Skip to main content

TL;DR:

  • Stranger Things fans are already heartbroken heading into season 5.
  • According to the Duffer Brothers, Netflix execs cried after reading their season 5 pitch.
  • The final season of Stranger Things probably won’t arrive until 2024.
The 'Stranger Things' cast, who will return when the Duffer Brothers start filming season 5. They're standing in a field that's half green and half grey and looking out at something off-screen.
Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, David Harbour, Winona Ryder, and Millie Bobby Brown in ‘Stranger Things’ | Netflix

Stranger Things Season 4 left many viewers in tears, and it sounds like the Duffer Brothers’ storytelling will only get more emotional from here. Apparently, Matt and Ross Duffer’s pitch for Stranger Things Season 5 made executives at Netflix cry. That doesn’t bode well for fans of the series, especially those holding out hope for a happy ending.

‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 left many fans heartbroken

Stranger Things Season 4 ramped up the stakes this summer, with the Netflix series killing two major characters in its latest episodes — and leaving another in critical condition.

After becoming so attached to the Stranger Things cast and their characters, fans got pretty choked up over season 4’s ending. And it sounds like the next outing will pull at their heartstrings all over again.

Although the Duffer Brothers haven’t revealed a ton about Stranger Things Season 5, they recently shared that their pitch made the higher-ups at Netflix cry. With that in mind, fans will likely be prone to more waterworks when the final episodes arrive.

The Duffer Brothers’ pitch for ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 made Netflix executives cry

Those hoping for less of an emotional roller coaster in Stranger Things’ final season may be out of luck. During an interview with The Wrap, the Duffer Brothers admitted that their pitch for Stranger Things Season 5 had a powerful impact on the executives at Netflix.

“We do have an outline for season 5 and we pitched it to Netflix and they really responded well to it,” Matt Duffer revealed. “I mean, it was hard. It’s the end of the story. I saw executives crying who I’ve never seen cry before and it was wild.”

It’s hard to imagine what could have evoked such a strong reaction, but the Duffers do have a knack for putting viewers in their feelings. And it sounds like the executives’ tears didn’t stem from tragedy alone.

Matt Duffer added, “And it’s not just to do with the story, just the fact that it’s like, Oh my God, this thing that has defined so many of our lives, these Netflix people who has been with us from the beginning, seven years now, and it’s hard to imagine the journey coming to an end.”

‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 probably won’t premiere until 2024

Related

‘Stranger Things’ Season 4: The Book Lucas Reads to Max Teases the Duffer Brothers’ New Netflix Show

Stranger Things Season 5 may bring the Netflix series to an emotional end, but according to David Harbour, we may not see it until 2024.

During an interview with GQ, the Stranger Things star guessed the timeline for the final season.

“I think we’ll [shoot] next year,” Harbour said. “They’re finishing writing it this year, and they need to prep and stuff, so hopefully, it’ll be this year. But I think that’s the plan. So it’d probably come out mid-2024, based on our track record.”

The Duffer Brothers confirmed that they’d return to the writer’s room this summer, with Ross telling Collider, “We’re going to take a little vacation in July. And then we’re going to come back. I know that the writer’s room is going to start in that first week of August.” 

All in all, it sounds like things will start moving forward soon. Hopefully, that means fans won’t need to wait quite so long for the final season.

Stranger Things Season 4 is currently streaming on Netflix.

Best in Entertainment