Stranger Things Season 5 may sport a more conventional structure.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, co-creator Matt Duffer confirmed that the show's final batch of episodes won't run as long as those included in Season 4. "I don’t think the run times will be as extreme in Season 5," said Duffer. "We’re trying to return to the simplicity of the structure in season one, with bigger scale and scope. Except for the finale, which I’m expecting will be pretty massive."
Upon its release, Stranger Things Season 4 was notorious for its unusual episode lengths as well as the creative team's decision to split it into two volumes. While many chapters clocked in at roughly an hour long, several ran to approximately 90 minutes with the finale concluding at two and a half hours. Many fans have speculated whether Season 5 will retain this format or resort to a more conventional structure.
Less Than Stranger Things
The Duffer Brothers have previously noted the necessity of the finale's length, stating that the pair couldn't find a moment to satisfyingly end the episode without it feeling like a disappointment. "I think we just couldn't find a good spot to break it because there's almost an hour of build-up tension, and then it just goes hard for an hour," Ross Duffer said. "Then we have our 25 minutes of coming down the coda. It would've just not been a very satisfying episode to stop it after that first hour. In our opinion, it just would've petered out."
Regarding the upcoming fifth season, it's currently unknown when Netflix subscribers will next venture back to Hawkins, Indiana. Stranger Things star David Harbour provided a brief yet promising update for the final installment of the franchise, noting that production will likely begin in 2023. "They're finishing writing it [in 2022], and they need to prep and stuff, so hopefully it’ll be this year," Harbour said. "But I think that’s the plan. So it’d probably come out mid-2024, based on our track record." Ross Duffer corroborated this schedule, noting that the show's writer's room was opening up in August 2022.
Season 1 through 4 of Stranger Things are now streaming on Netflix. Season 5 does not yet have a release date.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter