Stranger Things is heading toward its series finale this fall, and it is gearing up to attempt to be the biggest event in television history. That seems ambitious, but I would argue part it’s part of a track record of the series getting increasingly annoying in time in terms of how it’s presented, even if the content itself may be good.
Why am I calling Stranger Things season 5 “annoying”? A few reasons:
- This has been just a ridiculous gap between seasons. Probably the most ridiculous one in streaming history. Stranger Things season 4 was released in May 2022 and season 5 will air November 26, 2025. That is a three and a half year gap between seasons to the point where the cast has aged to an absolutely absurd degree. Star Millie Bobby Brown, who was 12 when the show started, is now 21, married and about to adopt a child.
- It’s not just the gap, it’s what creators the Duffer Brothers say about the gap, leaning into the concept: “If shows come out every year, it’s diminishing return. I like the buildup.” I saw a response to this saying, “Movies, you want to make movies.” Well, guess what?
- That’s essentially what they’ve done. Reports indicate that all of the eight episodes of the series are anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours long, which are feature-length, and no doubt in part responsible for the absurd wait. You can say more Stranger Things content is better than less, but it feels a bit self-important to me, and like what Game of Thrones tried to do near the end of the series (and we know how that went).
- It’s also the way Netflix is airing these episodes. Netflix has split its popular shows into two halves as of late, as we just saw with Wednesday, four episodes chunks a month apart. They are splitting Stranger Things season 5 into three parts. November 26 will release 4 episodes, December 25 will release 3, then the series finale will be on December 31. So it’s not only three parts, it’s that Netflix wants you to spend Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve watching Stranger Things.
- I’m not even done yet. According to a new report from Puck News, the budget of Stranger Things season 5 is $400-$480 million, meaning Netflix is spending half a billion on eight episodes of TV, which equates to $50-60 million per episode. That is likely the largest per-episode and single season budget for any show in history, and way more than the $356 million budget of Avengers: Endgame. I suppose for eight “movies” that makes sense, but again, Netflix is treating this like the pinnacle of the entire concept of television.
I have to assume that this season will be pretty good, though, of course, you worry about a series like this managing to stick the landing. I keep having Game of Thrones flashbacks, as previously mentioned. But I find myself annoyed with the lead-up here on both the Netflix and Duffer Brothers side. I wonder if I’m alone.
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