Coming to an end. After five seasons on Netflix, Stranger Things will be wrapping up its story — and the cast has plenty of thoughts about saying goodbye.
The hit series, which premiered in 2016, introduced viewers to the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, where a series of supernatural events cause mystery and mayhem. Over the course of five seasons, Stranger Things has catapulted its cast members — Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton and Joe Keery — to stardom.
Creators Matt and Ross Duffer originally announced in February 2022 that the show would end after season 5.
“Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for Stranger Things,” the writing duo detailed in an open letter. “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 see for yourselves — we are now hurtling toward our finale. Season 4 will be the penultimate season; season 5 will be the last.”
The Duffer Brothers also hinted at ways in which the Stranger Things universe could continue to be explored on Netflix, adding, “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.”
Meanwhile, director Shawn Levy noted that a lot of work was being put into bringing season 5 to life.
“No one is winging it. Honestly, I think that the Duffer brothers have [an idea of how the show end] and they have teased it for me over the past six and a half years. But they keep things very private amongst themselves until it is fully formed,” he exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2022. “Then they bring it to me and then we take the next steps. It is very, very clear now and it became clear for a while now that we have one season more that feels worth it and reliably amazing.”
Levy concluded: “We don’t want to be one of those shows that outstays its welcome and is flailing while it searches for a way to stick the landing. We really want to stick the landing. I feel like we have been able to do that every season and we also want to do it for the series.”
While fans waited for the show’s last episodes, Schnapp confirmed that his character, Will Byers, would play a large role in the final adventure.
“There will definitely be another center point for Will in season 5 and I think it’s really exciting and I’m definitely so excited to see what they have in store,” the actor shared with Us in January 2023. “They won’t tell me specifics, but they were like, ‘You just wait. You will be very happy and excited. So sit tight.’ I think the story opened and started with Will, and I think ending it with him and circling back on that is a nice way for them to wrap it up.”
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Scroll down for everything the Stranger Things cast has said about the final season: