In less than two months, fans of the Netflix fantasy horror giant Stranger Things will see the release of its fifth and final season. As the finale approaches, everyone is speculating about Season 5, and one of the biggest questions fans are asking is how long the episodes are. Recently, we confirmed the running times for the first four episodes (the first part to be released on November 26), and fans were left with an ugly aftertaste that the episodes won’t be quite as long as expected. Now, the Duffer Brothers have confirmed how long the actual series finale is. All we’ll say is that you should go on a bathroom break before pressing play. Matt and Ross Duffer recently spoke to Variety about the upcoming conclusion to Stranger Things. The showrunners reflected on almost 10 years since they began the most important project of their lives, saying:
“We are more confident and knowledgeable than we were back then. But there’s all these other added pressures now. It feels like there’s the Eye of Sauron on you, a lot of people watching, lots of expectations. A lot of money is being spent.”
When teasing the final season, Ross Duffer says that they made sure to solve all the arcs that have been alive for almost a decade. “It doesn’t feel like we dropped a storyline — it all connects.” Matt adds the following: “We do every last remaining thing we wanted to do with the Demogorgons and Mind Flayer and Vecna and the Upside Down and Hawkins and these characters. This is a complete story. It’s done.” Per their NDA, they did not reveal how long the final episodes are, but Matt was kind enough to share that the finale runs for “around two hours.” Ross also added that Stranger Things would finally dig into its biggest mystery. Ever since fans found themselves entering the vast and grim underworld that is the Upside Down, they have been wondering what it actually is. A different dimension? Hell? There has been no explanation as to what Vecna’s world is, but Ross teased that Season 5 would finally offer some answers to the now iconic realm:
“Every season would be like, ‘Should we talk about it?’ And we’d go, ‘No, let’s wait.’ And then finally, we’re like, ‘Well, we have to now!'”

‘Stranger Things’ Ends This Year – but Don’t Expect to See the Big Finale in Theaters

Charlie Heaton’s Jonathan Byers, Noah Schnapp’s Will Byers and Natalia Dyer’s Nancy Wheeler looking up in Stranger Things Season 4Netflix

Stranger Things will reach its conclusion with the release of the fifth and final season in three parts. Four episodes will be available on November 26, three episodes on December 25, and the series finale will land on Netflix on December 31. Naturally, the Duffers are set to deliver the most epic season among them all, which made some fans think of the possibility that the finale could play in theaters. Matt actually addressed this in the interview, and showed his support for the idea:
“People don’t get to experience how much time and effort is spent on sound and picture, and they’re seeing it at reduced quality. More than that, it’s about experiencing it at the same time with fans.”
Netflix’s experience with releasing content in theaters has been fruitful in the past, with KPop Demon Hunters being the best example of the profitability behind these types of theatrical runs. There’s no question that if theaters played the Stranger Things finale, fans would flock to see it on the big screen. Netflix CCO Bela Bajaria addressed the idea, but she says that Netflix is the way to go, because that’s what fans prefer. She said this to Variety:
“A lot of people — a lot, a lot, a lot of people — have watched Stranger Things on Netflix. It has not suffered from lack of conversation or community or sharing or fandom. I think releasing it on Netflix is giving the fans what they want.”

Release Date

2016 – 2025

Network

Netflix

Writers

Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock