Stranger Things has introduced many lovable characters like Max and Robin over the past two seasons, but season 4 should avoid adding any more new characters that distract from the core group’s unitary Upside Down conflict. Stranger Things season 2 added a few important regular characters including Billy and Bob, while season 3 introduced many minor characters such as Alexei and the mayor. As the next season approaches, it may be time for Stranger Things to reevaluate why and how it uses new characters.
Stranger Things has already announced several new additions for season 4. Most characters seem to be minor and a few could have substantial roles, but their descriptions imply they’ll fall into the show’s formula of new characters. Jonathan’s new stoner friend Argyle (Eduardo Franco) will most likely take the same role as Max or Robin who becomes sucked into the disturbing world due to a blossoming friendship. Mason Dye was confirmed as a new popular jock, who may follow in Steve and Billy’s footsteps of being the jerk who ostracizes the core characters. Tom Wlaschiha seems to be a promising addition as a prison guard at Hopper’s Russian facility, a role that is necessary to give nuance to Hopper’s new situation in Stranger Things season 4.
Instead of adding several new characters in the upcoming seasons, Stranger Things should add one or two new exciting characters who contribute more to the main fight against the Upside Down. Adding many new characters for novelty’s sake or to throw a wrench in someone’s relationship takes away from the unexplored dynamics between the existing characters. Considering Stranger Things is likely to end in season 5, the show needs to focus on growing these existing relationships now in order to have more satisfactory character conclusions. It's worth noting Jonathan and Steve haven’t really interacted since Stranger Things season 1, siblings Nancy and Mike rarely have scenes together, and Max has barely conversed with any of the older kids besides Billy. Instead of introducing further group separations like the past two seasons, Stranger Things season 4 should focus on reuniting the core groups as one unit throughout most of the storyline.
To be fair, some new characters in the last two seasons have become beloved by viewers and made great additions to the cast. Characters such as Max, Robin, and Erica have had ample screen time and been effectively used within the plot to test the dynamic of the core group or embrace growth in existing characters. These few characters have been positively employed to advance the story and make audiences truly care about them, whereas many others are throwaways who add little more than novelty. Some characters, such as Cary Elwes’ Mayor Kline, were introduced for the sake of Stranger Things cameoing an '80s actor and were ultimately overused.
Along those lines, adding too many new characters does a disservice to the new additions as well. Billy, for example, wasn’t able to have a fleshed-out redemption arc before he was killed off in the season 3 finale. This is a strategy that's been employed often: bring in characters that begin as suspicious, then kill them off when they really start to become liked. It was the same scenario with Bob’s surprising death in Stranger Thing's season 2 and Alexei’s in season 3. If the show is going to bring in new characters who viewers get attached to and actually augment the dynamics between existing characters, it seems like a waste to kill them off a few episodes later. Instead, the show should take advantage of the audience's bond with a few choice new characters, make them become a full part of the ensemble, and use the extra time to focus on the dynamics between the existing original characters. Both the characters and Stranger Things itself would be stronger as a result.