It turns out Netflix’s cheeky Stranger Things advertisement teasing the opening of a new mall in Hawkins, Indiana was indeed an indication the premiere of season 3 has been delayed. Ultimately the faux ad for the Starcourt Mall turned out to be a fun way to disappoint a lot of viewers who were likely anticipating the third go-round of the ‘80s nostalgia-obsessed series to arrive later this year, in keeping with how season 2 was rolled out after the show made a splash on the streaming service. 

That won’t be the case, it turns out, as creators Matt and Ross Duffer and executive producer Shawn Levy want a little more time in order to figure out what’s next for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Chief Hopper (David Harbour), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), and the rest of Hawkins gang (Cara Buono included!) after their last encounter with the denizens of the Upside Down. Though that might be a tough pill for some viewers to swallow, it sounds as though the extra time is necessary to nail down the story, and deliver an even bigger spectacle than before. 

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As reported by EW, the delay was confirmed during Netflix’s all-day panel at the Television Critics Association summer press tour 2018. Netflix programming executive Cindy Holland was on hand to provide relatively few answers and announcements to critics’ questions, though she did provide some clarification on when Stranger Things season 3 would hit and why. Holland said:

“It’s a handcrafted show. The Duffer Brothers and Shawn Levy, they understand the stakes are high. They want to deliver something bigger and better than last year. I think it’s going to be a fantastic season. It will be worth the wait.”

Holland’s comments aren’t too far off from what has been seen recently from other networks, like FX and HBO, who have offered their talent more time to develop some of their top-rated shows. That has especially been the case with two of HBO’s biggest genre series, Game of Thrones and Westworld, both of which have taken advantage of irregular release schedules. Whatever one might think of either show’s most recent efforts, the willingness of those cutting the checks to be patient for what might ultimately be a better product is a positive sign for shows that are as big and as popular as Stranger Things. Besides, it’s not like Netflix is going to come up short on original content between now and 2019. 

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Stranger Things season 3 is expected in the summer of 2019 on Netflix. 

Source: EW