sporadic updates and behind-the-scenes glimpses of Season 5 since production started, but with two years and counting since the most recent episodes released for Netflix subscribers, it's no wonder that even crumbs like a candle line have us fans freaking out. Check out the latest batch of BTS images from Ross Duffer below:

While it's great to see Joe Keery as Steve and I'm already speculating about whether or not that's a tank in the background of the video, the second pic in the photoset is that one that really sums up my feelings about waiting for Season 5. I'm not entirely sure which of the Duffer Brothers is pictured, and I'm only guessing that the other man pictured is executive producer/director Shawn Levy, but how they look is how I'm feeling about the extended hiatus ahead of the fifth season: exhausted and exasperated.

Sure, there are variables like the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike to contribute to the long wait, but I for one would rather have eight episodes that are regular length for TV than upwards of two years for eight movie-length installment! (I reserve the right to completely change my mind on that once Season 5 debuts, though.) I don't take the image of Joseph Quinn as Eddie shredding is a spoiler that he'll be back.

A new video from earlier in July seems to confirm some things about Dustin and the other teens, although I'm still not convinced that we're not in for a big time jump after some pics of Sadie Sink and Caleb McLaughlin were shared by Ross Duffer back in March. There's also no need to try and count the marbles marking the number of days shot; the Stranger Things X account confirmed just a couple of weeks ago that the show was halfway through filming Season 5.

Hopefully we can count on the final season premiering at some point in 2025. I for one wouldn't mind if Netflix releases the season in two batches like Season 4 was, particularly if we're in for eight movie-length episodes. For now, we can always cross our fingers for more tidbits about Season 5 and revisit the first four seasons of Stranger Things on Netflix. There are also plenty of fun options on the way in the 2024 TV schedule, even if the Duffer Brothers' show isn't going to be on it.

Stranger Things’ Season 4 conclusion left several main characters and the town of Hawkins in pure turmoil — to say nothing of the rest of the world at large — and it’s already been a long wait to see how the upcoming Season 5 will close things out for audiences with Netflix subscriptions. All forms of speculation abound, from logical assumptions to baffling guesses, but now co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer have spoken out about one of the most polarizing fan theories: nothing is real, and it’s all part of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. 

As it goes with seemingly every serious drama with a hint of mystery to it, Stranger Things has sparked theories that presume everything we’ve seen in the first four seasons is all just the mental machinations of one or more characters. Which is slightly different from the “the main character was dead the whole time” trope, but not too far off.

Speaking with Metro at the premiere of the critically acclaimed Stranger Things: The First Shadow stage show, the horror-friendly brothers were asked about the bonkers D&D hypothesis, and reportedly giggled quite a bit. Matt Duffer even stoked the fire a bit more with some initial sarcasm, saying:

Thankfully, Ross Duffer followed his sibling up with some quick clarification, lest anyone take the joking confirmation at face value, and essentially soothed the paranoia of anyone dreading the possibility of a dream-based conclusion. In his words:

While The First Shadow stage play is digging back into some of the fan-favorite characters’ pasts to reveal important historical context for Henry/Vecna, Hopper, Joyce and more, Stranger Things’ Season 5 finale will presumably be used as a springboard to launch at least one spinoff. And I can’t imagine that fans would want to see any of these people again if the flagship series ended on a reveal of the O.G. foursome of Dustin, Will, Mike and Lucas sitting around and patting themselves on the back for crafting such imaginative story arcs. Presumably with all of the actors de-aged digitally. 

Speaking of the play, I have to wonder how that whole flashback storyline would make sense to anyone who genuinely buys into the Dungeons & Dragons ending theory. The game wouldn’t have existed in the real world at that point in the timeline. But I’m sure someone has a way to explain it, even if it’s wrong.

The Duffers have revealed which characters’ stories are definitively ending with the fifth batch of episodes, but left the door open for others to enter the conversation. So in that respect, I fully expect the Season 5 finale will leave a few narrative threads left dangling for a follow-up series to pick up.

Stay tuned to learn when those dangling threads will be premiering on Netflix, with Stranger Things Season 5 expected to arrive in late 2025.

Though it may not officially arrive for more than a full year, Stranger Things Season 5 will no doubt be one of the biggest small-screen events of any time period, considering it will be the final outing for many beloved characters. (Though hopefully without many joining the show’s line of major and memorable deaths.) We still aren’t sure exactly what to expect when the Netflix hit returns, at least outside of the first scene tease, but creators Matt and Ross Duffer have shared a potentially cryptic new update.

As it usually goes, the Duffer brothers like to keep details close to the vest when talking about Hawkins’ elite, and they’ve had a whole new project to keep mum about in the form of the London stage play The First Shadow. Speaking with The Guardian about the play and the franchise’s future (both including and beyond the fifth season), Matt Duffer further confirmed which characters’ stories will be concluding with those episodes, but his wording seems to leave the door open for others to return. Here’s how he put it:

Second, Duffer brought up the concept of spinoffs, which is something fans have been clamoring for even before it was revealed Season 5 would be the final run. With Netflix ordering an adult animation follow-up back in April 2023, combined with the stage play, the sky’s the limit for the siblings, and so long as they’re able to balance their Stranger Things efforts with other creative endeavors — such as their adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub’s The Talisman — then we may never say farewell to this universe. 

Which brings us to the third and most important point: the potential for fan-favorite characters to return. While I will allow for possible mixed signals by way of the interview, the fact that Matt Duffer only namechecked four specific characters whose arcs are ending — Eleven, Dustin, Lucas, Hopper — has me curious about whether everyone else is feasibly in the mix for future appearances. 

It’s a no-brainer to understand why Eleven’s story will be wrapping up here, since Millie Bobby Brown’s character has been the crux of both the sci-fi mystery and the more emotional beats. Once everything gets sorted out (he says optimistically) with Vecna and everything in Eleven’s past, it wouldn’t make sense to keep her around as a lead.

The same pretty much goes for Hopper, especially if future spinoffs take the story outside of Hawkins and the police chief’s jurisdiction. And for all that Dustin and Lucas are great, they’re not quite as close to the core narrative as Will and Mike, who could possibly return in some form. (I’d personally love to see a flash-forward show where both of them are adults.) 

For all that I do love speculating about which characters could return in later projects, from Max to Steve to Robin to Murray, I’m currently refusing to consider what Matt Duffer’s words might mean for the fates of the characters he did name. It doesn’t seem plausible for all four to escape with their survival intact, but one can hope. 

While waiting to hear more about the final round, all four previous seasons can be streamed in full with a Netflix subscription, and check out all the great upcoming horror TV shows that’ll get here in the meantime.

Stranger Things fans are still in for an extended wait ahead of Season 5, which still has yet to film once the SAG-AFTRA strike has been resolved. But that doesn’t mean the history of Hawkins and the Upside Down will be ignored completely until Eleven & Co. return for new episodes. On the contrary, the upcoming stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow will offer audiences a brand new prologue chapter for the Netflix series’ evolving narrative. And thankfully, Stranger Things Day 2023 revealed what we were looking for by way of key details about an important new character and more. No word on if this will ever come to the U.S., but I absolutely need it to. 

Let’s take a look at some of the new First Shadow info that was laid out by series creators Matt and Ross Duffer, as well as others involved in the cast and crew, in a new behind-the-scenes video released specifically for Stranger Things Day.

Stranger Things' Key New Character

Previously, it was known that The First Shadow’s 1959 setting would deliver younger versions of Jim Hopper, Joyce Maldonado, Bob Newby and Henry Creel, but seemingly the full cast has now been revealed. And the Duffer Brothers pointed out in the new video that the stage production will follow in the metaphorical footprints of the Netflix series, saying:

The initial description for The First Shadow did mention that Bob’s sister doesn’t take his radio show seriously, but without much else to go on until cast members were announced in September. Now it’s confirmed that the Patty will indeed be a key part of the story’s trajectory. Actress Ella Karuna Williams is taking on the role, and while she doesn't say much herself in the video, she does bring up that the characters are "trying to figure out their lives in high school."

Patty Newby's Big Relationship

While it's not entirely clear just yet how Patty will affect things on the grand scale in Hawkins, Bob apparently won't be her only anchor to the characters that audiences watching with Netflix subscriptions are already familiar with. The First Shadow writer Kate Trefry offered up this highly intriguing tidbit:

I can't think of many big villains from fiction whose highlighted relationships from the past were extremely positive, so it stands to reason that Patty and Henry's "little budding romance" won't be a match made in Hawkins heaven. Which isn't to say it will necessarily be a disaster that sends him down the Path to Vecna, but I have to think that something mightily significant will go down between them, if it's meant to anchor a whole stage show.

Origins, Monsters And More

The BTS video included several other intriguing teases for what audiences can expect to see when Stranger Things: The First Shadow hits the stage. Some of the other highlights can be found below.

• Sonia Friedman, producer: It’s also the story of how Henry Creel became Number One.
• Patrick Vaill (Dr. Brenner): It’s the origin of Stranger Things. It’s the origin of the Upside Down.
• Jamie Harrison, co-illusion designer & visual effects: There are a lot of monsters. There are a lot of blood and gut effects. There are a lot of vanishes and appearances and lots of other things that I’m not gonna tell you about now because I don’t want to spoil the surprise for the audience.
• Kate Trefry: There are so many easter eggs. It’s Easter morning.

The general idea and vibe seems to be that The First Shadow is not only taking Stranger Things in a new direction, but that it it also offers something new for the art of stage productions, especially ones that skew darker in tone and genre. And I have to assume that if the creative team put that many easter eggs into the project, there will be a bigger push to bring more eyeballs to it down the line. Whether it means bringing the show to the U.S., or to stream a filmed version of the production on Netflix domestically, I just need to be able to see it at some point in a way that doesn't require flying around the world.

Check out the initial look at The First Shadow below!

Stranger Things: The First Shadow will debut at The Phoenix Theatre in London on November 17. There are still plenty of upcoming horror TV shows to dig into while waiting for the final season and animated spinoff to arrive.

Of the many Stephen King adaptations that are currently in the works, easily one of the most exciting is Netflix's The Talisman, which is being produced by Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer as well as legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg. As of right now, we don't know for sure when we'll actually get to see the show (in part because of the on-going WGA strike), but there has been an interesting development that could impact the project in the big picture: King is apparently mulling the possibility of writing a second sequel to his 1984 novel, which was co-written by Peter Straub and previously inspired a follow-up titled Black House that was published in 2001.

Straub passed away last fall at the age of 79, but Stephen King has revealed on a new episode of the Talking Scared podcast that he is considering writing a book that would complete the trilogy that starts with The Talisman and Black House. The author brought it up unprompted when he was asked if he'll ever make a dense, large scale epic like The Stand, IT, Under The Dome or 11.22.63 again, and he suggested that the possible sequel would fit that description. Said King,

The two existing books in the potential trilogy are tremendously different, but they are tied together by a shared protagonist: Jack Sawyer. The Talisman centers on events when Jack is just 12 years old and desperate to save his mother, who is dying of cancer. With the help of a stranger named Speedy Parker, he discovers that he has the ability to "flip" to an parallel universe called The Territories, and he goes on a long quest seeking the titular token, which is promised to cure what is killing his mom.

Black House catches up with Jack as an adult, the protagonist having spent years as a Los Angeles police officer before taking early retirement and moving to a backwoods town in Wisconsin. As he tries to make a home for himself there, his peace is disrupted by a vicious serial killer known as The Fisherman – and while the psychopath at first seems like typical real-world evil, Jack discovers that he may have his own connection to The Territories (and the larger multiverse of the King canon).

It feels safe to assume that a third story would catch up with Jack Sawyer later in life and put him at the center of an adventure full of fantastical horror... but it's impossible to speculate beyond that with the information provided. Hopefully Stephen King will eventually get around to writing the book, but if not, we can at least keep our fingers crossed that he will eventually share Peter Straub's idea with fans.

While we wait for more news about a Talisman/Black House sequel, King is plenty busy writing other stuff. His new book, Holly, will be available in stores on September 5, and the Talking Scared interview includes announcements of two other titles: a 2024 collection titled You Like It Darker and a new novel called We Think Not (which, like Holly, will center on protagonist Holly Gibney from the Bill Hodges trilogy, The Outsider and "If It Bleeds.")

As for the Netflix adaptation of The Talisman, it's exciting to know that if the show winds up being a hit, King might end up providing the filmmakers with extra source material to work with in later seasons. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more updates about the developing streaming show. 

As the character ensemble at the heart of Stranger Things has grown over the first four seasons, their respective worlds have gotten bigger (and I’m not just talking about their increasing understanding of the Upside Down). Our young heroes of Hawkins, Indiana, have made new friends and gotten closer with peers outside of Season 1’s foursome of Will, Mike, Lucas and Dustin. Matt and Ross Duffer have expertly woven in new characters, adding fan favorites like Sadie Sink’s Max and Joseph Quinn’s Eddie, to name just a few. As work begins on Season 5, however, the creators aim to change their approach somewhat, and in a really smart way.

The Duffer Brothers have found myriad ways to keep things interesting for Netflix subscribers since Stranger Things premiered in 2016: new relationships, new monsters, new music (just kidding — though Kate Bush can attest the new appreciation for some classic ‘80s tunes). Despite the success they’ve had introducing new fan-favorite characters each season, Matt Duffer told IndieWire that the fifth and final season likely won't go that route. He said: 

It really does make sense to not introduce too many new faces at a point when trying to wrap a story. Not to mention they’ve already built up quite a large cast of characters at this point, and the Duffer Brothers know that the more stories they have to tell, the less time they can spend with each. Ross Duffer said as much, as he explained the thought process and risk assessment that has gone into creating the new characters. In his words:

Their job is made even more difficult by the relatively low body count accumulated during the series’ first four seasons. Sure, Stranger Things has featured plenty of death — one loss in particular will affect Gaten Matarazzo’s Dustin in Season 5 — but the creators spoke to their intentionality when deciding their characters’ fates after Millie Bobby Brown criticized them for being too afraid to kill people off.

Hopefully fans will appreciate the Duffer Brothers’ renewed focus on the original characters, and I fully expect more passionate campaigns to pop up on social media to save their favorite characters, just like viewers went crazy ahead of Season 4’s final episodes worrying about our beloved Steve Harrington (Joe Keery).

We’ll still have to wait quite a while before we learn more about Stranger Things Season 5, but you can always give Seasons 1-4 a rewatch on Netflix, or check out these other shows to watch if you like Stranger Things. 

Warning: Major SPOILERS ahead for Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 2. Go run up a hill and come back once you’re all caught up!

You guys? It’s been several days now since the Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 2 ending managed to wrap with a terrible and yet not entirely surprising cliffhanger. Not only did our favorite group of Hawkinites (and some choice friends from other locales) not come out as the ultimate victors against One and the other monstrous denizens of the Upside Down, but our dear Maxine Mayfield is blind, with most of her bones broken, and in a coma so deep that Eleven can’t locate her soul. On top of that, now the Duffer brothers have me feeling even less positive about Max’s chances of survival in Stranger Things Season 5.

What Did The Duffer Brothers Say About Max Surviving In Stranger Things Season 5?

I was likely not the only Stranger Things fan who was shocked when Season 4 ended with our beloved creepy town being nearly destroyed, Mr. Master of Squelching Tentacles in the wind, and Max completely missing from her own mind when Eleven tried to locate her. The great hope, of course, is that after we got to watch Max become a lot of viewers’ favorite character as she was the bravest she’s ever been, we’ll be able to see her recover, somehow, in Season 5. 

But, when the Duffer brothers spoke to Netflix Geeked, they revealed that that might not be in the cards. When asked if they ever planned to kill Max in Season 4, Ross Duffer responded:

Phttthppppttthhh…Well! I’d say this could very well spell some bad things (OK, fine. WAY WORSE things.) for Max in Stranger Things Season 5, seeing as how the Duffers don't say they've changed their mind about killing her. We already know that there will be a time jump involved to accommodate for the fact that the kids are no longer kids in real life. But how that will impact the plot, especially considering where we left Max and Hawkins, remains to be seen. 

As you can imagine, with Stranger Things Season 4 needing to set up an even more epic battle in Season 5, which will be the last, tragic events like Max ending up in a coma were basically destined to happen. Matt Duffer added:

Obviously, we don’t know when Stranger Things Season 5 might be ready for Netflix at this point, but at least we know we’ll have one hell of an action-packed Upside Down season to watch when we can finally see it.

Now that Stranger Things Season 4 has wrapped up, with its various cliffhangers and unanswered questions keeping theory-driven fans busy for another year and then some, there’s only one season left to go for Netflix’s monster-filled horror hit. But that’s definitely not all that co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer have in store for everybody with a Netflix subscription. The brothers have announced the next handful of projects they’ll be committing to through their lucrative deal with the streaming service, and it includes the Stranger Things spinoff that fans were hoping to hear about. 

On a bigger-picture scale, Matt and Ross Duffer have founded Upside Down Pictures, which they say will be used to create the kinds of tales that they were inspired by in their youths — “where big spectacle co-exists with intimate character work,” as they put it in a statement. Now let’s run through each of the confirmed projects. 

A Stranger Things Spinoff

Based on an idea crafted by the Duffer brothers, the yet-to-be-titled Stranger Things spinoff series, with Upside Down Pictures producing along with Shawn Levy’s banner 21 Laps. No details were shared about the plot, which is to be expected this early on. But we can all expect it won’t follow up on the Season 2 spinoff-lite episode that fans did not respond kindly to.

Previously, it was reported that star Finn Wolfhard had an in-the-ballpark guess for what the Duffers were cooking up by way of a Stranger Things offshoot, and they’ve since stated that fans shouldn’t expect this to follow along with any familiar characters’ lives, as it’ll be a completely different storyline. 

A Stranger Things Stage Play

While the streaming spinoff was certainly expected, I can’t imagine the entire fanbase was ready to hear about the stage play plans coming to full fruition. The project is said to be set within the mythology and world-building of Stranger Things proper, but that’s where the details stop. So it’s not clear if it’ll be something completely new, or if it will mix in moments from the show and other canonical materials. 

The stage plan will be produced by Sonia Friedman, Netflix and Stephen Daldry. The latter, who has helmed such projects as Billy Elliot, The Reader and episodes of The Crown (among many others), will also be directing the stage play.

Stephen King And Peter Straub's The Talisman

Less of a surprise than anything here is the reconfirmed news that the Duffer brothers will be working on an adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub’s fantastical horror novel The Talisman. Which will inevitably spark talks about whether or not they’ll then bring Black House to live-action. Stranger Things fans who pay attention to book covers no doubt noticed the novel’s cameo during a scene in Season 4’s finale between Caleb McLaughlin’s Lucas and Sadie Sink’s Max.

The brothers will serve as executive producers and guiding lights for The Talisman adaptation, which will officially have Stranger Things EP Curtis Gwinn on board as the creator. Making this one all the more exciting is that it’s being produced by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Pictures.

A Live-Action Death Note

Another shocker coming out of this announcement is Matt and Ross Duffer’s intent to bring the celebrated anime and manga Death Note to live-action as a Netflix series. While it’s an understandable move, given the property’s popularity and potential for a quality adaptation in episodic form, it’s only been five years since Adam Wingard’s highly altered and largely maligned adaptation, so they’ll need to be sure and stand apart from that with their take.

One More Untitled Project

Finally, the Duffers revealed a fifth project for their Netflix deal, though this one doesn’t really have any details attached, and doesn’t point to any adaptations being involved. However, we do know that it will be an original series crafted by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, who were responsible for bringing Netflix’s acclaimed-but-short-lived Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance to life. Here’s hoping there will be more large-scale puppeteering in the mix for the new project as well.

