It's hard to imagine what the Netflix landscape would look like without Stranger Things. Without question the biggest original series that the streaming service has ever produced, it very quickly became a global phenomenon after the launch of its first season in 2016. Since that moment, it has only grown in size - much like the content within each season.
Stranger Things has produced five seasons throughout its decade-long run, ranging from the compact, quiet, and thrilling first season to the expanded, ambitious, and larger-than-life sci-fi adventure of its fourth. No matter what hat it is wearing, it is capable of making viewers sit on the edges of their seats, scream at the TV, and quite possibly break out into an impromptu rendition of "Running Up That Hill" or "The NeverEnding Story". That's the impact of this juggernaut of a show.
The release of its fifth and final season has once again brought about the discourse as to when the show was truly at its best. Was it the darker days of season 2, the goofy fun of season 3, or the ambitiously enjoyable final chapter that season 5 offered up? Let's take this opportunity to answer that question once and for all.
Although there is no such thing as a "bad" season of Stranger Things, there have been some highs and lows throughout the Netflix show's run. And, with that, let's dive into our ranking to find out which one is truly the best of them all.
5. Stranger Things season 3
When season 3 of Stranger Things premiered on Netflix, some critics called it a comeback for a show that had stagnated in its second season – and in many ways it really was. It was bigger, bolder and badder than its predecessors, promising to take the story outside of Hawkins in the hopes of changing things up.
This time, the gateway to the Upside Down had been reopened by external forces and it’s once again up to Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Max, Steve, Jonathan, Nancy, Joyce and Hopper to figure out what’s going on and put a stop to it. However, things get more complicated when Max’s brother Billy gets sucked into it and the town’s new Starcourt Mall houses a dangerous secret.
There was so much good in Stranger Things 3, including the emotional stakes, the friendship between Eleven and Max, the fresher approach to extending the story and the introduction of Robin. What ultimately lets it down is the fact that it often leans into some of the show’s goofier tendencies, resulting in what used to be moments of light comic relief overwhelming the story and resulting in questionable character decisions.
That said, its season finale, “Chapter Eight: The Battle of Starcourt”, may just be the greatest hour the show has ever produced.
4. Stranger Things season 5
After 10 years on the air and the type of buzz that most TV shows could only dream of, there was a lot of intrigue to see whether Stranger Things could close out this chapter of television in a satisfying way (and potentially avoid the Game of Thrones mishap of alienating its fanbase). We're happy to report that it did just that.
The truth is that the fifth season has a lot to contend with and it deals with it all efficiently. It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it does pull it all together nicely. After all, this is a season that has the military once again chasing Eleven, Vecna planning something worse than ever involving a whole new generation of kids, new characters entering the fray, and aftermath from the previous season in droves. It also has been tasked with answering the long-standing mysteries surrounding the Upside Down. It's ambitious and the stakes certainly feel high.
The renewed focus on Will Byers is where this season thrives. It all started with Will so, of course, he had to be there at the end, and the creative team finally give Noah Schnapp's beloved character the spotlight he deserves. And that, more than anything, is one of the most fulfilling aspects of the season.
Although Eleven should have more to do in the "Volume 2" portion of the season, Stranger Things season 5 really embraces the ensemble at the heart of the show, and that's one of the elements where it has always thrived in: The characters, and their hearts. Even with the odds stacked against them in a way that they never have been before, they are determined to save the day. And you honestly couldn't ask for more than that!
The season finale is larger than the show has ever been, and it's nothing short of thrilling as a result of that.
3. Stranger Things season 4
The fourth season of Stranger Things debuted on Netflix in May 2022, arriving almost three years after season 3, so it goes without saying that it needed to make an impression.
Bigger. Badder. Meaner. Scarier. Darker. Larger-than-life. Season 4 was all of those things right from the offset, and not just because its first part consisted of seven hour-long installments. No, the fourth season quickly set itself apart from its predecessors with a story that reached beyond Hawkins (both into the real world and the Upside Down) and a much more mature tone that quickly made it clear that Stranger Things had grown up.
The Mind Flayer was not the threat this time (though he is still out there) as a new evil named Vecna arose, violently killing people across the dimensions, putting everyone in Hawkins at risk of feeling his wrath. Meanwhile, the only person capable of stopping him, a powerless Eleven, struggled fitting in to her new life in California. And while all of this was happening, the beloved Jim Hopper was trapped on the other end of the world in a secret prison.
There was a lot going on in Stranger Things season 4 as the show had a lot of time to explore it. The lengthier episodes do result in occasional pacing issues (which was evident in its premiere and its movie-length finale), and the newer more graphic approach might not be for everyone, but the first part of the season found a way to make the show serious again, all while maintaining that heart we all love so much – and making the world sing “Running Up That Hill” the whole way throughout.
2. Stranger Things season 2
Perhaps the most-anticipated second season in Netflix’s storied history, Stranger Things‘ sophomore outing was appropriately held until Halloween 2017, offering some welcome spooky entertainment for the occasion.
Set almost a year after the events of the previous season, it focuses heavily on aftermath as Will Byers struggles to fit back into his life after his ordeal in the Upside Down (largely due to the fact that the Mind Flayer has not relinquished its grip on him) and Mike tries to move on after Eleven’s apparent death.
But Eleven is a lot closer to him than he knows, as Hopper has taken her in in order to protect her, and it’s a good thing too as the gang quickly realize how helpless they are without her when the world of the Upside Down begins bleeding into Hawkins.
Stranger Things 2 does suffer from 2 “sequelitis” on occasion in that it revisits a lot of the story beats that its predecessor did (and there is that divisive standalone episode), but it ups the scares, doubles down on the shocks and increases the stakes without getting too gruesome, and its final two episodes are nothing short of spectacular.
1. Stranger Things season 1
It’s hard to fully sum up the magic that was created when Stranger Things was born. A nostalgically endearing and yet unbelievably terrifying thrill-ride, its first season opened the doors to the Upside Down in a way every bit as captivating as it was aesthetically-pleasing.
Set in the small town of Hawkins, it introduced us to instantly memorable characters like Joyce Byers and Chief Jim Hopper, or the beloved group of Dungeons and Dragons-playing kids that would find themselves at the heart of the mystery that would unfold in their quiet little town. And as they searched endlessly for their friend Will Byers, they soon discovered that there was evil in Hawkins and not all of it was of this world.
Stranger Things has never produced a bad season, but the truth is that nothing comes close to the perfection of its first. A small and contained story, it’s a gripping thriller that does so, so much with very little, and it flourishes because of that – all while paying tribute to a decade of ’80s properties that will leave even those of us who weren’t born in that decade feeling unbelievably nostalgic.