Stranger Things Season 5 has wrapped up, and there’s not going to be a Season 6 on Netflix – or at least, there are currently no plans for it to happen. After one final roll of the (20-sided) dice, Stranger Things‘ series finale brought the show to a conclusion that was, at times, both epic and emotional. It marks the end of one of Netflix’s biggest ever hits, though the franchise will live on at the streamer. Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Stranger Things Season 5, Episode 8, “The Rightside Up.”
The finale of Stranger Things sees both Vecna and the returning Mind Flayer defeated by the heroes, the Upside Down destroyed, and almost all right with the world. The lingering mystery is what really happened to Eleven, but creators Matt and Ross Duffer seemingly have no desire to remove the ambiguity surrounding the fate of Millie Bobby Brown’s character. That would, naturally, have allowed for a sixth season, but instead the future will be focused elsewhere.
Why Stranger Things Ended With Season 5
Image via Netflix
Unsurprisingly, Stranger Things was not cancelled by Netflix. There aren’t many shows on any streamer that can generate the kind of viewing figures and hype that this does, so they presumably would’ve been happy for it to go on even longer. Instead, the decision to end the series came from the Duffer Brothers, who announced it all the way back in February 2022, before the fourth season had even premiered. They explained the decision in a letter to fans shared by the official Stranger Things account on X:
“Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for ‘Stranger Things. At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four, but — as you’ll soon see for yourselves — we are now hurtling toward our finale. Season 4 will be the penultimate season; season 5 will be the last.”
With the story approaching a natural endpoint, not to mention the characters – and certainly actors – all growing up and moving into adulthood, it makes sense that they decided to call it quits with Season 5. It almost certainly would have been possible to continue it for longer, but it would’ve risked stretching things out and hurting things.
The Duffers had long been clear they didn’t want the show to outstay its welcome, telling EW back in 2017: “I want it to have a really finite ending. I don’t want it to be one of those shows that runs out of gas and they lose it because they’re losing interest. You wanna end when you’re on top.”
The 2 Upcoming Stranger Things Spinoffs Explained
Image via Netflix
Of course, just because the main show is ending doesn’t mean fans have seen the last of this world on Netflix. It has already expanded into comic books, novels, and the stage play The First Shadow (which directly ties into the origin of Henry Creel and his connection to the Mind Flayer), but there’ll absolutely be more to come, including TV shows. The first of these is already confirmed: the animated series Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, which will tell a new story about the main characters (with new voice actors) facing Upside Down threats set between Seasons 2 and 3.
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There is also a live-action Stranger Things spinoff in development, but what it’s about is being kept under wraps. However, don’t expect this to be a show following Eleven on her own, Steve & Dustin: The College Years, or Holly Wheeler and her friends playing D&D and facing some new threats. The plan is for the spinoff to be something entirely different, though set within the same universe, as Ross Duffer explained to THR in December 2025:
“We’re very early days on a live-action spinoff. But this is the end of the story for these characters of Hawkins, for the Upside Down. It’s a different decade and different characters, but of course, still connected to the Stranger Things universe. It’s an idea we’ve had for years and something we’re just really excited and passionate about. We won’t be showrunning that show, but we’ll be heavily involved. So, as the new year comes around, we’re going to start spending more time on that. Hopefully it’s something announced soon-ish.”
You Should Never Rule Out Stranger Things Season 6 Happening
Image via Netflix
Stranger Things Season 6 isn’t happening, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a direct continuation eventually. The Duffers and the cast are moving on, but this is Hollywood. It’s a world where anything can come back, and most things do. Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. are returning for the next Avengers movie, shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Scrubs are coming back to screens, and there’s even been talk of Game of Thrones sequels.
This doesn’t mean Stranger Things Season 6, some other kind of sequel, or a spinoff focused on a known character will happen. Right now, it’s fair to say it’s unlikely. But it’s certainly not impossible. With all of the characters alive, including the potential for Eleven to be, plus a mythology that could still be spun (and retconned) in different directions, well, even if it probably shouldn’t happen, never say never when it comes to a major franchise.
All five seasons of Stranger Things, including the series finale, are now streaming on Netflix.
What did you think of Stranger Things‘ ending, and what would you want to see in a spinoff? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!