After over a decade of working on the show, Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer say they have learned a lot from the past four seasons of the hit sci-fi series, and hope they have used all their experience to make the final season the best yet.
"We're constantly learning what works and what didn't work, and we're applying those lessons or attempting to apply those lessons to the next season," says Matt Duffer to GamesRadar+. "So hopefully we have learned any possible lesson there is to learn, and season 5 will be perfect, and fans won't have any issue with anything. I think that the chances of that are 0.5%."
After Stranger Things season 4 ended on a rather frustrating cliffhanger over 3 years ago, fans have been patiently waiting for Stranger Things season 5 to wrap things up.
When asked whether there is anything he wishes he could go back and change, Matt Duffer responds, jokingly, "It's perfect, I don't know what you're talking about," before adding, "I almost don't want to say what I would change because then people go 'The Duffers don't like X, Y, and Z.' But no, I will say this, every year you learn, every year you make mistakes, but you also learn and are surprised by things that really resonate with an audience that you weren't so sure were going to resonate."
No matter where the Duffer brothers decide to take the overall plot, one thing is for sure, season 5 will firmly end the story of Hawkins as we know it. "It was important for us to resolve all storylines and tie up any loose ends," confirmed Matt Duffer to GamesRadar+. The duo also told SFX magazine that "the book is closed" on Eleven and co's storylines, and future live-action spin-off shows won't link back to them.
Set in 1987, season 5 catches up with Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Will (Noah Schnapp), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), and the rest of Hawkins' heroes as they have one shared goal: destroy Vecna. However, with the town placed under military quarantine, forcing Eleven into hiding, the gang's venture back to the Upside Down has become more impossible than ever.
Stranger Things season 5 Volume One releases on Netflix on 26 November, followed by Volume Two on 25 December, and the finale on December 31, 2025. For more, check out our picks for the best shows on Netflix and best movies on Netflix.
