The wait for Stranger Things season 4 is almost over, and while Netflix continue to the tease the new two-part penultimate season with recaps and new images, series creator Ross Duffer has been giving his own tantalizing comments about the upcoming episodes. Although we already know that this season is bigger than its predecessors, the writer has indicated that we should expect some feature length episodes when the first set of new episodes arrive at the end of May, and that will make fans of the series very happy.
When the announcement was made that Stranger Things would be returning to Netflix this summer with a blockbuster two-part season, the Duffer Brothers also noted that the season is twice as long as the previous ones, but considering the season in all has 9 episodes, the same as season 2, that means that the length of the episodes is going to be considerably longer. Ross Duffer appeared on the Present Company with Krista Smith podcast and explained that the series has taken a long time to make, even without the Covid pandemic, due to the scope of the season. He said:
"I think they’ll be happy when they see it. It’s very, very long, which is why it’s taking us a very long time..."
There is going to be a lot for season 4 of Stranger Things to unpack, having left fans with both a closure and a teasing promise that the story is far from over. We now know that the end is almost here, with just one more season to come from the main series, but that also doesn’t mean that it is the last we will see from the Stranger Things universe.
Stranger Things Season 4 Will Expand on its Universe With Multiple Storylines
So far, the exact plot details of Stranger Things penultimate season are vague, but we do know that all of the main cast members who survived The Battle of Starcourt are back, although when we rejoin them they very much spilt. The series will delve even further into the horror genre as the once young cast move beyond their “Goonies” years and head into more adult territory. Ross Duffer previously explained to Netflix publication Tudum:
“When we pitched it to Netflix all those years ago, we pitched it as the kids are…’The Goonies’ in ‘E.T.’ That’s their storyline. And the adults are in ‘Jaws’ and ‘Close Encounters’ and then the teens are in ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ or ‘Halloween.’ But, this year, we don’t have the kids. We can’t do ‘The Goonies’ anymore. And so, suddenly, we’re leaning much harder into that horror movie territory that we love. It was fun to make that change.”
The official synopsis for the new season reads: “It’s been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time — and navigating the complexities of high school hasn’t made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.”