Stranger Things has unveiled the episode count for its split fourth season, and it's quite an interesting approach to say the least.
Variety revealed that Volume 1 of Season 4, which arrives May 27 on Netflix, will include Episodes 1-7. On July 1, the final two episodes will be dropped for Volume 2. On its face, the decision to split the season between seven and two episodes is a puzzling one, but the episode lengths provide a bit more clarity. As creators the Duffer Brothers previously teased, Stranger Things Season 4 will be much longer than previous seasons. Now, we know just how much longer.
According to the outlet, most of the episodes for Season 4 will be around 75 minutes, a good deal longer than any of the previous episodes. Episode 7, meanwhile, which closes out Volume 1, will run for 98 minutes, effectively serving as a feature-length mid-season finale. Episode 8 will then kick off Volume 2 with an 85-minute runtime, and the season finale will reportedly be two and a half hours long, a baffling length for a single episode of TV.
When the Duffer Brothers first announced the split between the season, they confirmed it was the result of the super-sized episodes. So while fans have had to wait quite some time since the last season of the hit show, they'll be rewarded with what looks to be two seasons worth of content crammed into nine episodes.
As the show has grown, so has the scope and cast, with Season 4 adding numerous new faces and taking place across multiple locations. The ever-expanding gang will also be facing an all-new threat when Stranger Things Season 4 drops, so it's no surprise the episodes will be so lengthy. And of course, Season 5 will be the last for the show, so this batch of episodes will push the story toward its endgame as the residents of Hawkins try to rid themselves of the Upside Down and its threats once and for all.
Volume 1 of Stranger Things Season 4 arrives May 27 on Netflix, with Volume 2 dropping July 1.
Source: Variety