How do you wrap up one of the biggest and most popular TV series of the last decade? Three years after season four, the fifth and final season of Stranger Things is nearly here. Millions of viewers are eager to discover the fate of the Upside Down and whether the brave teens of Hawkins, Indiana, can defeat Vecna for good. But as of early November 2025, creators Matt and Ross Duffer are struggling to discuss it. It’s not just the pressure or the high risk of spoilers and leaks—it’s that the identical twin brothers from North Carolina aren’t emotionally prepared. “It makes me sad,” Ross admits. “Because it’s easier not to think about the show actually ending.”
A decade ago, almost no one had heard of the Upside Down, Vecna, Mind Flayers, or Demogorgons. In 2015, the brothers—self-described nerds and film enthusiasts—were about to start filming their first TV series. Stranger Things was envisioned as a supernatural adventure steeped in 80s nostalgia, paying homage to Steven Spielberg and Stephen King. They pitched it to Netflix as “John Carpenter mashed up with E.T.” With stars like Winona Ryder and Matthew Modine, it wasn’t exactly low-profile, but it was far from a guaranteed hit, especially with a cast of young unknowns. Yet when the first season debuted in summer 2016, it shattered Netflix viewing records and quickly became a genuine TV phenomenon.
So here’s a “would you rather” question for the Duffers: Would you prefer the challenge of launching a brand-new sci-fi series that no one knows, or the task of concluding a massive hit beloved by millions, where every detail, dollar spent, and character arc is scrutinized by legions of superfans?
“I would rather have the pressure of trying to stick the landing,” Matt says after some thought. In 2015, he and Ross released their first and only feature film, Hidden, a tense, claustrophobic horror that went straight to video-on-demand. “You can’t even watch it in high definition right now,” Matt notes. “So Stranger Things felt like a second chance—one many people don’t get.” If it hadn’t worked out, that might have been the end. Now, he feels more secure: “Even if people don’t love the final season, I know Ross and I will still be allowed to make things.”
On the other hand, he admits it was fun being the underdog. Ross agrees: “When we started, Netflix was an underdog, we were underdogs, and everyone loves a good underdog story. So it’s strange, 10 years later, to be the opposite. It’s a little surreal.”
“We almost prefer to be uncool,” Matt adds. “I don’t know how cool we are.” He laughs. “We’re still not cool.”
In Stranger Things, being uncool is the whole point. The brothers have brought nerd culture fully into the mainstream. Dungeons & Dragons, which features prominently in the show, has seen a huge surge in revenue since 2019, reaching popularity levels not seen since its 1980s heyday. “I hope we made some of this nerdy stuff cooler,” Ross reflects. “The show is ultimately about outsiders. When Matt and I were young, especially in high school, we were just making little movies, in drama club, and we had trouble fitting in. We felt very separate from everyone else, and it was a scary time. So part of the goal of the show was to say, ‘No, there are people out there like you, and your differences are your strengths.’””Differences are what make you cool.” Matt notes that one character especially embodies this spirit: Eddie Munson, the metal-loving leader of the Hellfire Club in season four, who plays Dungeons & Dragons. “In many ways, we see the show itself as Eddie because he’s the person I wish had been around in high school, but wasn’t.”
Season four, released in 2022, made a significant mark on pop culture. Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” plays during a key scene where Max (Sadie Sink) uses the song as an anchor to escape the villain Vecna in the Upside Down. The renewed attention gave Bush her first UK No. 1 single since 1978. “We had no idea it would go viral like that. We were surprised, and Kate was too, by how much it resonated with younger audiences. Kate thought it was really cool,” Ross shares. The song will feature even more in season five.
“She’s kind of scary”… Linda Hamilton as Dr. Kay in season five of Stranger Things. Photograph: Netflix
“She’s been wonderful about it again,” Matt adds. When asked if she sent a thank-you gift like cake or flowers, Ross replies, “We did receive a gift from Kate Bush, but it was way cooler than flowers. It was a gilded bird cage with animatronic birds inside that chirp a song when wound up. It’s very cool, unique, and so Kate Bush. Only she would give a present like that.”
After helping revive the careers of ’80s icons like Ryder and Modine, the brothers brought in another film legend for the final season: Linda Hamilton, known as Sarah Connor from The Terminator. Hamilton portrays Dr. Kay, a tough military scientist overseeing another secret lab. “We needed a replacement for Dr. Brenner,” Ross explains (the villainous scientist died in the Nevada desert at the end of season four). “And since this is the last season, we wanted someone intimidating but in a different way than Modine.” Hamilton is “super-smart,” making her believable as a scientist, “but she can also handle a gun, get into fights, and that toughness is perfect for the final season.”
“She’s kind of scary,” Hamilton agrees during a call from her home in New Orleans. Known for her physical roles, she’s one of cinema’s greatest action heroines as Sarah Connor. When asked if there’s more action in Stranger Things, she laughs, “There are a couple of real fighting moments. I walk into every stunt rehearsal and say, ‘I’m 68 years old! When do I get to skip this?'” She has a stunt double from her last Terminator film but adds, “I’m holding my own and doing at least half of it.”
Before Stranger Things reached out, Hamilton had been considering retirement due to a hip injury. “I was in pain, limping, and couldn’t get an injection until I had a job lined up,” she recalls. She told her agent she didn’t think she could handle another TV show. “I felt really defeated for a bit. Then months later, he called and said, ‘Stranger Things asked if you’re free from June to June, and I said yes.'” She laughs, “We know each other so well. I didn’t hesitate to say yes and start talking.”
Hamilton was already a fan of the show and admits to being a fangirl. Her first time on set was “very overwhelming, honestly. I didn’t have much time with the Duffer brothers. Everything is so grand in that show, and they didn’t baby me. They trusted me to develop a character that would come alive on camera, but you don’t know if you’ve got it right until you’re halfway through.”I made it through that first day and thought, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m getting the hang of it.”
Emotional rescue… Caleb McLaughlin and Sadie Sink in season five of Stranger Things. Photograph: Netflix
In the extra-long season four finale, a weakened Vecna opened another gate to the Upside Down, breaking down the barriers between the normal world and the shadow dimension and setting up a final battle between good and evil. Season five jumps forward to November 1987, with the residents of Hawkins under military quarantine. The show has always carefully recreated the 80s, from the cars and technology to the food packaging. “A time I actually lived through!” says Hamilton. “My God, the 80s. I always joke that when a young actress asks me, ‘Knowing what you know, what’s the most important advice for a young actress?’ I say, ‘Never be filmed in the 80s.'” She laughs. “I know many people are charmed by the 80s, but to me, they weren’t the best. So it’s funny that at my age, I’m playing someone from that era, with that look.” The hair in the show is big. “The hair is very big.”
The problem for Hamilton now is that she never watches herself on screen. As a fan, wouldn’t she want to watch the final season to see how it ends? “No, I’m afraid not,” she says, sounding a bit sad. “It’s terrible, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything I’ve done and not wished I could do it again and improve a bit.” She avoids putting herself through it. “But I did get to read the script and be in the room with the actors during readings and really feel it.” She had the live experience? “Yes. Being in that room for the final two episodes was amazing. Just a group of crying twenty-somethings. It was really powerful to be part of that. Just a crying bunch of kids.”
(I asked the Duffers if they feel bad about ruining the ending of Hamilton’s favorite show by making it impossible for her to watch. “That’s what she says,” says Ross. “She’s going to watch the show! I know other actors in the show who watch it but skip their own scenes. I’ll try to convince her because she has to watch it.”)
End of days… Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard in season five of Stranger Things. Photograph: Netflix
Back in the present, a good number of those crying twenty-somethings are having breakfast together. Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Finn Wolfhard (Mike), and Noah Schnapp (Will) are picking at fruit plates and talking about what it’s like to become a Halloween costume. On set, Schnapp says he’d amuse himself by guessing which scenes might end up as costumes.
“Like when we did the stuff in season four where we wore ghillie suits, and I had your bandana on,” says Matarazzo, turning to McLaughlin. At the end of season four, the group wears military gear to fight in the Upside Down. If you look closely, you’ll see Dustin wearing Lucas’s famous bandana over his hoodie.
“You were wearing my bandana?” says McLaughlin, sce”Yeah!”
“No, you weren’t.”
“Yes, I was!”
They argue like a family. Calling them “boys” ties them to their youthful characters, but in reality, they now range in age from 21 (Schnapp) to 24 (McLaughlin). They share the rare experience of having grown up together on screen and in the public eye. They were barely ten years old when they started working on Stranger Things.
“When you’re younger, you tend to normalize the strange situations around you,” says Matarazzo. “You don’t realize how unusual it is until you’re a bit older.” When not filming, Matarazzo attended a regular school in his hometown in south Jersey, which helped keep his life stable. “It made a difference later on, but honestly, I always felt most normal when I was with these guys. Even though it’s a very weird environment, it felt normal to me. It was normal to us. I felt most comfortable when I was with them.”
It must be strange for them that Stranger Things is ending, having taken up almost half their lives. “Playing these characters has been amazing, and I think their storylines have come full circle, so it’s time for it to end, right?” says McLaughlin. “But growing up with these guys and having the family we’ve built is something I won’t experience again. I’m going to miss that a lot.”
Wolfhard is more reflective. He mentions they haven’t even seen the second half of season five, which will be released in two parts on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Their answers to my questions might change once they do. “So it feels odd to give surface-level answers because, for me, it’s a lot to process and really emotional. There are many layers to it.”
On the final day of filming, Wolfhard says everyone was present. “We can’t officially say what we shot, but yes, we were all together on the last day.” This isn’t typical—on most series or films, actors finish their scenes at different times or days and leave gradually. But that wasn’t the case for Stranger Things, according to Matarazzo. “It was important to all of us to be there for each other. Some people had finished their scenes days or even a week earlier but decided to stay to ensure everyone was there for that last day. It was a very necessary experience. It’s been 10 years.”
The Duffer brothers had long known what the final scene of Stranger Things would be. When they began working with writers on season five, they spent weeks perfecting those last 30 minutes. “That’s where we started because we knew if we didn’t get those 30 minutes right, it wouldn’t matter how much time, effort, or quality went into everything before it. It just wouldn’t matter,” says Matt. It was the first time they had worked this way, and once they were satisfied with the ending, they moved on to the rest. “We designed it so that everything would build toward those final 30 minutes,” he explains.
Then, for a moment, he echoes the millions of fans eagerly awaiting the conclusion: “Hopefully, it works.”
Stranger Things 5 part one is released at 1 a.m. on November 27, followed by three episodes on Boxing Day and the finale on New Year’s Day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of helpful and concise FAQs about the Stranger Things cast sharing their thoughts on the final season
General Beginner Questions
Q What is Time to Say Goodbye about
A Its a special feature or interview series where the main cast of Stranger Things shares their personal feelings favorite memories and thoughts about filming the shows final season
Q Who is in these interviews
A You can expect to hear from the core cast including Millie Bobby Brown Finn Wolfhard Noah Schnapp Sadie Sink Caleb McLaughlin and Gaten Matarazzo among others
Q Where can I watch or read Time to Say Goodbye
A It will likely be released on official platforms like Netflix the Stranger Things social media accounts or through partnered entertainment news outlets
Q Why are they doing this
A To give fans a heartfelt and personal look behind the scenes as they prepare to conclude the beloved series celebrating the journey and saying thank you
Advanced Detailed Questions
Q What are the main themes the cast discusses
A They often talk about growing up on set the pressure of ending the story well their close bonds with each other and what the show and its fans have meant to them
Q Do they reveal any spoilers for the final season
A No the cast and producers are very careful to avoid giving away major plot spoilers They focus on their emotional journey rather than specific story details
Q How are the cast members handling the end of the show emotionally
A Most express that its a bittersweet experiencetheyre proud of the work but sad to say goodbye to a project and a cast that has been a huge part of their lives for nearly a decade
Q Do they talk about their future careers after Stranger Things
A Yes its a common topic They often discuss how the show has shaped them as actors and what kind of roles or projects they hope to pursue next
Common Concerns Practical Tips
Q Im worried the ending wont be satisfying Does the casts reaction ease those fears
A The cast consistently expresses immense confidence and pride in the final
