Stranger Things 4 will have more episodes than usual

The coronavirus has delayed production on many shows, but Stranger Things star Natalia Dyer (Nancy) explains how it could be “a blessing for the writers.”

The coronavirus may have shut down most of Hollywood for a while, but things are getting back on track. That includes production the fourth season of Netflix’s Stranger Things, which fans are looking forward to more than ever after the smashing, Emmy-nominated third season.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, star Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler) broke down what the cast and crew have been doing for the past few months. “I think we were just maybe a few weeks into filming,” she remembered. “I was still kind of getting used to it and finding the flow of it and getting my body used to waking up at whatever hour. Yeah, it was wild.”

"At first, it was like, “Okay, we’re going to go on a two week hiatus,” and then, it was like, “Okay, we’re really going to go on a hiatus.” So, yeah, it’s kind of wild to think about because it’s something that you look forward to so much, and there’s so much preparation and excitement around it. And then, we start and stop. And now, it’s been quite a while. But I’m very, very excited for when we do go back. I’m excited by the scripts. I’m excited for everything that this season is going to be."

Yes, the sooner they get back to filming, the better. Those kids are all hitting growth spurts any second now.

And speaking of the scripts, it looks like there may be more of them this year than usual. Season 1 and 3 had only eight episodes, but based on an image posted to the official @strangerwriters Twitter account, it looks like we’re getting an extra installment for season 4:

So are we getting nine episodes? “It appears to be,” Dyer agreed. “Normally, we get the first few scripts, and then they have to keep writing due to the schedule of it. And it takes a while to craft a script. So, normally, there’s a kind of ‘writing as we’re going,’ but it seems they’ve had enough time. I think it’s maybe been a blessing for the writers, in some way, because they had the time to just sit down, think and create. So, yeah, it appears to be that they’ve got it all down.”

You know, however much it’s gonna suck to wait longer for new seasons of our favorite shows, it does make sense that the downtime will let writers give their scripts an extra coat of polish, so when the shows do come back, my bet is that they’ll be a little better than we remember.

I’m trying to find silver linings in this whole coronavirus thing. It’s not easy.

Anyway, the second season of Stranger Things also had nine episodes, but one of them was the largely panned “The Lost Sister,” aka the one where Eleven dresses like a mall goth. We might as well not count that one.

Based on what we’ve heard, the “extra episode” in season 4 will be an origin story for a “fan-favorite” character.” Vietnam War flashback for Sheriff Hopper, maybe?

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels