Sci-fi drama Stranger Things will end after a fifth and final season, Netflix has announced.
The show debuted in 2016 and became one of Netflix's first major global hits, making stars of the likes of Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo and Finn Wolfhard.
The third season was released in 2019 but fans have been forced to wait three years for the next installment, largely due to delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
In an announcement today, it was revealed that season four will be split into two "volumes", with the first tranche of episodes being released on May 27 and the remainder following on July 1.
Furthermore, creators The Duffer Brothers said in an open letter to fans that the show will end with the fifth season - expected in 2023 or 2024 - and also hinted at future spinoffs.
"Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for Stranger Things," they wrote. "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 not hurling toward our finale. Season 4 will be the penultimate season; Season 5 will be the last.
"There are still many more exciting stories to tell within the world of Stranger Things: new mysteries, new adventures, new unexpected heroes. But first we hope that you stay with us as we finish this tale of a powerful girl named Eleven and her brave friends, of a broken police chief and a ferocious mom, of a small town called Hawkins and an alternate dimension known only as the Upside Down."
Season three of the show ended with the Byers family and Eleven leaving Hawkins for a fresh start elsewhere.
Neil Wilkes
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