AlthoughStranger Thingsseason 5’s longer episodes could help the ambitious series wrap up its sprawling story, this still contributes to a divisive trend that is gradually taking over many major Netflix productions.2025’s upcomingStranger Thingsseason 5will see the long-running sci-fi series come to its long-awaited conclusion. Almost ten years after Eleven first met Mike, Dustin, and Lucas in a dark forest outside Hawkins, Indiana,Stranger Thingsseason 5 promises to finally answer the many mysteries left unsolved by the Netflix series.
WhileStranger Thingsseason 4’s endingdid provide a clear backstory for the show’s overarching villain Vecna and explain more about the origins of Eleven’s powers, the show still has a lot of plot strands to bring together. There is the question of Max’s fate to resolve after season 4’s finale left her in a coma, and the Upside-Down’s slow seep into Hawkins looked set to do real damage to the small town while Eleven recuperated from her showdown with Vecna.Stranger Thingsseason 5’s many other answered mysterieswill be the final outing’s focus.
Stranger Things Season 5 Has Some “Film-Length” Episodes
Star Finn Wolfhard Noted How Long Some Of The Final Outing’s Episodes Are
While season 5 needs plenty of screen time to explain the Upside-Down’s origins, whether Dr. Brenner is really dead, and what happened to Eleven’s sister Kali, the runtime of the show’s episodes is still striking. In aColliderinterview, series star Finn Wolfhard admitted “There are definitely some episodes this year that the runtime is definitely film-length.” This builds on a trend set byStranger Thingsseason 4, which featured numerous feature-length outings.Stranger Thingsseason 4’s 9 episodes were all over an hour longaccording toForbes.
The longest season four outing, episode 9, “The Piggyback,” clocked in at a whopping 150 minutes, or 2 and a half hours. That would be a considerable runtime for a movie and is almost unheard of for television shows. While no one wantsStranger Thingsseason 5’s most exciting scenesto be trimmed down for the sake of imposing an arbitrary runtime on individual episodes, it is still surprising to see that season 5 will keep this trend alive. After all, feature-length runtimes run the risk of making streaming shows less like normal television and more like serialized movies.
Streaming Shows Having Feature-Length Episodes Has Been A Divisive Trend
Netflix Shows Led The Charge With Longer, Feature-Length Episodes
Since the early ‘00s, HBO, AMC, and Starz have been pushing the boundaries of what viewers expected from television as a medium and exploring alternative approaches to structuring serialized stories. Within this tradition, Netflix’s formula was initially a welcome change when shows likeOrange is the New Black,House of Cards, andDaredeviloffered viewers ten miniature movies instead of shorter weekly releases. However, as the streaming landscape has broadened to include competitors like Disney+, Paramount Plus, Prime Video, Peacock, and Apple TV, keeping up with these super-sized shows has become increasingly difficult for viewers.
Part of what made season 1 ofStranger Thingssuch a success was its self-contained nature.
Stranger Thingsseason 5’s extra-long runtimes now feel like a threat as much as a promise, since the show has all but abandoned the brevity demanded by traditional TV structure. Part of what made season 1 ofStranger Thingssuch a success was its self-contained nature, whereas the story ofStranger Thingsseason 5has over a dozen main characters to follow at the same time. On one hand, more screen time gives the series more room to achieve this. On the other hand, this could come at the cost of the show no longer feeling like a TV show.
Stranger Thingscan now drag out certain plots while abandoning others thanks to its unlimited approach.
Thanks to Netflix’s approach gaining popularity in recent years, a lot of what made classic TV shows great has been lost. Where shows likeThe Sopranos,Lost,Mad Men, andBreaking Badwere forced to work their complex stories around the limited runtime of each episode,Stranger Thingscan now drag out certain plots while abandoning others thanks to its unlimited approach. As anyone familiar with the interminably slow Russia storyline from season 4 can attest,more screen time doesn’t automatically equate to better storytelling inStranger Things.
Stranger Things Season 4’s Release Model Has Set The Tone For Other Netflix Shows
Many More Major Netflix Shows Are Following The Stranger Things Model
Since the budget and scope of even the biggest TV shows remain limited by practicality, longer episodes also mean that seasons are now much shorter in terms of episode count. They also take longer to come out. Likely inspired by the success ofStranger Things, Netflix’s other major hits likeCobra Kai,Avatar: The Last Airbender, andSquid Gamehave all fallen victim to this trend. This has an unprecedented impact on the shows themselves.
Stranger Things Season 5’s Unexpected Villain Return Will Hurt The Ending No Matter How It Happens
A surprising villain looks likely to return for Stranger Things season 5, and his comeback will hurt the show’s ending regardless of how it happens.
Much likeStranger Thingsseason 5 needs a time jumpto explain why its once-teenage cast are now in their 20s,Wednesdayseason 2’s lengthy production means the show’s stars will be substantially older by the time the second outing arrives.Stranger Thingsseason 5 is hitting screens a solid three years after its predecessor, and season 4 took three years to arrive after season 3’s 2019 release. Legendary blockbuster director James Cameron even citedStranger Thingsas a justification for shooting hisAvatarsequels back-to-back, noting how obvious the cast’s aging was between seasons.
Why Streaming Shows Might Continue To Get Longer Episodes (But Shorter Seasons)
Feature-Length Episodes Generate Movie Levels Of Hype
It is always exciting to see the medium of television undergo another transformation, as annoying as the accompanying growing pains might be.TV shows are bigger and more expensive than ever thanks to Netflix’s success, and this means viewers understandably expect something bigger, more cinematic, and more immersive for their investment. This can mean that it is sometimes more practical for creators to film fewer longer episodes and spend more time in post-production, resulting in longer breaks between seasons.
The jump in quality from the messy, uneven season 3 toStranger Things’ far stronger season 4proves that these long breaks and long runtimes can benefit shows. However, the promise of season 5’s feature-length runtimes still feels like a mixed blessing. It is hard not to wonder what season 5 might have looked like with ten 45-minute episodes, rather than a handful of far bigger, movie-length episodes. The final outing ofStranger Thingsis likely to usher in a new era for streaming shows, and this means viewers may need to get accustomed to bigger shows with longer production breaks and fewer, longer episodes.
