It’s been 1,217 days since Stranger Things Season 4 wrapped on Netflix, leaving us with a laundry list of cliffhangers about where everyone in Hawkins would go next.
But the series has been buried in secrecy ever since, with Netflix seemingly determined to keep fans in the dark until the very last chapter drops.
Thankfully, a full-length trailer for Stranger Things Season 5 has arrived, finally giving us a glimpse at the horror that’s been brewing all this time.
The first thing that hits me? How much the kids have aged.
Due to Stranger Things’ infamously slow production schedule, the cast looks like they’ve lived through another decade since Stranger Things Season 3.
The footage almost plays like a sequel series — one set years after we left off.
Anyway, the big takeaway is that Vecna’s still the main threat, and he’s not done tormenting Will Byers just yet.
His plan to use Will “one last time” screams final showdown, and the trailer’s chaos — the fire, the bodies, the desperation — drives that home.
But here’s the thing: final seasons are nearly impossible to pull off. The longer the wait, the heavier the expectations. After three years, it’s hard to feel the same hype we once did.
Is it the delay? Or the three-part rollout Netflix is going with this time? Probably both.
There’s just no perfect way to end a cultural juggernaut like this, but honestly, it should’ve wrapped up a few years ago. After Stranger Things Season 4 Episode 9, how much story was really left to tell?
Part of me thinks a tight, three-hour wrap-up movie would’ve been the better call — something that respected the audience’s patience and the creators’ sanity.
Stranger Things Season 5 Is Poised to be Too Long
Instead, we’re getting eight near movie-length episodes, and that’s a risky move. There’s a fine line between “epic” and “exhausting.”
Don’t get me wrong — I’m glad we’re finally getting to say goodbye, but after all the delays and production chaos, my excitement’s running on fumes.
I want to believe the Duffer Brothers will stick the landing.
But deep down, I can’t shake the feeling that we’re heading toward one of TV’s most disappointing finales.
Because really — how do you live up to the hype after all this time?
Hopefully, I’m sitting on New Year’s Eve eating crow when the series finale airs because right now, it’s just hard to really get invested in anything about the show.
Here’s the official logline for Stranger Things Season 5:
The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown.
Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread.
The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.
It sounds climactic for sure, but does it sound like it can sustain such a long runtime?
That’s debatable, but again, I may be surprised.
The cast of Stranger Things includes Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), and Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers).
The impressive ensemble is rounded out by Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair), Brett Gelman (Murray), Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), Amybeth McNulty (Vickie), Nell Fisher (Holly Wheeler), Jake Connelly (Derek Turnbow), Alex Breaux (Lt. Akers), and Linda Hamilton (Dr. Kay).
Check out the trailer below.
Stranger Things Season 5 will release on Netflix across three premiere dates with Volume 1 on November 26 (four episodes), Volume 2 on Christmas (three episodes), and The Finale on New Year’s Eve.
In a strategy shift, each volume releases at 5 PM PT, which means that spoilers will be everywhere by the time most of the world wakes up to watch. Yipee!
Okay, Stranger Things Fanatics, I want to hear from YOU!
What’s your take on the first-look trailer? Are you still very much invested in riding this series out to the end, or did the long wait ruin your excitement?
If you’re looking for more small-town horror set many years ago, IT: Welcome to Derry may be the show for you.
-
Stranger Things Season 5 is almost here and the official trailer delivers CGI-heavy thrills, but the long wait has ruined the hype.
-
Gripping, vulnerable, raw, and human, our Characters of the Week span Grey’s Anatomy, Murder in a Small Town, Boots, and more. Check it out!
-
Boots is a hilarious and emotional coming-of-age story about a gay Marine. Check out our spoiler-free series review.
TV Fanatic is searching for passionate contributors to share their voices across various article types. Think you have what it takes to be a TV Fanatic? Click here for more information and next steps.
