Stranger Things premiered on Netflix on July 15, 2016. You know how long ago that was? That was also the day Donald Trump announced Mike Pence as his vice president running mate. Barack Obama was still president!
A lot has changed in the eight years since Will Byers vanished into the Upside Down, yet Stranger Things remains — for a few more episodes, at least.
Here’s everything we know about Stranger Things season 5, the Netflix show’s final season, including plot details, the cast, and the release date.
Plot
Specific plot details about season 5 are tough to come by, which makes sense — Stranger Things is the most closely-guarded show since Game of Thrones. But the cast and creators have given a few hints about what to expect.
Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin, told The Direct that “there is a context of that trauma and that weight of loss that seems to carry on with him through the early process of the season, and hopefully, that’s something that people like to see, see him grow through that arc, and see him start to deal with intense grief at a young age.” He added that the season will kick off with Hawkins, Indiana, in “real disarray” following the events of the season 4 finale.
The eight episodes in season 5 will be “heartbreaking,” “bonkers,” and “satisfying.” You might cry, too. “The end of this episode when we were reading it — just us reading it — about halfway through, people started crying,” star David Harbour (Hopper) raved about the finale on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “Then about the last 20 minutes, it was just uncontrollably crying, waves of different people.” He called it “the best episode they’ve ever done.”
Season 5 is also going to be a “full-circle” season, as Will, who has been relegated to the sidelines since season 1, is “going to be a big part and focus,” co-creator Matt Duffer told Collider. “We’re starting to see his coming of age, really. Which has been challenging for a number of reasons, some of which are supernatural. But you’re starting to see him come into his own.” Matt’s brother and fellow co-creator Ross added, “[It’s] setting up us coming full circle back to season 1. I think you’ll see that with a couple of the character arcs, not just with Will. But also with Steve and Nancy, and her relationship with Jonathan where things are not fully resolved. The characters have maybe made steps, like in the case of Will, but that journey isn’t over yet. All of that is going to play a huge role as we try to wrap this thing up.”
As for the titles of the season 5 episodes:
Episode 1: “The Crawl”
Episode 2: “The Vanishing of…”
Episode 3: “The Turnbow Trap”
Episode 4: “Sorcerer”
Episode 5: “Shock Jock”
Episode 6: “Escape From Camazotz”
Episode 7: “The Bridge”
Episode 8: “The Rightside Up”
The full title of episode 2 was intentionally left mysterious, but it’s a reference to the first episode of the series, “The Vanishing of Will Byers.”
Cast
The confirmed cast for season 5 includes Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Brett Gelman (Murray Bauman), Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair), Jamie Campbell Bower (Henry Creel / Vecna), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), and Amybeth McNulty (Vickie).
As for Joseph Quinn, he has a “feeling” that he’ll return as fan favorite Eddie Munson. “Or maybe I don’t,” the Gladiator II star (and not-Doja Cat’s husband) teased. “Who knows? I don’t know! Who knows? Maybe I do.”
There’s also a few newcomers to Stranger Things. Linda Hamilton will bring her The Terminator / Terminator 2: Judgment Day prestige to the show, while Nell Fisher, Jake Connelly, and Alex Breaux were cast in unknown roles.
Release Date
The long wait for new episodes of Stranger Things will be over in 2025. When in 2025? TBD! But still: 2025! Next year!
Trailer
Netflix hasn’t released any footage from season 5 yet, but there is a “title tease” video. I know I already listed the titles above, but I’d like to point out that one of the episodes is called “Escape From Camazotz,” which apparently means “death bat.” So, look forward to that.
