After a three year hiatus, Stranger Things is back for its fifth and final season. The beloved Netflix hit tells the story of a group of kids growing in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana in the 1980s, facing threats from supernatural beings and an alternate universe known as ‘The Upside Down.’ The series was created by brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, known as ‘The Duffer Brothers.’ The brothers wrote, directed and served as executive producers for most of Stranger Things.
Stranger Things premiered on Netflix in July 2016 to critical and fan acclaim. The show quickly gained huge amounts of popularity on social media due its 1980s nostalgia and its breakout stars, as most actors from the series were relatively unknown when they were cast in the Netflix hit. Stranger Things has also gone beyond the television screen. A play titled Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which acts as a prequel to the television series, premiered at Broadway’s Marquis Theatre in spring 2025. The show has also played a huge part in bringing back 80s nostalgia, re-popularizing 80s songs such as “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” by Kate Bush, and “Should I Stay or Should I Go” by The Clash.
“The television series, Stranger Things, is an emotional rollercoaster that you can’t take your eyes away from. There are so many twists and turns and unexpected events that keep you on the edge of your seat. I can’t wait to binge the new season as soon as it drops,” said sophomore Rowan Danow.
The first season follows a group of young kids, Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), and Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin). One night, Will mysteriously disappears, and it is up to the group of friends, Will’s mother Joyce (Winona Ryder), and the local town detective Jim Hopper (David Harbour) to find him. Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Mike’s sister, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Will’s brother, and Nancy’s ex-boyfriend Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) all aid in the search.
Along the way, the group discovers some shady connections from Hawkins to The Upside Down. They also befriend a girl with telekinetic powers, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who helps them eventually rescue Will from The Upside Down. The second season follows the group a year after Will’s initial disappearance, dealing with a new entity from The Upside Down called the Mind Flayer. The Mind Flayer possesses Will, and it is up to the group of friends to save him once again. Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink), a new addition to the main group of characters, also helps the group save Hawkins from The Upside Down.
In season three, Max’s stepbrother Billy (Dacre Montgomery) is possessed by the mind flayer, which takes over the citizens of Hawkins and kills many of them. Dustin, Steve, Lucas’s sister Erica (Priyah Ferguson) and new character Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke) also uncover a Russian base and a Soviet connection to Hawkins, bringing the historical influence of the Cold War into the series.
Season four follows the Byers family and Eleven moving to California after the tragic events of the series thus far, with the gang facing a new supervillain, Vecna (Jamie Campbell-Bower). Season five will follow the group in the fall of 1987, where the group will try to save Hawkins once and for all and close the gate to The Upside Down as the fourth anniversary of Will Byers’s disappearance approaches.
“I am very excited to see Millie Bobby Brown and Noah Schnapp take the screen for their last season together. She is such an amazing actress and I love all of her productions she has been in over the years, but mainly, this show,” said senior Amanda Mellow.
Stranger Things has been a beloved show for almost ten years, with the fans seeing child actors grow into adult Hollywood A-listers. Many fans are emotional with the show’s ending because it has had such a profound influence on pop culture for the past decade, bringing back the spirit and nostalgia of the 1980s.
“I have been watching Stranger Things since it came out, and while I am excited to see the final season, I am so sad that the show is coming to an end. It is one of the best shows I have ever watched and I am really looking forward to seeing how they will end the series,” said junior Isabella Imperiale.
Fans have been eagerly awaiting the final season since the last release in spring 2022. The final season of Stranger Things will premiere on Nov. 26, with only the first four episodes releasing on that day. The next three episodes will be released on Dec. 25. The final episode will be released on Dec. 31, concluding the show on New Year’s eve.
Overall, fans of Stranger Things are expecting a bittersweet ending to the series, with their favorite characters back on screen for the final time, and are looking forward to seeing how the Hawkins’ gang defeats The Upside Down once and for all.