Seen almost everywhere in billboards, advertisements, collaborations with brands, merchandising and even video games, Stranger Things’ popularity has been innumerable in today’s pop culture. All fans are awaiting the highly anticipated fifth season which is scheduled to be released on Netflix on Nov. 26, 2025, marking three and a half years since the last season was released. Having been left on a cliffhanger in season four, students at Lambert and around the world are eager to see what comes next, although it marks the end of one of Netflix’s truly beloved shows.
Spanning 9 years, the show chronicled the adventures of 4 high school boys, Dustin, Will, Lucas, Mike and Eleven, a girl with telepathic and psychokinetic abilities. Its journey towards the final season has been all but smooth, with the 2023 Writer’s Strike, the COVID-19 Pandemic and conflict between producers on the plot. Now, after 3 years, fans get to see the growth and change in these iconic characters, with an 18 month time jump in the storyline. While the first part is set to be released in November, the second part will be released on December 25 and the third part will be released on New Year’s Eve.
Looking back, the creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, took an everyday science fiction show and turned it into a global phenomena, filled with alternate dimensions, 1980s nostalgia, missing kids, horror elements and supernatural powers. Its unique blend of different characteristics of sci-fi and horror have made it surge in popularity, especially with today’s teens.
“I think it’s the overall genre of Stranger Things that’s just so captivating,” Ananya Vijay, freshman at Lambert High School and avid Stranger Things fan stated. “I haven’t watched many shows that include this type of genre. The concept of the show, I think it’s quite different from others.”
More than that, the show incorporates a cast that truly immerses themselves into their roles. Featuring Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard and Natalia Dyer, the cast have brought a fresh, new take to science fiction. Most notably, in Millie Bobby Brown’s role, Eleven, she managed to convey feeling and complex emotion through her expressions and body language. Other actors, like Winona Ryder, bring in years of acting and to the mix, providing a bridge between familiarity and suspense. They use favor from the audience, as well as experience, to create a diverse and well-rounded cast. The actors themselves have grown with the show and with that comes development and new arcs.
“I’ll miss how Millie Bobby Brown has grown throughout the show, how her character and all the characters have developed, ” Vijay said. “I think the cast itself is unforgettable, and I’ll really miss seeing that dynamic together in a TV show.”
Stranger Things provided a much needed relief from life with its relatable characters and setting. These characters are thrown into what can only be described as a supernatural, “end of the world” horror story, yet they maintain many aspects of the typical high school experience.
“I think it’s definitely something that people who are more lonely connect to because the four boys, Will, Mike, Lucas and Dustin, the main characters, they’re described as weird,” Vijay stated. “They are socially awkward but that’s why it is relatable to kids.”
Finding comfort in these characters has made it a memorable experience for many, as well as something deeply profound to look back on. This show has seen its fair share of the high school experience with parties, friends and fighting, yet displays darker themes of loneliness, death and trauma. This fine line between nostalgia and darkness has pulled in many viewers, and has created the global fanbase seen today.
Now, awaiting the arrival of this new season, many fans are wondering what could be in store for them. With thousands of theories online as well as spoilers, polls and posts, viewers across the globe are intrigued by what is to come. The official teaser was released twenty days in advance, giving these fans a sneak-peek into the beginning of the new season.
The five minute teaser released by Netflix features Noah Schnapp, as a younger Will Byers, being abducted and taken into the Upside Down, where he is seen to be possessed by Vecna, the returning villain.
The teaser leaves much to imagination, but one thing is for sure: this season concludes what could be considered one of Netflix’s most suspenseful shows with a finale that the creators have considered a culmination of the entire show. Lambert students, along with the rest of the world, is predicting this release to be a thrilling end to an unforgettable series.
