Stranger Things fans can rest assured that not only is there more of the show in store for Netflix’s future, but that the wait for the fifth and final season won’t be nearly as long as the gap preceding the current season.
The first volume of season four of Stranger Things is slated to hit the streaming service Friday, with the second volume of season four premiering July 1. However, season four marks the penultimate collection of episodes, with another season concluding the saga having already been outlined.
The current season comes a full three years after Stranger Things season three premiered back on July 4, 2019, in a satisfying saga that took place largely in a shopping mall and represented something of a redemption from the critically-mixed reviews garnered from the show’s sophomore season, two years earlier. The gap between seasons one and two was even shorter, lasting just over a year.
As series creators Matt and Ross Duffer explained to Variety, they do not expect another three-year stint of anticipation. And that is surely a relief for fans, especially considering the cliffhangers on which the show is known to end its season finales.
“Don’t hold us to it, but the gap should be quite a bit shorter this time, due to the fact that we already have an initial outline, and we can’t imagine there will be another six-month forced hiatus.”
That six-month hiatus the Duffer Brothers mentioned was caused by the global — and still ongoing — COVID-19 pandemic. They explained that while production halted, that is when they outlined season five and subsequently pitched it to Netflix.
“Everyone there had also been present when we first pitched the show in 2015. While we were strangers then, we were now friends and there were a lot of tears when it was over. It’s just been an extraordinary journey for all of us, and while it’s hard to believe that we’re approaching the end, we feel incredibly lucky to have such amazing partners.”
The first volume of Stranger Things season four comes to Netflix Friday.