Fans have been eagerly anticipating the release of Stranger Things season 5 for a while, and with the official release date having been announced two months ago, the excitement has only grown stronger. With the first set of episodes dropping on Netflix this November, everyone is gearing up for what will surely be an exhilarating start to the final season.
The cameras officially stopped rolling on the fifth installment back in December 2024, and the new episodes are currently being edited to perfection in post-production. We've been trying to keep ourselves busy in the meantime while we wait for Stranger Things season 5, and luckily, the cast and crew have been keeping us pretty occupied by sharing behind-the-scenes stories and other juicy deets about the show.
One of those cast members is David Harbour, who plays the beloved Jim Hopper in the hit sci-fi horror series. During a recent appearance at FanX’s Tampa Bay Comic Convention, Harbour gave fans a glimpse into just how intense filming the final season really was. Collider's Maggie Lovitt hosted a panel at the convention with Harbour and co-star Matthew Modine (Dr.Martin Brenner), where Harbour revealed that the final season’s production was so massive and demanding that it “almost killed all of us.”
Although he said this in a jokily manner, it reflects how physically and emotionally exhausting the production was for the cast and crew. Harbour goes on to share that shooting the final season took a full year, and he also stated how "extremely cinematic" and "extremely big" it is. He even compares season 5 to season 4, saying it's about five times bigger in scope and scale. Considering the fourth season was the show's "biggest" and most ambitious season yet, Harbour’s comments suggest that fans should brace themselves for an epic, blockbuster-sized final season.
Stranger Things season 5 takes place in the fall of 1987, which is one year after the events of the previous season. The gang reunites to finally take down Vecna for good, aka their biggest threat yet, but he's nowhere to be found. To make their mission even harder, the military arrives in Hawkins, hunting Eleven and adding a dangerous new obstacle to their already perilous quest.
Returning for the fifth and final season besides Harbour are Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), and many others.
Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 premieres on Netflix on Nov. 26, 2025, featuring the first four episodes. Volume 2, containing episodes 5 through 7, will be released on Dec. 25, 2025. Finally, the series concludes with the last episode dropping on Netflix on Dec. 31, 2025.
More Stranger Things content to check out on Show Snob below: