Months after Stranger Things season 5 finally debuted on Netflix, it looks like the last season of the hit sci-fi show won't surpass its predecessor in popularity.
That's according to What's On Netflix, which has analyzed the numbers with help from Netflix viewership data collected by Netflix & Chiffres. Per the data, season 5 sits on 132.7 million views, over 70 days into its 91-day tracking window (Volume 2 was released on December 25, 2025, with the final episode arriving shortly afterwards on December 31).
Season 4 racked up 140.7 million views total, so Stranger Things season 5 has only two weeks to make up the 8 million shortfall – which What's On Netflix says is "mathematically impossible," considering its viewership curve has pretty much flattened. Unless a huge chunk of viewers suddenly get interested in season 5, it looks highly unlikely it can catch up to season 4.
Still, Stranger Things season 5 is a huge success in its own right, coming in at number four on the all time most-watched English-language list (season 4 occupies the third spot).
The Stranger Things season 5 finale proved pretty controversial when it aired, with many disappointed with how the Duffer Brothers wrapped up their smash hit show – to the point that a conspiracy theory named Conformity Gate sprang into existence, with fans certain a secret finale was on the way.
While the main show is over, there is still more Stranger Things to come. The stage show The First Shadow could be heading to Netflix, while the spin-off Stranger Things: Tales from '85 is arriving on April 26.
In the meantime, fill out your watchlist with our guide to all the best Netflix shows to stream now.
