Along with revealing the premiere date for its much-delayed fourth season on Thursday, Netflix announced that “Stranger Things” — the sci-fi horror series that premiered in 2016, and became a phenomenon — has been renewed for a fifth and final season.
In a letter to fans that said “Stranger Things 4” would be split into two parts, with the first to debut May 27 and the second to launch July 1, series creators Matt and Ross Duffer also unveiled the big news that the show will conclude with “Stranger Things 5.”
“Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for ‘Stranger Things,'” the showrunners, credited as the Duffer Brothers, said in a letter shared on Netflix’s blog. “At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four, but — as you’ll soon see for yourselves — we are now hurtling toward our finale. Season 4 will be the penultimate season; season 5 will be the last.”
They continued: “There are still many more exciting stories to tell within the world of ‘Stranger Things’; new mysteries, new adventures, new unexpected heroes. But first we hope that you stay with us as we finish this tale of a powerful girl named Eleven and her brave friends, of a broken police chief and a ferocious mom, of a small town called Hawkins and an alternate dimension known only as the Upside Down. As always, we are grateful for your patience and support”
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Season 4 of “Stranger Things” will premiere after a long delay; the third season dropped on Netflix more than two-and-half-years ago. The show’s ending is only logical, given that its young cast — including Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin and Gaten Matarazzo — started on “Stranger Things” in their early teens, and they are now approaching their 20s.
The news was teased on Wednesday, with Netflix’s Twitter account posting a photograph of the company’s billboard on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.
— Netflix (@netflix) February 16, 2022
“Stranger Things” has been nominated for 31 Emmy awards, winning six in the creative arts categories. The series also stars Sadie Sink as Max, Joe Keery as Steve, Natalie Dyer as Nancy, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan and Maya Hawke as Robin. Season 4 will also feature Priah Ferguson, Eduardo Franco, Jamie Campbell Bower, Joseph Quinn, Mason Dye, Robert Englund, Tom Wlaschiha, Sherman Augustus, Nikola Djuricko, Joel Stoffer, Amybeth McNulty, Myles Truitt, Regina Ting Chen and Grace Van Dien.