‘Stranger Things’ Season 4: Netflix Makes Change in Wake of Texas School Shooting

Netflix is making a last-minute change to Stranger Things season 4 before it premieres on the platform on Friday. The streaming giant has decided to add a disclaimer to the series in the wake of the horrible school shooting out of Texas. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the opening scene of the premiere episode features violent content involving children.

“We filmed this season of Stranger Things a year ago,” the statement reads. “But given the recent tragic shooting at a school in Texas, viewers may find the opening scene of episode 1 distressing. We are deeply saddened by this unspeakable violence, and our hearts go out to every family mourning a loved one.”

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Netflix also took the extra step of editing the description of the premiere episode to reflect the graphic violence within. The decision follows the slaughter of 19 children and two adults at a school in Texas, near San Antonio.

“We decided to add the card given the proximity of the premiere to this tragedy – and because the opening scene is very graphic,” a Netflix spokesperson told THR. Those outside of the United States won’t see the disclaimer, which should be a telling decision given the discussion after the tragedy.

Stranger Things is only the latest property to hastily change things a bit in the wake of the violence. CBS pulled the season finale for FBI Tuesday in the immediate aftermath, citing a storyline involving a student’s possible involvement in a robbery. No other edits or changes were made to either series, with Volume 1 of Stranger Things season 4 premiering Friday and Volume 2 following on July 1.

So far, critics seem to enjoy the new season and call it a far darker story than prior seasons. “It’s been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time – and navigating the complexities of high school hasn’t made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down,” the official Netflix description reads.

Some fans are already privy to details yet to be revealed in the series. A leak hit the public after a Monopoly game based on the new season hit shelves early and gave fans some solid plot points that weren’t ready for the light of day.