Stranger Things has been renewed for a fifth season, which will also be its last, and while that might seem like bad news for fans, this five-season plan is exactly what Stranger Things needs. Netflix has become home to some of the most popular and successful original TV shows in recent years, and one of the most beloved titles is Stranger Things. Created by the Duffer Brothers, the sci-fi horror series Stranger Things took viewers by surprise in 2016, quickly becoming one of the platform’s top titles thanks to its story, characters, 1980s setting, and nostalgia elements, as well as its mix of sci-fi and horror with real-life events and conspiracy theories.
Set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, Stranger Things follows a group of teenagers and the adults closest to them as they uncover the town’s darkest secrets, all of them connected to Hawkins Lab and the mysterious experiments that happen there. Season 1 dealt with the disappearance of Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), the opening of the gates to another dimension called the Upside Down, and Eleven’s (Millie Bobby Brown) escape from the lab. Season 2 dealt with the effects of the Upside Down on Will and a creature called the Mind Flayer, and season 3 revealed the Russians were conducting their own experiments and established a lab underneath the new Starcourt Mall in Hawkins.
Fans of Stranger Things are now waiting for the fourth season to arrive, which will be split into two parts and has been given May and July release dates, and anticipation for it has grown even more with the confirmation of a fifth and final season. After much speculation for years, Stranger Things will come to an end with season 5, and while this might be sad and maybe even disappointing to some, it’s the best way to close the story of Eleven, Hawkins, and the Upside Down.
Why Stranger Things Season 5 Is The End
Each season of Stranger Things has done its best to leave as few loose ends as possible as the future of the series wasn’t always assured, meaning there was even the slightest possibility that it wouldn’t be renewed. The success of Stranger Things, however, allowed it to continue for five seasons, but the question of when the series would come to an end had been there for years, and the Duffers did their best to offer an honest answer even if nothing was set in stone. For example, in an interview with E! in 2017, Ross Duffer said that “four to five seasons is likely where we’ll end up”, while producer Shawn Levy told Collider in 2021 that “the end is in sight” and that “there is an endgame”.
The creators and producers behind Stranger Things were aware that the series wouldn’t be a long-lasting one and there are different reasons behind that – from how the story has been built to the cast itself, and when looking into them, it’s clear that ending with season 5 is the best decision.
Stranger Things' Story Isn't Setup To Run Beyond Season 5
Although Stranger Things has introduced different creatures, threats, and an obscure dimension of which little is still known, there’s only much the series can cover. Stranger Things seemed to be heading towards its end since season 2, but still, there are a couple of questions and mysteries that the series needs to solve before it's over, and two seasons is enough time for it. Even though it’s a main setting in the series, everything about the Upside Down is still a mystery, and there’s a lot to learn about the experiments Eleven and other kids went through under Dr. Brenner’s (Matthew Modine) supervision – but all that can be covered in seasons 4 and 5.
One of the biggest risks Stranger Things has faced from the beginning is overstaying its welcome and stretching the story to unbelievable and tiring lengths (are Eleven and company going to be involved in near-death situations every year, for the same reasons, with her always showing up right on time to save the day?), showing that the series wasn’t setup to run beyond a fifth season from the beginning.
Stranger Things' Cast Age Problem Would Only Get Worse After S5
Perhaps the biggest problem that Stranger Things was going to face as the series evolved are the ages of its main cast. The main characters in Stranger Things started out as kids and are now entering their early teenage years, but the cast is growing up faster than their characters, and all the obstacles that can come up during production don’t make the problem any less complicated. Stranger Things season 4 went through various delays during production, so the main cast will look significantly older than they did at the end of season 3 even if the new season picks up not long after. This problem would only grow if the series went beyond season 5, as the characters would lose all credibility when it comes to their age.
How Will Stranger Things Season 5 End?
As mentioned above, there are still some big mysteries Stranger Things has to solve in its final two seasons, so it’s hard to predict how the series will end. Plot details about season 4 have been gradually revealed, with an official synopsis explaining that it’s set six months after the ending of Stranger Things season 3, Jim Hopper (David Harbour) is imprisoned in Kamchatka, Russia, and faces dangers both human and “other”, and the characters who are still in Hawkins will come across a new threat that presents a mystery that, if solved, can put an end to “the horrors of the Upside Down”. Supposing that Stranger Things season 4 is the one that will finally answer all questions about the Upside Down and puts an end to its “horrors”, season 5 could be the one that addresses all the mysteries about Eleven’s backstory, Brenner’s experiments, and the fate of the other test subjects, and through that, the writers can bring Stranger Things to a full end – though perhaps not a happy one as they have a tendency to kill characters the audience grows attached to, but they might have one final surprise up their sleeves and finally give a break to all the main characters.
Stranger Things' Future Beyond Season 5: Will Spinoffs Happen?
Stranger Things season 5 will be the end of the series, but maybe not of this peculiar universe. In September 2021, Netflix co-CEO, Ted Sarandos, teased that the series is a “franchise being born” and hinted at the possibility of spinoffs once the main series comes to an end. In their “letter” announcing the end of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers also hinted at future spinoffs by saying there are still “many more exciting stories to tell within the world of Strange Things” but the story of Eleven and the rest has to end first. As for who the leads of those spinoffs could be, there are many possibilities, though the most talked-about is, unsurprisingly, Eleven.
The future of the Stranger Things spinoffs could end up depending on how well-received the final two seasons are, the stories they tell, and the actors themselves, as they are getting more and more opportunities outside Hawkins, with some of them now being part of bigger projects, such as the Ghostbusters franchise and the Enola Holmes movies. The spinoffs might also depend on the stories told in Stranger Things season 4 and 5, as they shouldn’t repeat those of the main series and the writers would have to be careful to not offer more of the same and end up hurting the show that started it all. Although fans would surely like to see more of the adventures of Eleven and friends and see them evolve in all aspects of their lives, Stranger Things ending with its fifth season is the best move for the series, the characters, and its cast.