List of Stranger Things episodes
Stranger Things is an American science fiction, horror, mystery, and drama television series created by The Duffer Brothers for streaming on Netflix. The brothers, as well as Karl Gajdusek in the first season only, are the program's showrunners. They also executive produce the series with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. The show features a large ensemble cast and takes place in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. It is set in the 1980s and revolves around the actions of the town's citizens when a government agency experiments with the paranormal and supernatural using human test subjects. In the process, they create a portal to an alternate dimension known as the Upside Down.
The first season of eight episodes was released on July 15, 2016. A second season of nine episodes and third season of eight episodes were released on October 27, 2017, and July 4, 2019, respectively. The fourth season was delayed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television. Consisting of nine episodes split across two volumes, the first seven episodes of season four were released on May 27, 2022, and the final two were released on July 1, 2022. This season also featured a significant increase in episode lengths equivalent to that of many feature films, with run times ranging from 63 to 150 minutes. In February 2022, Netflix renewed the series for a fifth and final season. Production on season five was delayed by the 2023 Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes. It was later revealed that the season would contain eight episodes and be released across November and December 2025 in three segments.
Along with COVID and strike delays, the series also requires extensive visual and special effects which has contributed to the extended time period between release dates. Stranger Things is considered one of Netflix's flagship series and has set viewership records on the platform. It has also been the subject of praise from critics and has gained a cult following. The series has won several accolades and been nominated for numerous others. It has also spawned a prequel stage play and has a spin-off series in production.