On November 25th, 2025, the first four episodes of Stranger Things’ fifth season dropped at 8:00 P.M. Within the first five days of its release, the volume had amassed 59.6 million views, making Stranger Things Netflix’s biggest English language TV debut ever. Fans of the show tuned in from all over the world. Some of the largest streaming countries (other than the U.S.) included the United Kingdom, Brazil, Germany, France, Canada, and Australia.
Byler fans (people who ship Will and Mike, two of the show’s male leads) were excited from the start with scenes featuring the duo. Fans were also hooked by the startling plot-twist closing out Volume One. Will Byers has powers?!? Theories and fan art exploded throughout TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram as people marveled over the new development. Will’s powers were a huge hit among fans, further fueling the desire for the next volume.
Along with introducing new characters Holly Wheeler and Derek, older characters were further developed. Robin’s storyline was expanded with the introduction of Vickie as her girlfriend as well as featuring heart-to-hearts with Will Byers. Nancy and Mike also had long-awaited scenes together showcasing their sibling dynamic.
On December 25th, 2025, one month after the release of the first volume, Volume Two of Stranger Things was released. With only 34.5 million views in the first week, episodes five through seven did not have as big an impact as episodes one through four.
With emotional scenes with Eleven and her long-lost sister Kali, fans anxiously awaited the finale where the beloved character’s fate would be decided. Additionally, fans were excited for the long overdue reintroduction of a fan favorite character, Max Mayfield. At the end of season four, fans were left heartbroken with the terrible news of Max being left broken in Lucas’s arms (her boyfriend) after a terrifying encounter with Vecna. Season four concluded with scenes of Max in a coma. After a long four years, fans would finally get the answers to the end of Max’s story.
Within the first week, 31.5 million viewers watched the finale, ending the ten-year long journey. In the week leading up to the finale, a new trend arose with fans baking cakes begging the Duffer Brothers (the creators of the show) not to kill off Steve “The Hair” Harrington. With all the excitement brewing, Stranger Things was set to break records with the release of the finale.
Fans watched the finale anxiously, wondering how many characters would die, betting on who would make it to the end. But… the gang pulled through! With no major deaths and all the main cast surviving, the Stranger Things finale sparked controversy among fans. Should there have been more deaths? While some fans were relieved that the main cast made it out alive, others were disappointed, saying that the show would have been better if one or two of the main cast members had died in the finale.
Eleven is seen sacrificing herself to make sure that the Dr. Brenners of the world wouldn’t continue his original experiment. She is seen disappearing along with the Upside Down and most of the characters are left in tears after her “death.” Most fans were left in contemplation due to a Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) game the main cast later played after graduation. Mike is seen talking about a “sorceress” who was thought to be killed but instead ended up in a faraway land where nobody could find her or cause her harm. Fans speculate that Mike is talking about Eleven, but only the Duffer Brothers and Millie Bobby Brown know the true fate of Eleven.
The show ends its ten-year journey with a scene showing Holly Wheeler and some of her friends (including Delightful Derek, a character fans have come to love) starting up their own D&D group. This scene is bittersweet, showing the end of the main cast’s journey but the start for a new group of adventurers.
