The end of Stranger Things: all the news from the Netflix show’s fifth and final season – The Verge

Netflix tries to recapture Stranger Things magic with nostalgic re-release

2026-07-15T12:37:08-04:00

Netflix just can't let Stranger Things go. Since the final episode aired on New Year's Eve there's been a behind-the-scenes documentary, an animated series that expands the story, and now, on the 10th anniversary of the show's original release, Netflix has released a new version of the show's first season. The episodes have all been rendered through a VHS-style filter to make it feel like a true product of the '80s, and it's surprisingly convincing - if you're looking to re-watch the show from the beginning, this might be the best way to do it.

Netflix calls the new version of the show the "VHS Special Edition" and offers the following desc …

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Netflix can’t seem to follow up its biggest shows

2026-07-15T11:57:01-04:00

It hasn't been that long since Stranger Things ended, but even still fans are clearly clamoring for more. The finale was overshadowed by a conspiracy about a secret episode, and an otherwise standard behind-the-scenes documentary became a hotbed for theorizing. Of course, given the scale of Stranger Things, Netflix was never going to let the franchise die completely, but its first attempt at expanding the franchise largely falls flat. Tales From '85 is a stakes-free return to Hawkins that's missing most of what made the original series such a phenomenon. And it's another example of Netflix struggling to turn its biggest shows into ongoing fr …

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The Stranger Things behind-the-scenes doc is a lot more boring than a secret episode

2026-01-12T14:57:56-05:00

It's a weird time in the Stranger Things community. Following a monthslong lead-up to a finale that was so big it screened in theaters, the show's superfans have been spending their time dissecting the fifth season in order to prove that a hidden ninth episode is coming that represents the true ending of Stranger Things. So far that hasn't happened - but that doesn't mean Netflix is done with the series. The streamer just released One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5, a two hour-long documentary about, well, the making of season 5. And while it's far removed from a secret episode and provides little in the way of new conspirac …

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I went to the Stranger Things finale in theaters and the strangest thing happened

2026-01-06T12:00:00-05:00

The parking lot was packed. That's the first Strange Thing.

A little background. Just about every mall is struggling now, but the Neshaminy Mall in Bensalem, Pennsylvania is more or less comatose. As Defector's Dan McQuade, a lifelong Pennsylvanian and mall fan, wrote in his fond remembrance of the shopping center, the once bustling complex is mostly a shuttered ghost town, with half of it set to be demolished. There are only two real reasons to go there: a well-stocked Barnes & Noble and the AMC movie theater.

And people do go there for the movie theater. It's one of only three theaters in the Philly area with an IMAX screen, making it a …

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Stranger Things 5 begins with a frantic race to the finish line

2025-11-27T04:47:27-05:00

It has been a decade since the Stranger Things phenomenon began, and the Duffer brothers have had ample time to craft a strong finish to their breakout hit series. But the beginning of the show's fifth and final season feels like a frantic race to the end.

While Stranger Things wasn't Netflix's first breakout hit, it catapulted the streamer to a new level of pop cultural prominence by telling a wildly captivating story that got everyone talking. Modern day nostalgia for the '80s never really went away, but Stranger Things kicked off a new wave of shows and movies that made it feel like other studios were doing everything in their power to r …

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Stranger Things is ending, and so is Netflix’s reliance on tentpole shows

2025-11-25T09:20:04-05:00

(L to R) Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, and Noah Schnapp as Will Byers. | Image: Netflix

When Stranger Things first premiered in 2016, Netflix was still courting new subscribers with splashy original projects that were meant to have broad audience appeal. The company had solidified itself as a major player in the streaming wars with massive hits like House of Cards, Orange Is the New Black, and a collection of live-action Marvel series. The shows were all very different, but they each felt like part of an ambitious plan to establish Netflix as the gravitational center of a new pop cultural era.

Those big, watercooler tentpole projects made Netflix feel like a platform worth subscribing to because of how large they loomed in the …

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The Stranger Things series finale is coming to theaters

2025-10-23T09:44:35-04:00

Netflix is bringing the Stranger Things series finale to theaters. The show's final episode will hit theaters at the same time it premieres on the streaming service on December 31st at 8PM ET. It'll be available in more than 350 theaters across the US and Canada, and will run through January 1st, 2026.

The finale, titled "The Rightside Up," is two hours long and marks the first time a Netflix episode premieres simultaneously on its platform and in theaters, according to Deadline. Netflix previously held screenings for Stranger Things 4: Volume 2 and gave some of its original films, like KPop Demon Hunters, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mys …

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Stranger Things 5’s first trailer promises an epic showdown

2025-07-16T10:05:31-04:00

It's been a long time coming, but we finally have a real look at the end of Stranger Things. Netflix just released the first teaser trailer for the show's fifth season, which will also be its last when it starts streaming later this year. As was alluded to in the finale of season 4, the new trailer - which, despite being called a teaser, clocks in at nearly three minutes long - is focused on the major showdown with Vecna that will presumably end the string of supernatural bad luck in Hawkins, Indiana for good.

Here's the official setup for the finale, according to Netflix:

The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, …

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Stranger Things season 5 will stream this November

2025-05-31T21:49:42-04:00

Stranger Things' fifth and final season finally has a premiere date.

During its live Tudum event, Netflix announced that Stranger Things' fifth season will actually be split into three parts. Volume 1 is set to debut on November 26th, Volume 2 premieres on December 25th, and The Finale drops on New Years Eve. Along with the premiere dates, Netflix also shared a teaser showing off some of what Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin, (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Will (Noah Schnapp), and Max (Sadie Sink) are going to be up against when the show returns.

Initially, Netflix suggested that Stranger Things' fina …

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The end of Squid Game and Stranger Things solidifies Netflix’s new era

2025-02-05T09:05:49-05:00

Stranger Things.

Netflix has a busy year of premieres ahead, but it might be most notable for what's ending. As the streaming service continues to push into a new era full of live events, reality TV, and ad sales, it's also saying goodbye to arguably its two biggest franchises, with both Stranger Things and Squid Game wrapping up in 2025. Once upon a time, tentpole hits like those series were pivotal for Netflix - people signed up for them and often unsubscribed when they went away.

But singular blockbusters aren't as necessary for the company's overall success any longer. And it's possible we might not see anything quite like those two shows again.

Strang …

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