Multiple rumors have surfaced suggesting that Stranger Things will end after Season 4, just after Netflix released Season 3. The series is widely considered the best original series on the streaming platform, but anonymous sources are now saying that Netflix wants to quit while it’s ahead — and while the stars are still young.
Stranger Things Season 3 hit Netflix last week, and, of course, it was a massive success. However, two outlets are now reporting that there will only be one more visit to Hawkins, Indiana, with Stranger Things Season 4. Insiders say that Netflix has already asked the Duffer brothers to end their supernatural nostalgia trip after that.
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First up, sources told JoBlo.com that Stranger Things would be back for Season 4, but then it would be canceled. They claimed that this is because the main cast is aging too fast for production, and Netflix does not want the show to become a young adult series before it is all over.
There is a similar report from We Got This Covered, where “a very reliable source” said that Stranger Things will end after Season 4. They claimed that Netflix originally wanted to take the show to five seasons, but they are now preparing to abandon those plans.
They cited a few reasons for this decision. First, they claimed that Netflix is worried about the show getting repetitive, as it is getting increasingly difficult to raise the stakes in the winding story. This most recent season featured the Mind Flayer attacking the town, with an additional threat from the Russian government. The show has already dealt with top secret government projects, supernatural attacks and all manner of creepiness, so they are running out of fresh territory.
In addition, that source also noted that it is getting harder for Netflix to keep ahold of the Stranger Things cast. The child stars have all become massive hits through the show, and rightfully so. With the young actors fielding more and more offers outside of the show, the streaming service reportedly wants to let them get out there.
Of course, these reports already presuppose that Netflix will renew Stranger Things for Season 4, which it has not officially done yet. Netflix is notorious for keeping its own viewership data close to the vest, but it seems safe to assume that a lot of subscribers have watched Stranger Things Season 3 already.
Either way, based on previous production times, we are unlikely to see a new season of Stranger Things before 2021, so fans have time to prepare for the emotional goodbye.