Stay tuned for more information about all of these projects, as well as news on Stranger Things Season 5, and head to our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are on the way soon!

Massive spoilers for Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2 lie ahead, so check out the following details at your own risk.

Stranger Things Season 4 reached its conclusion this past week, and it honestly gave fans just about everything they could want: high stakes, incredible action, spine-tingling horror and sheer heart. Of course, amid all of that, there were some major losses, as a pair of significant characters were killed off during the closing chapters. Some fans may naturally still wonder whether either of them will be resurrected before the show ends with its fifth season. With that, the Duffer Brothers have provided some clarity regarding whether the two characters are actually dead for good.

The Duffer Brothers Address The Fate Of Dr. Martin Brenner

Matthew Modine’s Dr. Martin Brenner, known to Eleven and Henry/001/Vecna as “Papa” was seemingly killed off in the penultimate episode of Stranger Things Season 4, “Chapter: Papa.” Shortly after Lt. Colonel Sullivan and his military forces invaded Dr. Owens’ compound, Brenner attempted to flee the area with Eleven. However, he was ultimately shot by a sniper while attempting to do so. After one final exchange with his “daughter,” the scientist seemed to breath his last breath and, as Matt and Ross Duffer explained on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the character is indeed gone for good: 

Matt Duffer: Yes

Ross Duffer: Yes, for real this time. 

MD: Definitively, he’s dead.

RD: He’s toast.

Up until now, Papa hadn’t been seen since the final episode of the first season, during which he was apparently killed by a Demogorgon. The show, however, subsequently played with the notion that he was still alive, and Season 2’s “Chapter 7: The Lost Sister” appeared to confirm it. As a result, many fans probably weren’t too shocked to see him alive and well here, though it was surprising to see him working alongside Owens on a more benevolent cause. 

It makes a lot of sense that this would be Brenner’s last season, given that it took the time to do a deep dive into his past with Eleven. If anything, it was a perfect swan song for him, and it was effectively capped off by his final conversation with El, who refused to forgive him for his past transgressions. Such a tense scene would be undercut if the character were to live on.

Is There Hope For The Eccentric Eddie Munson?

The character whose death arguably resonated with viewers the most is Eddie Munson, played by franchise newcomer Joseph Quinn. Munson was introduced as the leader of the Hawkins High School’s Dungeons and Dragons group, The Hellfire Club. And after being accused of murdering cheerleader Chrissy Cunningham, he was drawn into the core group’s battle against Vecna and the forces of the Upside Down. Ultimately, Eddie died a hero after fending off bat-like creatures while the others sought out the aforementioned villain. When asked about Munson’s fate, the Duffer Brothers gave clear-cut answers:

Matt Duffer: Yes.

Ross Duffer: Sadly, yeah.

Eddie’s demise is truly one of the toughest that the show has delivered thus far. After the finale aired, Joseph Quinn caught up with CinemaBlend and discussed his character’s final moments. Quinn explained that shooting his final scene was “weird” because he and co-star Gaten Matarazzo shot their coverage in different places. Nevertheless, the finished sequence was so well done. It’s sad knowing that we won’t see the quirky rocker anymore, but he certainly won’t be forgotten.

Interestingly, neither Eddie nor Brenner were at the top of the list of characters that fans were most concerned about. That honor belonged to Steve Harrington, who fans worried about up until the release of the final two episodes (partly due to comments from the Duffers). While the Season 4 finale was a lot, many took comfort in knowing that Joe Keery’s jock-turned-den-mother survived.

It’s fair to assume that the Duffer Brothers are planning to kill off other notable characters before Stranger Things wraps up. And said moments are sure to be just as tense as the deaths the show has already given us. As a fan, I’m both anxiously awaiting and dreading what the crafty producers have planned for the show’s final batch of episodes.

All four seasons of Stranger Things are available to stream with a Netflix subscription.

One of the biggest TV shows on the planet right now is, of course, Netflix’s Stranger Things, which is currently in the midst of a split-season hiatus, with millions of viewers around the world eagerly awaiting the final two feature-length episodes. After that, we’re dealing with the stressful wait for the fifth and final season, but at some point around then, my friends, is presumably when Matt and Ross Duffer, along with writer Curtis Gwinn, will push full-steam forward with their episodic adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub’s The Talisman. The Netflix project, first announced in March 2021, is apparently still in its earliest stages of development, according to a new update from the brothers, who also spoke to Steven Spielberg’s overarching influence as an executive producer.

Speaking with Variety about Stranger Things’s first seven episodes from Season 4, among other monstrous topics, the horror hit’s creators were asked about the upcoming series, for which they will serve as executive producers. Here’s where Matt Duffer says things are at in the Talisman process.

While that may sound disappointing in a sense, let’s not forget that there isn’t a timeline in place for when this project is meant to happen. And given Curtis Gwinn and the Duffer brothers are all working on making sure Stranger Things nails its final outing, it’s best not to disturb anything on that front until there’s light at the end of the tunnel. (Hopefully not from more Russian breach-opening lasers.) 

Even if there isn’t more in place on the page for The Talisman’s adaptation, you can bet that everyone involved is thinking about it whenever they’re not caught up in the Upside Down. And with Steven Spielberg’s name coming up, Ross Duffer spoke to how the iconic director and the Amblin Entertainment brand make sense for this project, which might seem a bit too horror-themed. (At least this many years after Spielberg’s work on Jaws, that is.) Here’s how Duffer put it:

Perhaps that’s not such a surprising description to hear, given how Stranger Things’ initial hook centered on a son being taken away from his increasingly frantic mother, and family has remained a throughline for the series in various ways. And it obviously makes sense from a Spielberg and Amblin perspective. A mother and her son are also at the heart of Cujo, which Stephen King apparently wrote a sequel to recently, but that doesn’t exactly seem up the E.T. director’s alley.

The Talisman will give the Duffer brothers the chance to work on directly adapting Stephen King’s novels after being so heavily influenced by the author, both on screen and off. (King himself noted the Carrie homage in Season 4, and also has ideas for spinoffs, but that’s neither here nor there.) Here’s hoping we’ll get more news on the adaptation in the near future, and check out all the big shows coming to Netflix in the meantime.

Warning: SPOILERS for Stranger Things Season 4 Vol. 1 are ahead!

As a result of Netflix deciding to split Stranger Things Season 4 into two parts airing a little over a month apart, fans of the popular sci-fi/horror series were left with a quite a few cliffhangers when Volume 1 concluded with “Chapter Seven: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab.” With just two episodes left in this season, there’s a lot that needs to be addressed in Volume 2, including the fate of Joe Kerry’s Steve Harrington, who was bit by some Demobats when he ventured into the Upside Down. There’s just one week left to go before we delve back into Stranger Things, and ahead of that, co-showrunner Ross Duffer has shot down a Steve-centric fan theory, although this isn’t totally comforting news.

Many Stranger Things fans are speculating Demobat bites Steve sustained are more than superficial. Maya Hawke’s Robin Buckley expressed concern that Steve might catch an Upside Down version of rabies, so do we need to worry about him dying a bat-triggered death? Good news, Ross Duffer said that’s not on the table while speaking about the Netflix show with Variety alongside his brother, Matt Duffer, although that doesn’t mean that Steve won’t die another way. In the co-showrunner’s words:

So we can safely cross Steve Harrington slowly being poisoned by Demobats off the list of things to worry about in Stranger Things Season 4 Vol. 2. That’s not to say those bites couldn’t become scars, but Ross Duffer explained that the reason he included the Demobat attack is because of his own worry about regular bats. Once again though, it needs to be made perfectly clear that Steve is not off the hook for a death scene. The Duffer Brothers even said they “always have to beat Steve up somehow,” so whether that means he dies before Season 4 is over or suffers even more injuries, fans are well within their right to worry about his fate.

Steve was dragged into the Upside Down by a tendril from another dimension while he was inspecting the underwater gate at Lover’s Lake. Upon arriving in the Upside Down, the Stranger Things fan-favorite character was swarmed by the Demobats, but he was fortunately soon joined by Robin, Nancy Wheeler and Eddie Munson. After exploring the shadowy realm for a while, they were able to find the gate in the corresponding spot of Eddie’s trailer where Chrissy Cunningham was killed. Robin and Eddie safely made it back to our world, but before Steve and Nancy stepped through, the latter was possessed by Vecna and learned under his influence that he’s Victor Creel’s son Henry.

You can read through our Stranger Things Season 4 Vol. 1 ending breakdown to learn where we’ve left off with the starring players, but it won’t be much longer until Netflix subscribers reunite with them. While Stranger Things is no longer the streaming platform’s most popular show for the first time in weeks, count on a lot of people tuning in for Vol. 2, to the point it’s a good bet Stranger Things will regain the #1 spot. It was also confirmed in February that Stranger Things will return for a fifth and final season, but again, for now, we’re in the dark about if Steve will be around for it.

Stranger Things Season 4’s final two episodes drop Friday, July 1; the season’s eighth episode will be an hour and 20 minutes, and the ninth episode will be a whopping two hours and 20 minutes. Until then, our 2022 Netflix TV schedule is available to look through for planning out what shows to watch on the streaming service later in the year.

Folks, we are now just three weeks away from a massive pop culture event. On July 1, the 2022 Netflix TV schedule will gift us with Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 2, and fans will finally be able to delight in the full glory of what this long-awaited set of episodes has to offer. While there is pretty much no doubt that the second part of the season, which features two episodes, will be just as record-breaking as the first Season 4 episodes, even viewers who’ve already made it through the Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 1 ending don’t quite know what to expect. Now, the Duffer brothers have told fans that “chaos” is coming to the last episodes, while David Harbour makes the end sound a bit more optimistic.

What Did The Duffer Brothers Say About Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 2?

Anyone who completed the first part of the spooky hit has likely been filled with a number of Stranger Things Season 4 thoughts for many days now. We’re all putting together theories about everything from whether or not Will might be gay to how the Upside Down actually works, and asking nearly innumerable Stranger Things questions. Well, Matt and Ross Duffer, the show’s creators, are here to help us out, as they teased to TV Line that we’ll be in for quite a ride when Volume 2 drops:

Matt: [Volume 2] has a little bit of everything. It’s extremely emotional while also having the most action and spectacle we’ve ever had...Joe Quinn is very eloquent. He’s such a smart kid. He called it a mad symphony of chaos. I’ll borrow that. That’s what it is, especially the final episode.

Ross: We’ve been cross-cutting between these different worlds all season, but the cross-cutting just gets really rapid-fire in the finale as we’re bouncing from one world to the next.

Matt: But it’s not wall-to-wall action. That’s what I like about being able to do something long-form. The finale does very much feel like a blockbuster spectacle, but there’s also a lot of time spent dealing with our characters. Hopefully, it’s satisfying for people.

Alright, people. I know I still have several days to get ready for the Stranger Things Season 4 finale, but I do not know that I’ll be READY FOR THIS! I mean “a mad symphony of chaos” just sounds like a lot, though I do hope it blows everyone’s minds, mine included.

What Did David Harbour Say About Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 2?

Every Stranger Things fan knows that David Harbour’s Jim Hopper and Winona Ryder’s Joyce Byers are basically the parents of the monster-fighting Hawkins kids (seeing as how several of their actual parents still have no idea what’s really going on). So, it makes sense that, amid Joyce and Hopper’s growing feelings for one another, that Harbour would take to Instagram with thoughts about Volume 2 that put a sweetly optimistic spotlight on Ryder and Joyce:

Awwww! Lovely, right? While David Harbour also threw in a nice callback to Stranger Things Season 3, it’s clear he feels that Joyce and her Big Mom Energy are set to be the ultimate saviors. But, I think we all know that even if that is true, it likely won’t come until the absolute last moment of the series in Stranger Things Season 5, which is set to be the final outing. 

Warning: spoilers are ahead for Volume 1 of Stranger Things Season 4!

Stranger Things went harder on the horror than ever before with Season 4, proving that the deaths courtesy of the Demogorgon and Demodogs were nothing in comparison to what Vecna had in store. Vecna’s first big victim was none other than cheerleader Chrissy, who was hiding a lot of emotional pain behind her smiles and jock boyfriend. According to the Duffer brothers who created the record-breaking Netflix hit, they had no choice but to kill off Chrissy even when they found some reasons to potentially keep her alive. 

Chrissy seemed like she had the potential to play an ongoing part in Eddie’s storyline early on, when she went to him to buy some drugs. It’s not the cutest relationship origin story in the history of television, but there was some lovely chemistry between actress Grace Van Dien and Joseph Quinn (whose Eddie is one of the standout characters of Vol. 1), and it seemed like they could subvert expectations and have a future together. Instead, of course, Chrissy was the first on-screen victim of Vecna, and brutally killed in front of Eddie while being tortured in her mind by the monster formerly known as One, whose transformation was achieved via practical effects.

