Stranger Things has been one of Netflix's flagship properties, reigniting the '80s nostalgia in fans and also scratching that sci-fi/horror itch for those who adore Lovecraftian horror and Stephen King stories. However, after three seasons, even the most enthusiastic are wondering just exactly when the hit series could come to an end. Following an eerie Season 4 teaser, though, coupled with the way the third season ended, it's clear a fourth season should be the final one to bookend the show, which has thus far dealt with young kids fighting off monsters in Hawkins, Indiana.
Matt and Ross Duffer, who created the show, revealed in 2017 they envisioned the series as a four or five season adventure. Four seems a better fit, however, because the show has more or less explored as much as it can with the youthful cast. Stranger Things prides itself as a coming-of-age story. With Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown and the rest of the cast getting older, it just won't have the same pop and innocence with them as adult-teenagers as it did with children. Not to mention we've already seen romance budding, friendships breaking apart and all the high school drama that comes with the territory. Outside of sex, what more could really be told for the crew of misfits and heroes? And when it comes to that particular topic, we've even gotten a taste of it with the Steve/Nancy/Jonathan love-triangle, and that creepy adultery arc with Billy and Karen Wheeler.
Also, Stranger Things' main antagonist is the Mind Flayer, and the series has run its course with that entity. In fact, we've gotten our fill of the Upside Down, and the Demogorgons being brought back indicates the series could be flogging a dead horse. That's not to say we won't enjoy the return, but the show seems to be running out of steam and ideas on the whole. The latest teaser suggests the show will be venturing outside of Hawkins too, and with Season 3 starting and ending with Russian labs and experiments, once we cover other areas of the world, the rifts and overall potential of the dark dimension and the monsters there will be fully explored.
We've also been thrown into the Upside Down already with the search for Will Byers in Season 1, so it's not like adventures there would be new or fresh. Almost everything that could be detailed there has already been done, so it's time to move on and put the nail in the coffin. After all, there are only so many cracks and portals we can have popping up magically for plot convenience. After a while, this becomes mundane and creatively lazy, and the heroes and villains have already had a ton of story pulled from them. Plus, the show's heroes have already beaten their enemy physically and mentally. Although one last shot at revenge is still compelling, going too much farther could turn Stranger Things into a chore, which is certainly not what the Duffers would want for their show.
There's also the matter of the depowered Eleven. Continuing the series would, at some point, necessitate giving her back her powers. However, why not finish the series with her at her most human -- which gives her the normal life she wanted. One final season can wrap up the loose ends of Season 3 and let the series end on a high note, with its most important character arcs complete.
Created by the Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things stars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Priah Ferguson, Cary Elwes, Jake Busey and Maya Thurman-Hawke. All three seasons are currently available for streaming on Netflix.