Stranger Things Season 5 Episodes 4 and 8 'Are Like Movies,' Showrunner Clarifies, but 'Every Runtime I've Seen Posted Online Is Inaccurate'

Expect large things from Stranger Things Season 5 Episodes 4 and 8 — similar movie large things. That’s according to co-showrunner Matt Duffer, who has discussed successful vague presumption the runtime of the last season’s episodes.

Stranger Things 5, arsenic Netflix calls it, releases connected the streamer crossed 3 premiere dates, with Volume 1 connected November 26 (four episodes), Volume 2 connected Christmas (three episodes), and The Finale connected New Year’s Eve. Each measurement releases astatine 5pm PT. That makes for 8 episodes total.

The runtime of each has been a constituent of involvement among fans for immoderate clip now, with conflicting reports sparking a large woody of speculation. Maya Hawke, who plays Robin Buckley successful Stranger Things, said during an occurrence of Podcrushed past twelvemonth that Season 5 volition beryllium "basically 8 movies" with "very long" episodes, but Finn Wolfhard told Collider successful January that "not each occurrence is similar a full-blown movie, but determination are decidedly immoderate episodes this twelvemonth that the runtime is decidedly film-length."

In an interrogation with Variety, Stranger Things showrunners and enforcement producers Matt and Ross Duffer danced astir the specifics, but did hype up the Volume 1 ender and the expansive finale.

“Episode 4 and Episode 8 are similar movies,” Matt Duffer said. “Every runtime I’ve seen posted online is inaccurate.”

Ross Duffer did reveal, however, that Season 5 starts with the series’ much-loved characters hunting for Vecna. “This isn’t going astir mean life, and past thing supernatural happens to them, which is what we usually do,” helium said.

Season 5 is described arsenic "the biggest play we've ever had successful presumption of action, successful presumption of ocular effects, successful presumption of story."

Here’s the authoritative blurb connected Stranger Things Season 5:

The autumn of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are agreed by a azygous goal: find and termination Vecna. But helium has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the authorities has placed the municipality nether subject quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her backmost into hiding. As the day of Will’s disappearance approaches, truthful does a heavy, acquainted dread. The last conflict is looming — and with it, a acheronian much almighty and much deadly than thing they’ve faced before. To extremity this nightmare, they’ll request everyone — the afloat enactment — lasting together, 1 past time.

Season 5 arrives implicit 3 years aft the finale of Season 4. For more, cheque retired the burning questions we inactive person from Stranger Things Season 4.

While Stranger Things is coming to an extremity successful presumption of its main Netflix series, there’s plentifulness much from the franchise to look guardant to. Stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow made its Broadway debut successful April, there’s a Stranger Things animated bid that volition instrumentality fans backmost to Hawkins successful 2026, a postulation of books, and the touring Stranger Things Experience. There’s adjacent speech of a Netflix spinoff.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].