Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer announced when the hit sci-fi series will be back for its fourth, and penultimate, season.
The new season will be split into two parts, with volume one arriving May 27 and volume two dropping five weeks later, July 1. The Duffer Brothers added that the show’s fifth season will be its last.
Stranger Things fans, at long last we can finally reveal when the new season will be premiering!!
Stranger Things 4 is coming to you in two parts: Volume 1 premieres May 27 & Volume 2 quickly follows on July 1. pic.twitter.com/FSG6UOE1yU
— Netflix (@netflix) February 17, 2022
Season Four of Stranger Things arrives three years after the show’s third season, a delay prompted in part by the pandemic, but also because, as the Duffer Brothers noted, the new season is nearly twice as long as any previous season. “Stranger Things 4 was the most challenging season yet, but also the most rewarding one,” the duo said. “Everyone involved is incredibly proud of the results, and we can’t wait to share it with you.”
As for the show’s now looming end, the Duffers said they always intended Stranger Things to last about four or five seasons. But while the original story may be wrapping, the pair seemed to hint at the possible emergence of an extended Stranger Things universe down the road: “There are still many more exciting stories to tell within the world of Stranger Things; new mysteries, new adventures, new unexpected heroes.”
For now, though, the Duffers said, “We hope that you stay with us as we finish this tale of a powerful girl named Eleven and her brave friends, of a broken police chief and a ferocious mom, of a small town called Hawkins and an alternate dimension known only as the Upside Down. As always, we are grateful for your patience and support.”
Netflix began teasing Stranger Things Season Four last year, confirming first in May 2021 that the show was back in production. Two subsequent teasers featuring new footage were shared in August and September, with the latter focusing on the “Creel House,” a now-abandoned house in Hawkins, where something tragic occurred decades earlier. In the clip, the Stranger Things crew has to break into and investigate the house, though what they’re looking for and why is still a mystery.