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4 most common Stranger Things complaints that don’t matter (and 3 that do)

By Bryce Olin

STRANGER THINGS. (L to R) Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley, Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield, and Joe Keery as Steve Harrington in STRANGER THINGS. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022
STRANGER THINGS. (L to R) Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley, Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield, and Joe Keery as Steve Harrington in STRANGER THINGS. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022 /
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Stranger Things, Stranger Things season 4, Stranger Things season 4 release date, When does Stranger Things season 4 come out?, Stranger Things 4, When does the new season of Stranger Things come out?
Stranger Things – Season 3 (2019). Photo Credit: Netflix /

It takes too long for new Stranger Things seasons to be released

Take a spin online, and you’ll see someone complaining about how long it takes for new episodes of Stranger Things to be released on Netflix. This is another complaint that just doesn’t matter.

Why it doesn’t matter: Stranger Things season 1 premiered on Netflix in July 2016. It’s nearly 2024 and we’ve only seen three more seasons of Stranger Things since then, so what gives? Well, Stranger Things season 2 premiered in time for Halloween 2017. Then, there was a big break between seasons 2 and season 3 mainly because production couldn’t start on season 3 until 2018, and Netflix decided to release the third season over the Fourth of July weekend in 2019, which lined up with when that season took place. Summer season, summer release.

Then, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down production on season 4, which probably would have been released in 2021, two years after season 3. Instead, production didn’t get started, really, until 2021, and the season was under heavy restrictions with required testing, limits on cast and crew size, and other things. Throw in the fact that production, for the first time, took place on different continents, along with multiple locations in the United States. Season 4 production took place in Lithuania, Georgia, California, and New Mexico. Oh, and season 4 was the most ambitious season yet with effects, CGI, and bigger action sequences than ever before. It was released in the summer of 2022, three years after season 3, basically.

Then, just as the cast and crew were heading to Georgia to film season 5 in May 2023, the WGA went on strike, which delayed production. In July, the actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, went on strike. So, even though the writers’ strike is over, production on Stranger Things season 5 still can’t start because the actors on strike.

Yes, Stranger Things does take a long time between seasons. The production value of the series, scope of the story, filming in different locations, and how the show is made factor into the lengthy production and post-production windows. But, let’s be honest: no one had global pandemic, the longest writers’ strike since the 1980s, and actors’ strike delaying Stranger Things on the bingo card when this show started. There are very clear reasons why Stranger Things has taken a long time to between seasons, and many of the reasons are not the fault of anyone directly related to the show.

On top of all that, Stranger Things only gets more popular! Season 2 was bigger than season 1, while season 3 was the biggest until season 4 was released. Season 5 is going to be the most popular yet. Plus, you’d still watch new Stranger Things even if it took longer to be released on Netflix, and that’s why it doesn’t matter.

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