Stranger Things director on why the show is ending with season 5

Ever since we were introduced to the residents of Hawkins, Indiana back in 2016, Stranger Things has been a phenomenon. The show is one of Netflix’s best-known original properties, with over 64 million watching the last season in the first few weeks after its initial release.

Stranger Things season 4 will premiere this summer, and season 5 will be the show’s last. Why end the show when it remains so popular?

“Well, we never wanted to run on fumes, and we wanted to only tell as much story as saw and feel with clarity,” executive producer and director Shawn Levy told Screen Rant. “So it’s been clear for a while that they know exactly where we’re headed, and this is the arc. We wouldn’t want to stick around for one moment beyond that vision and the clarity of that voice.”

Stranger Things season 4 will be worth the wait

A throwback to sci-fi and horror classics of the 1980s, Stranger Things captured the public’s attention for all things retro just at the right moment. The show has made international stardom for the likes of Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard and David Harbour, while also giving Winona Ryder yet another cult “1980s” classic to add to her résumé.

With Netflix officially announcing in February that season 5 will be the last for Stranger Things, Levy has begun to concentrate on other projects like the Netflix movie The Adam Project, which is streaming now. The film features a time-traveling fighter pilot teaming up with his 12-year-old self on a mission to save the future.

That said, Stranger Things still takes up a big part of Levy’s brain, and he’s anticipating the reaction to season 4. “Rather than focusing on that sad day that happens, who knows when, the end of season five, I’ll just once again reaffirm what I’ve told everyone, which is it has been a long-ass wait for season four,” he said. “But I swear to God, the world will realize it’s worth it.”

Stranger Things season 4 will premiere on Netflix on May 27, 2022.

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