While the first season of Stranger Things largely relegated Steve Harrington to the sidelines, the hit Netflix series' sophomore outing transformed the character into a true fan favorite. Hundreds of "Dad Steve" memes ensued, and many viewers will be thrilled to learn he isn't going away anytime soon.

"We'll definitely get to see some more of Steve Harrington [played by Joe Keery] in Season 3, and I'll just say we won't be abandoning the Dad Steve magic," executive producer Shawn Levy said Sunday during the show's PaleyFest panel in Los Angeles. "I don't want to say much more, but I literally feel that we were walking along and we stumbled onto a gold mine with Dad Steve."

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No longer a full-time love interest of Natalia Dyer's Nancy, Steve was given a larger part to play in Season 2, with the teen essentially operating in an Adventures in Babysitting role alongside the show's leading kids. Unfortunately, Dad Steve fans face a lengthy wait until they can get their Stranger Things binging fix. Season 3 is set to begin filming on April 23, but will likely not air until sometime in 2019.

Now streaming on Netflix, Stranger Things stars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Cara Buono, Matthew Modine, Noah Schnapp, Joe Keery, Sadie Sink and Dacre Montgomery.

CONTINUE READING: Stranger Things Season 3 Adds a Trio of New Characters

(via The Hollywood Reporter)