The widely acclaimed Stranger Things is returning for a fourth season. Fans are hyped, but will the show keep up its success?
Stranger Things is just about the most talked-about show on Netflix nowadays. Since the show was first released in 2016, it has managed to attract a raving fanbase across the globe, and has also enjoyed record viewership on the platform. Last year, Season 3 reportedly garnered a whopping 64 million viewers within the first month of its release, which is astounding.
It’s easy to see why so many people love the show. Stranger Things is known for its nostalgic 1980s setting and homages to popular culture, which definitely don’t hurt. It doesn’t rely on the nostalgia factor too heavily though, as we’ve seen the development of some awesome characters and a clever, original storyline. It’s a show with something for everyone.
In the first three seasons, we saw our favourite characters attempt to unearth the secrets behind an alternate dimension, ‘The Upside Down’, and take on the threats that it injects into their world. Season 1 was a great introduction to the characters and the atmosphere of the show, and Season 2 did an excellent job at expanding on those characters and explaining questions raised in its predecessor.
Personally, Season 3 was the weakest for my liking, but it by no means ruined the show for me. I’m excited to see where they take it from here.
Season 4: What To Expect
The details of Season 4 are unknown at this stage, but thanks to the latest teaser, we know for sure that our favourite Police Chief, Hopper, is alive… in Russia. It’s clear that the upcoming season will not be set entirely in Hawkins, with the teaser ending with tagline “We’re not in Hawkins anymore”. Production has even moved out of its usual Atlanta studio and instead to locations like New Mexico and Lithuania.
So, we should expect a very different atmosphere for Season 4. It feels like a necessary direction to take at this stage, but also could see this approach polarising fans.
Filming is still taking place, and we don’t have an official release date yet. It’s hard to tell exactly where they’re going to take the story from here. Stranger Things creators The Duffer Brothers have said that the show will run for five seasons at the most, without specifying if they’ll actually go for the fifth season. It seems they’re unsure of that themselves, but either way, the show is closer to the end than we realise.
Regarding Season 4, Stranger Things creator Ross Duffer said:
“We don’t want to write ourselves in a corner so we try to have these early discussions with the writers just to make sure that we’re setting ourselves up to go in the right direction.”
It’s a show that’s already pretty great, so it’ll definitely be tough for the Duffer Brothers to top their own work and keep us intrigued, especially in the sharp turn that it’s about to take. Nevertheless, they’re a talented duo, and I don’t doubt the season ahead will be an interesting addition to the series.
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