'Stranger Things' Creators Finally Explain Why There Are Such Long Gaps Between Seasons Actorsvaultpro

The creators of the Netflix giant Stranger Things have shared the reason why the streamer takes so long to release each season. The gaps between each season of Stranger Things have become notoriously long, with fans (and some that have become ex-fans) continuously expressing their outrage at Netflix over the excruciating wait. But it’s not exactly the streamer’s decision. While Netflix surely had some say in the matter when planning Season 5’s schedule, it turns out that it’s because the Duffers have planned these gaps all along. They just don’t like it when shows come out year-on-year. For some reason.

The creative duo spoke to Variety as they tweak the final season of Stranger Things, premiering on Netflix in November 2025. The siblings have spent their last ten years making the fantasy horror show for the streamer, but their exclusive development deal has officially come to an end. They have now signed a deal with Paramount, which will let them do what they really want. Ross Duffer said: “When Matt and I were talking about what we want to do next, it really came down to we wanted to do a movie, specifically an original movie — a big original film. And theatrical is so important to us.”

“It’s just something we dreamed about since we were little kids,” Ross says when addressing their new opportunity at Paramount. They want to make movies next, but this doesn’t mean they won’t continue producing TV shows. With a credit as important as Stranger Things, they will surely create content for the small screen. What types of TV shows? Well, apparently the ones with extended gaps between seasons.

“If TV shows come out every year, it’s diminishing return. I like the buildup,” Matt explained.

If you closely follow the show, you might have noticed that with each season, the gap between each one grew. It took the Duffers one year and three months to deliver Season 2. With Season 5, they have taken their time, and now, the wait has exceeded three years.

9 Years Later, ‘Stranger Things’ Ends With the Release of Season 5

Charlie Heaton’s Jonathan Byers, Noah Schnapp’s Will Byers and Natalia Dyer’s Nancy Wheeler looking up in Stranger Things Season 4

Netflix

Matt Duffer also added that they prefer “eight-to-ten episode seasons,” and that their content with Paramount will likely follow the successful structure they’ve used so far. It sounds strange, but for a show as impactful as Stranger Things, the Duffers have only produced 34 episodes in almost ten years. Which, by any measure, is a really low count. Duffer continued:

“I get fatigued watching 20-episode seasons. We didn’t grow up interested in any of that. We only watched movies. That’s the weird thing that we ended up in TV, because we had almost zero interest in television.”

During the interview, the Duffers also took the time to tease Season 5 with a couple of details. They revealed that the last season would not take very long to show the characters fighting the mighty villain Vecna: “This isn’t going about normal life, and then something supernatural happens to them, which is what we usually do.” Matt also spilled the beans about the running times, revealing that recent leaks were simply not true. “Episode 4 and Episode 8 are like movies. Every runtime I’ve seen posted online is inaccurate,” he said.