So, why did she die despite seemingly being set up as a fun partner for Eddie? The Duffer brothers opened up to TVLine, with Matt Duffer sharing:

The drug deal in the woods between Eddie and Chrissy took place fairly early in the Season 4 premiere, but it was filmed late in the process of filming, which meant that the outcome was already decided. Ross Duffer clarified, adding that they “had already killed Chrissy when we shot that.” R.I.P. Chrissy! For as sweet as they were in their drug scene in the woods – and it takes talent to make a scene about selling drugs sweet – her fate was already sealed. 

At least there’s no denying that her death was one of the pivotal moments of the season, as it brought Eddie into the fold of those in Hawkins who know about all the Upside Down strangeness, and set the whole story in motion. Plus, if the teens hadn’t already been clued in that the Upside Down was causing problems again, it’s possible that they wouldn’t have had the clues they needed to find a way to save Max in time. 

Matt Duffer had nothing but good things to say about the two actors who made Eddie and Chrissy so endearing in such a brief amount of time: 

That was one of Eddie’s last big scenes before everything went wrong for him, and it’s not guaranteed at this point that he’ll survive Season 4 to make it to the fifth and final season. Hopefully he won’t follow in the footsteps of Benny, Barb, and Bob and die by the end of his first season! At least his name doesn’t start with a B? And he wasn’t the one attacked by the Demo-Bats in the Upside Down! (Lead sound effects editor Angelo Palazzo revealed the surprising sources for the bats’ sounds.)

Stranger Things returns with Vol. 2 on Friday, July 1 at 12:01 a.m. PT on Netflix, so those with a Netflix subscription may want to spend the next few weeks watching and rewatching to prepare for what’s in store with the final two episodes. For some non-Stranger Things viewing options, our 2022 TV premiere schedule reveals plenty of shows still on the way this year.

Spoilers ahead for Vol. 1 of Stranger Things Season 4.

Vol. 1 of Stranger Things Season 4 took Eleven on a blast to the past with the other characters spread across the world, and the flashbacks filled in some blanks about what made her the way that she is, but also raised some questions about the Eleven who was introduced back in Season 1. She barely talked in Season 1, and actions definitely spoke louder than words. Poor El didn’t know the meaning of “friend,” but she’s fully conversational in her Season 4 flashbacks. So is this a plot hole, or just something that Stranger Things hasn’t revealed yet? The Duffer brothers have the answer.

The creators – who wrote the full fourth season ahead of filming, in a departure from the Stranger Things norm – weighed in on the Eleven question that plenty of fans are talking about in the wake of Vol. 1 releasing. Speaking with TVLine, Ross Duffer said: 

All things considered, it’s no surprise that the trauma of One massacring almost all of the children and staff at Hawkins Lab – a.k.a. the only people who Eleven had ever known beyond the distant memory of her mother – traumatized her. Spending time with her “brothers” and “sisters” meant that she had more people to talk to than Brenner. Sure, some of them were bullies who may or may not have wanted to kill her, but she was more socialized than she was when she escaped the lab in Season 1 and showed up at Benny’s Burgers. (R.I.P. Benny.)

Interestingly, Eleven falling into a coma and then waking up to be isolated by Brenner didn’t happen in the record-breaking first volume of Season 4, so that’s either going to happen in Vol. 2 or was meant to be inferred by fans. If it does happen in Vol. 2, it’ll likely mirror what happened to One after he murdered his sister as Henry Creel. He fell into a coma, woke as the first of Dr. Brenner’s child patients with powers, and was presumably isolated until Brenner could bring in more kids. Matt Duffer elaborated on what his brother shared, saying in the same interview:

Even though Eleven did have relationships with kids around her own age for a while, it may be for the best that she didn’t remember those days or what happened to them until she was older. Plus, it’s not unprecedented for her to collapse after pushing herself too far with her powers, and it makes sense that doing it when she was 9-years-old knocked her into a coma. Ross Duffer added that she had “no interaction aside from occasionally her quote-unquote Papa” between the massacre and when she debuted in Season 1, and “that was the thinking behind” her speech change. It wasn’t a plot hole, but also wasn’t fully explained on screen in Vol. 1.

Will it be explained on screen in Vol. 2, or will fans have to come to that conclusion themselves? I wouldn’t be surprised if a comatose Eleven waking up to nobody other than Brenner happens on screen, for the sake of the parallel to One before his transformation into Vecna (which was done with practical effects for the fourth season), but only the last two episodes of Season 4 will reveal how much is left of her flashbacks to her Hawkins Lab days. (Netflix subscribers can watch and rewatch Vol. 1 for clues, though!)

Vol. 2 of Stranger Things Season 4 arrives on Netflix on Friday, July 1 at 12:01 a.m. PT. The show has already been renewed for a fifth and final season, but only time will tell if all of the key characters will still be around for the last chapter of the saga. For some viewing options during the wait for the show to return next month, check out our 2022 TV premiere schedule.

Noah Schnapp's character in Stranger Things – the introverted, D&D-loving Will Byers – has gone through a hell of a lot over the course of the great Netflix original series' four-season run, but one thing has remained consistent: his hairstyle. He has survived weeks in the Upside Down, being possessed by the Mind Flayer, and much more, but no amount of chaos or trauma has apparently inspired a pivot away from the classic bowl cut.

As you might imagine, it's not something that Schnapp has particularly loved returning to each time he has started filming a new slate of episodes, but it was something that creators Matt and Ross Duffer evidently insisted on him keeping.

The bowl cut (which Noah Schnapp has expressed ire toward before) came up in a recent Insider interview, and the actor explained that he repeatedly went to Duffer brothers hinting at his desire for Will Byers to get something else going on top of his head. Each time, however, he has been rebuffed, and he doesn't expect things to change any time soon. Said Schnapp,

But is it really a "true kind of '80s classic haircut"? According to Noah Schnapp, that's the excuse that's given by Matt and Ross Duffer to keep Will Byers with his familiar 'do, but over time that's something that the actor has come to question – with some influence coming from his parents, who were apparently teenagers during the 20th century's penultimate decade:

He may have a point. Bowl cuts were definitely popular at a time during the 20th century, but it was more of a 1960's thing that was particularly influenced by the style sported by the beloved members of The Beatles. It's never come up on Stranger Things, but maybe Winona Ryders' Joyce Byers is quietly a controlling Beatlemaniac who insists that her son never stop paying tribute to their greatness with his hair.

Approximately six years after we were first introduced to Will Byers, Stranger Things fans can continue to witness the power of the bowl cut with the new run of episodes that just arrived this past Friday. All you need is a Netflix subscription to start watching immediately... though you may want to make sure you have some holes in your schedule, as the episodes are very long.

To discover all of the other shows on the horizon for the streaming service, check out our 2022 Netflix TV schedule.

