It’s been almost three years since fans have had a new season of Stranger Things, but why has season 4 taken so long to happen? Previous seasons of Stranger Things have, in the past, taken quite some time to produce. Even season 3 took two years to release after the premiere of season 2. But, what’s different about Stranger Things season 4 that’s made this gap between seasons the series’ longest yet?
In an interview towards the end of last year (via Collider), executive producer Shawn Levy shed some light on the subject of Stranger Things’ season 4 delay. Not only did he refer to Stranger Things season 4 as “the most ambitious of the seasons,” but he also cited some interesting specifics when it came to the scale of the Stranger Things creative team. Not to mention, of course, necessary COVID safety protocols have been implemented across every television and film set currently shooting, and Levy himself referenced these rules in talking about Stranger Things season 4.
Based on Levy’s interview, the biggest sources of the delay between Stranger Things seasons 3 and 4 seems to be a combination of newfound COVID protocols on set slowing the overall process down, and the fact that Shawn Levy, Matt, and Ross Duffer, are still the sole producing/directing team behind the acclaimed series, meaning their resources are being spread increasingly thin. Further on in his interview, Levy makes reference to the fact that he and the Duffer brothers still oversee almost every aspect of production. With the potentially formula-breaking Stranger Things season 4 breaking the formula and taking place across three locations, this means the trio’s attention is equally split. Mix in the slow-down that comes with necessary COVID safety protocols, and a picture begins to take shape regarding Stranger Things season 4’s delay.
Beginning with COVID protocols, Stranger Things season 4 got off to a rocky start after being shut down 1 month into production by the start of the pandemic. After resuming filming for season 4 in September 2020, the set likely needed time, money, and effort to adjust to filming the new season with new COVID safety protocols in place. Add in the costly effects of bringing COVID safety teams and regulations to three distinct locations (Lithuania, California, and Hawkins) within the larger scope of Stranger Things season 4, and it’s easy to see why the ambitiously scaled production has warranted more shooting time.
Additionally, as Levy alluded to in his interview, because he and the Duffer brothers still closely oversee every element of production on Stranger Things, undoubtedly the trio is spread thin across every element of production. Levy referred to the trio as a group that feels the artistic need to “lay hands on all of it ourselves,” a nod to the hands-on nature of the production. Because Stranger Things season 4 is more ambitious than ever, and the production is still heavily auteur-focused, it’s no wonder that the season has been delayed as long as it has.
Regardless of the delay, with three compelling new storylines and an ambitious runtime (each episode of the upcoming season is over an hour-long), Stranger Things season 4 is set to be massive in scale, and likely set up the Stranger Things series ending. Executive producer Shawn Levy, being well aware of how much this scale has delayed the new season, nevertheless seems confident the new season will be the best yet. And, if the recently released trailer and the ambition involved with Stranger Things season 4 is anything to go off of, undoubtedly Levy’s confidence seems warranted.