Will Stranger Things season 5 be as long as season 4?

Stranger Things fans all knew that they needed to set aside much more time to binge-watch the fourth season this time around as Stranger Things season 4 was supersized! Though it was only nine episodes, like the second season, the run times of those episodes were all longer compared to its predecessors.

Volume 2 alone came in at almost four hours total since the finale was two and a half hours. That’s even longer than most films! The rest of the episodes all came in at over an hour each. There’s so much that happened in the fourth season. Some reunions and resolutions occurred, but it really set up what’s to come in the fifth and final season.

Of course, the creators of the Netflix hit, Matt and Ross Duffer (aka the Duffer Brothers), aren’t revealing all the details. But we do know that they have an outline of season 5 and they kept its story in mind when working on the fourth season.

While they haven’t gotten into the writers room yet – that’s happening at the beginning of August – they do have an idea of how long the episodes will be.

Will Stranger Things season 5 be as long as season 4?

The Duffer Brothers recently spoke with Josh Horowitz on his Happy, Sad, Confused podcast and revealed that the Stranger Things season 5 episodes will not be as long as season 4. However, the finale is a different story.

The reason they don’t expect it to be as long is because of all the setup they had at the start of season 4. We saw how the kids are doing in high school, took a peek at Steve and Robin’s love lives, and established where everyone was and what they were doing. It took some time before the supernatural elements really came into play. But, that won’t be the case in season 5. At the start of the new season, we can expect the characters to jump right into the action.

Here’s what Matt said on the podcast:

"Characters are already going to be in action, they’re already going to have a goal and a drive, and I think that’s going to carve out at least a couple hours and make this season feel really different. I’m sure the wrap-up will be a lot longer, it’s going to be ‘Return of the King’-ish with, like, eight endings."

One episode that will probably be super long is the series final. Just like the last episode of season 4, the Duffers expect the conclusion to the series to run for around two and a half hours. That’s not really surprising as they’ll need to wrap up all the storylines and give fans a satisfying conclusion to the story. With those two in charge, we’re in more than capable hands!

Stranger Things season 4 volume 2 is now streaming on Netflix.