The highly-anticipated and long-awaited fourth season of Netflix’s popular sci-fi series Stranger Things is finally on the horizon. With the first part of Season 4 due to come out next month, more details are being revealed about the insane new episodes and what will be going on in Hawkins. Creators and brothers Ross and Matt Duffer share more about the season’s big bad, portrayed by horror icon Robert Englund, and how he will be the key to the upcoming episodes.

Robert Englund is known as the devious Freddy Krueger in the beloved Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. He is set to portray Victor Creel/Vecna in Stranger Things 4, and Victor’s backstory is a tragic one. After moving into a new house with his family, strange things started to occur that drove Victor to the murderous brink of insanity. He was locked in a psychiatric hospital, and now it seems like he’s free.

During a virtual press presentation in June 2021, co-creator Ross Duffer explained how the events in the “Creel House” will play a big part in Season 4 (via EW):

A big mystery heading into the new season is how this character will play into action and what he will do with the kids of Stranger Things. Victor’s time in the Upside Down and lack of sunlight turned him into something monstrous, known in the shows as "Vecna." In the same vein as "Demogorgon" and "Mind Flayer" before it, the name is pulled from Dungeons and Dragons.

Now that the kids are all separated, this could be even worse news for them following the events of Season 3. Ross Duffer described how this new evil will work and what it could mean for Eleven, who no longer has powers:

Meanwhile, with every monster or being to come out of the Upside Down, there will also be creatures that start with “demo.” Matt Duffer shared the next set of creatures and just how dangerous they will be. If they’re traveling with Vecna, they're bound to be deadly:

Fans got a first look at Vecna in the official trailer for Stranger Things 4 that was recently released. Although it was a brief look at the end of the trailer, it was enough to rule anyone’s nightmares. The terrifying villain will definitely solidify the brothers’ intentions to make Season 4 more horror-esque, and I’m excited to see how the Freddy Krueger star will play Vecna. Who better to cast than Robert Englund?

Season 4 of Stranger Things will be split into two parts, so it will be interesting to see if Vecna will carry on into Part 2 or if there will be something completely new to deal with in Hawkins. The series also was renewed for a fifth and final season. Knowing Stranger Things, the show will go above and beyond to end the journey. The Upside Down is an unpredictable and creepy place that just won’t stop churning out monsters.

Don’t miss the first part of Stranger Things 4 dropping on Netflix on Friday, May 27! Check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 Netflix schedule to see what other shows to look forward to on the streamer.

Stranger Things has its fair share of scary moments but, now, we know that the upcoming fourth season will double down on the terror. And according to the Duffer brothers, the creators of the fan-favorite show, it’s a reflection of the evolving characters.  

In an interview with Netflix Tudum, Ross Duffer explained the tonal shift in Stranger Things Season 4. The writer, director and producer said:

The first few seasons of the sci-fi dramedy featured a cast that was primarily made up of child actors. The tone of the show was devised accordingly: the episodes definitely had some scary scenes, but the overall vibe was far less frightening than a more mature horror project. Season 1 did not have nearly as much gore as future installments, and even the Mind Flayer got progressively more fearsome as time went on. 

As the stars age, however, Matt and Ross Duffer opted to let Stranger Things grow with them. The show has steadily employed more terrifying moments, including Bob Newby’s shockingly bloody death in Season 2 (which fans still want justice for) and Billy’s demise at the hands of the Mind Flayer in Season 3. Even the special effects got a little more realistic, which was especially apparent during those nasty exploding rat scenes that left an indelible mark on my nightmares. 

The scarier tone doesn’t just go for the supernatural elements, either. Season 3 saw Mike, Eleven, and the gang deal with slightly more mature issues, including relationships, death, and, horror of horrors, the looming threat of high school (no doubt the biggest threat to the gang since they first discovered the Upside Down). 

It’s tempting to wax nostalgic for the campy innocence of Season 1, but Stranger Things is always at its best when it revolves around its main cast of adolescents. To force them to remain stagnant would be to deny the inevitable adventure of growing up, whether that’s in real life or in a small town in Indiana, something the Duffer Brothers are clearly aware of. 

The first three seasons of Stranger Things are available to stream now with your Netflix subscription. Season 4 will be released in two volumes, with the first batch of episodes dropping on the streaming service on May 27 and the second on July 1. You can also check out more upcoming TV releases to binge while you wait for the next installment in the pop culture phenomenon.

Thirty-nine years. That’s the amount of time that Hollywood icon Steven Spielberg has been working on producing an adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub’s 1984 novel The Talisman. The filmmaker recognized the incredible potential for the book two full years before it was published – which was when he bought the screen rights – but he has spent the decades since then trying to figure out how to make it into a movie. Multiple directors have come and gone, such as Josh Boone in 2017 and Mike Barker in 2019, but the project has never managed to keep its gears turning long enough to get into production.

Now, however, things are totally different – and the principal reason is that the concept of how to properly adapt The Talisman has evolved. While Steven Spielberg and fellow filmmakers have struggled for years figuring out how to squeeze the epic novel into a two hour feature, recent developments have seen that idea abandoned in favor of a better one: rather than becoming a big blockbuster, the book is instead now being turned into a Netflix series, with Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer attached as executive producers, and Stranger Things writer/producer Curtis Gwinn on-board as showrunner.

It’s a significant shake-up after nearly four decades, but also a genuinely perfect one. When you factor in elements including the scope and structure of the story, and how Netflix typically operates when it comes to original programming, this is a match made in fiction heaven, and should result in the best possible adaptation of an incredible book. While it ultimately proved too challenging to make The Talisman as a feature, it’s a novel that’s perfectly suited to become a streaming service series, and fans should only be rejoicing in the wake of the news.

The Scope Of The Talisman Is Far Too Big For A Movie

They say that one should never judge a book by its cover, but it doesn’t actually take more than a glance at Stephen King and Peter Straub’s tome to understand the issues that arose trying to adapt it as a film. At nearly 650 pages in its original printed form, it’s one of the longer stories in King’s legacy of works, and he’s an author who isn’t exactly famed for his brevity. Simply put, The Talisman is an epic that was never going to properly fit into a standard blockbuster model.

The novel tells the story of young Jack Sawyer, a 12-year-old boy we meet as his life is crumbling. His father and uncle having recently died, he has moved with his former-actress mother, Lily, from Los Angeles to a coastal town in New Hampshire – but finds that things are continually going from bad to worse, as he suspects that Lily is dying from cancer, and his dad’s old business partner, Morgan Sloat, seems to be in aggressive pursuit of them. He is desperate and lost, but then finds everything changes when he meets Speedy Parker.

It’s from this strange old man that Jack learns about The Territories: a fantastical alternate universe that exists parallel to his own reality. The mystical world is populated by what are called Twinners – Territories versions of people on Earth – and while Jack himself doesn’t have one (his died at a young age), he finds himself with a remarkable responsibility because his mother’s Twinner is the beloved Queen Laura DeLoessian, who is also dying. The protagonist is told that the only way to save Lily/Queen Laura is to traverse the continent and acquire a magical Talisman, though whether he is traveling through the United States or the supernatural new realm he is constantly beset by new threats and dangers.

Properly getting across that much exposition and giving introductions to the mechanics of both worlds in The Talisman would alone likely take at least 30 minutes to explain cinematically, and that’s a hell of a lot of real estate when you’re talking about a feature film that is meant to also showcase a pair of cross-country journeys. It creates a natural pacing nightmare that could only be solved through either massive cuts in the story (which nobody would want), or the making of an adaptation with a more expansive runtime. The project could have tried to go the route of Andy Muschietti’s IT – which is to say split the source material in half and hope that the first movie would be popular enough to allow the second to get the green light – but making it as a Netflix show makes a great deal more sense.

The Talisman Already Has An Episodic-Like Quality In Its Structure

Made as a series, an hour-long pilot for The Talisman could alone get across all of the information necessary for any audience member to get appropriately acclimated to the story and settings – and the benefit that follows from there is the fact that Stephen King and Peter Straub’s book has a kind of episodic structure that would perfectly allow a clean adaptation. This isn’t to say that some changes won’t be required, but while reading the book one can get the sense of how the stops along Jack’s path could be simply translated into the new medium.

From Jack being kept as a slave at the hellish bar The Oatly Tap, to journeys with an odd werewolf named Wolf, to the big escape from the Thayer School, there is a very clear structure available in The Talisman that any filmmaker could use as a roadmap toward developing a series. While a movie would have to either streamline these parts of the story as individual sequences, a Netflix show will instead actually have the chance to actually expand them and (provided there is a proper budget) make them shine as diverse adventures that add different textures to the larger narrative.

While a film version of The Talisman would have forced what’s in the book to become something different, the series route will provide the opportunity for the story to remain what it is, and potentially only get bigger and better.

The Talisman Doesn’t Need An Endless Number Of Seasons To Tell Its Story

Being turned into a series instead of a movie is clearly the best choice for The Talisman, but what must also be considered as a big bonus here is that it is being made specifically as a Netflix series. For starters, the fact that there won’t be any restrictions on content is a great thing (the book goes to some exceedingly dark places, and it really shouldn’t be censored), but far more important in this case is the streaming service’s history when it comes to season sizes and the typical lengths of their original shows.

While The Talisman may be an expansive, epic story, one also can’t ignore that it is a story that features a ticking clock – namely that Jack needs to retrieve the titular crystal before his mother and Queen Laura die. As such, it’s not exactly an adventure that would function well as an open-ended network series a la Under The Dome (a.k.a. the last time that Steven Spielberg produced a Stephen King book). Netflix, on the other hand, is an ideal home.

The streaming service has developed a reputation for developing shows that rarely last more than three seasons, and while that fact has broken the hearts of many of the service's millions of subscribers, that’s actually perfect for The Talisman. It won’t suffer the limitations of squeezing everything into a miniseries (an issue that wound up seriously hampering CBS All Access/Paramount+’s The Stand), and it won’t have to wheel spin/inflate itself to fill an overly-large episode order (like the aforementioned Under The Dome). If the Stephen King/Peter Straub novel gets turned into two seasons of 10 hour-long episodes, the possibility for everyone – including filmmakers and fans – to walk away happy seems very real.

And then there are the options for the future. If The Talisman becomes a runaway hit for Netflix, the answer for providing audiences with more from the world wouldn’t require overstretching the material. Not only did Stephen King and Peter Straub publish a sequel 17 years after the original – 2001’s Black House (which reconnects audiences with an adult Jack Sawyer) – but the story also taps into the much larger world of King’s Dark Tower series, and it could (finally) be an exciting gateway into that multiverse after the unsuccessful movie and the cancelled plans at Amazon.

As The Talisman series at Netflix was only announced a few days ago, it’s possible that we are still years away from actually getting to watch the thing, but to say that this news is exciting is an understatement. It’s taken an extremely long time to come together, but it looks like patience will pay off, as the potential that exists here seems limitless. Fans should now be waiting with baited breath for its arrival, and in the meantime we can just be thankful that there are so many other Stephen King adaptations currently in the works.

Stranger Things is still as popular as ever after three seasons. The show was renewed for a fourth season last year, but, considering that Stranger Things is a Netflix show, a lot of people wouldn’t be surprised if Season 4 was announced to be the drama’s last. But should viewers be poised to say goodbye to Hawkins so soon? Not so fast. As it turns out, Stranger Things creators The Duffer Brothers already know when the series will end, and it won’t be with Season 4.

Whether we like it or not, all TV shows must come to an end at some point. However, The Duffer Brothers have some stories left to tell when it comes to Stranger Things. Viewers may be waiting a while longer to see Season 4, given production delays across Hollywood and elsewhere, but everyone can rest assured in the knowledge that the series creators aren’t done with the characters or the mysterious plot just yet. Here’s what Ross Duffer told THR:

It’s important to note that Stranger Things has has not yet been renewed beyond Season 4, and there are no public confirmations that it will be. That said, The Duffer Brothers did sign a multi-year overall deal to develop films and other series at Netflix. Considering that the folks at the streaming giant want to continue working with The Duffer Brothers, my guess is that a Season 5 renewal seems like a safe bet.

The creators are already putting it out there that Season 4 “won’t be the end,” so it sounds like they’ve clearly mapped out what the story could be after that. Hopefully, fans will get to see their vision for the show through to whatever the end turns out to be. For now, only time will tell what the future holds for Stranger Things and its beloved characters, but Ross Duffer sure did sound confident about “when” the end would be.

Stranger Things wrapped Season 3 with a major cliffhanger that had viewers worried for Hopper, who sacrificed himself to save Hawkins in the season finale. Many speculated that he was “the American,” a character who was referenced during the Season 3 finale’s mid-credits scene. Luckily, Season 4 teaser revealed he was still alive.

As for Season 4, the Netflix series had already begun filming when production was shut down in March. Despite the delay, Stranger Things having to halt filming may have been a good thing, giving the writers the time to finish up the remainder of Season 4 scripts during the unexpected break. That said, The Duffer Brothers didn’t offer a definitive answer on when filming would resume, so I suppose we’ll have to wait some more before the cameras start rolling on the season again.

Stranger Things is currently available to stream on Netflix. While waiting for Season 4, be sure to check out our 2020 fall TV schedule for more viewing options.