Will the official Stranger Things aftershow, Beyond Stranger Things, return for the new season? The aftershow launched alongside Stranger Things season 2 in October 2017, which has returned for its third season now.
Beyond Stranger Things marked Netflix's first-ever aftershow. It was released to coincide with Stranger Things season 2 as a talk show to discuss the events of the season. The show, hosted by Jim Rash, consisted of seven episodes and featured a number of cast members and the show's creators, The Duffer Brothers. The guests shared behind-the-scenes insights on filming and production while also revealing new details into the Stranger Things mythology. Unlike most other aftershows on live TV, which come after each episode, Beyond Stranger Things was intended to be viewed after completing season 2 in its entirety.
Some viewers have wondered if Beyond Stranger Things would make a return for another installment to focus on season 3. Unfortunately, Netflix is skipping the Stranger Things aftershow this season according to executive producer Shawn Levy. When asked on Twitter about whether Beyond Stranger Things is returning, Levy replied in a tweet to say that there won't be an aftershow this year.
It's interesting that Netflix would pull the plug on Beyond Stranger Things, considering it was their first foray into an aftershow-type program. It's likely that the show didn't do as well as they hoped in terms of viewership numbers. It's also plausible that the aftershow was too difficult to put together in time now that the majority of the cast is busy with other work when they aren't filming Stranger Things. As their careers continue to grow, especially with the young cast, it will become more and more difficult to gather them in the same location outside of the Stranger Things press tours.
The news about Beyond Stranger Things was released a day before Stranger Things season 2 dropped on Netflix. It's possible that the streaming service could have another surprise in terms of extra content, although it probably wouldn't be as big as an aftershow. This will undoubtedly make some viewers disappointed as many Netflix subscribers are willing to take all of the Stranger Things content they can get.
This doesn't mean that there won't be a total lack of cast interviews and discussions following the release of Stranger Things season 3. There's no word yet if Stranger Things is heading to San Diego Comic-Con this year but if they do, the gang will definitely present meaningful discussions into the lastest season and the possible future of the series. Additionally, this doesn't totally rule out the option of bringing it back for future seasons. If enough viewers demand it, Netflix would surely listen.