Stranger Things season 5 could be shorter than expected according to new BTS pic

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The final season could also be split into two volumes

Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair, Natalia Dyer and Nancy Wheeler in Stranger Things 4
(Image credit: Netflix)

Stranger Things season 5 may still be in the writing stages, but that hasn’t stopped some tantalizing revelations about the final season from emerging. The official writers' room for the show (@StrangerWriters) has shared a behind-the-scenes picture that seemingly confirms its episode count – and it's shorter than its predecessor. 

A new tweet features a look at their whiteboard in the "grid stage", split up across eight episodes with four chunks under each one to storyboard the season's events. If this is the final plan for the season, then it will be shorter than season 4 which had nine supersized episodes in it.

The Duffer Brothers have previously teased their plans to shorten and streamline the show. "I don’t think the run times will be as extreme in season five," Matt Duffer previously told The Hollywood Reporter. "We’re trying to return to the simplicity of the structure in season one, with a bigger scale and scope. Except for the finale, which I’m expecting will be pretty massive."

Aside from the episode count, the latest update from the writers' room might also reveal something else about the season's structure. Responding to the tweet, one fan noticed there was a heavier line between the grids for episodes four and five, and wondered if this could mean there will be a time jump at that point in the show. 

The official account was quick to clarify that wasn’t the case but fuelled speculation that it could mean something. "Not a time jump. Does it mean anything?" they replied with a pensive face emoji. While they weren’t giving any more away, one theory is this could be the point where the season is split across two volumes, just as season 4 was. 

While we wait for more news about the final season, check out our picks of the best Netflix shows and the best Netflix movies to stream right now.

Fay Watson
Fay Watson
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.