Stranger Things, Seasons 4...and 5?!

[Monterey Jack]

I know it's been forever since season 3 (which dropped eight months before the Pandemic!), but doesn't this smack of overkill? The show's padded out enough as it is, so it's like Netflix is trying to get as much out of the show's cast as it possibly can before they hit their twenties.

[AndyDursin]

I'm confused, I thought they announced they were doing a 5th season to finish off the series? Splitting the episodes of the completed Season 4 into "volumes" to separate them from dropping is understandable. That's not much of a wait.

Either way 2 more seasons of Netflix shows isn't really a whole lot of episodes so I don't have a problem with it. Especially if this season wasn't configured as some kind of finale. So they bring it back for 8-10 eps to finish it off, no big deal. The bigger problem is whether it takes YEARS for them to air.

I liked Season 3 a lot, more than Season 2, and it's been forever so it's not like there's been an oversaturation if the series itself.

[Monterey Jack]

I'm confused, I thought they announced they were doing a 5th season to finish off the series? Splitting the episodes of the completed Season 4 into "volumes" to separate them from dropping is understandable. That's not much of a wait.

This is what confuses me as well...is the "volume 2" part dropping in July the fifth and final season, or not?

[Monterey Jack]

Either way 2 more seasons of Netflix shows isn't really a whole lot of episodes so I don't have a problem with it. Especially if this season wasn't configured as some kind of finale. So they bring it back for 8-10 eps to finish it off, no big deal. The bigger problem is whether it takes YEARS for them to air.

Even season 3 -- which didn't have the excuse of a Pandemic gumming up the production schedule -- came out the better part of two YEARS after season 2, despite being set only about eight months later. I don't know of this is going to be in 1986, but if so, it's becoming downright comic how much older the cast is supposed to be compared to their advancing ages. It's like the commundrum of the Quiet Place sequel, which took place mere minutes after the first one concluded, yet the two young leads were noticeably older. Or It: Chapter 2, where they had to utilize distracting de-aging tech on the kids, because they had sprung up so much in the two-year gap between films.

It's just weird that Netflix has dragged their feet on producing new seasons of their flagship series on a expedient basis, especially one with a built-in "ticking clock" of the kids' ages and the period 80s setting, which they're running out on. Season 3 should have been released in 2018, and 4 in '19.

[AndyDursin]

They certainly did drag their feet but obviously the last few years have put a wrench in a lot of things. At least they announced the last season is the end, so they have a target point to finish it off. And maybe they held onto Season 4 until they knew when they could shoot Season 5, I dunno.

Who knows maybe it will just jump ahead a whole bunch of years story wise also.

[Monterey Jack]

Who knows maybe it will just jump ahead a whole bunch of years story wise also.

Given how the 80s setting is a large part of the show's appeal, I can't imagine it pushing into the 90s.

[Monterey Jack]

Each episode is "going to exceed an hour", oh, joy.

https://nypost.com/2022/04/12/stranger- ... shows-war/

[AndyDursin]

I didn't have a problem with the last season because as memory serves it was structured like one long movie, broken into parts. They didn't conceive it really like individual episodes of a series. If this is the same then it'll probably be fine.

[Monterey Jack]

Each individual episode of this is purportedly budgeted at $30 million. That has to be more than they spent on the first season all-told!

[AndyDursin]

Not shocked, the last season felt like one big movie split into multiple sections like I said before...the money was on-screen anyway.

Netflix needs this show so bad. Their stock has fallen with multiple earnings disappointments including the most recent subscriber mark miss...and really their content-to-quality ratio is lower than Apple+, HBO Max, maybe Amazon prime at this point (though truthfully that's the one I spend the least amount of time with). They throw a ton of programming on there but most of it is really poor, and they haven't had a breakout series hit in a while either.

[Monterey Jack]

The ninth episode of the season will run 150 minutes.

[AndyDursin]

Hey it's better than 25 -- and at least you're at home! Nobody's forcing you to sit for 150 minutes.

All I care is if it's good. Break it up over multiple nights, that's how I roll with most everything at this point anyway.

Reviews seem to be trickling out, this one said the length is worth it.

[AndyDursin]

I know they put a disclaimer up, but that was a really, really unfortunate way to start the new season. Almost turned it off.

[Monterey Jack]

I know they put a disclaimer up, but that was a really, really unfortunate way to start the new season. Almost turned it off.

The same day that the first episode of Obi-Wan opens with a flashback to the "Order 66" slaughtering of Jedi Younglings. Horrible timing, all around...

[jkholm]

Lots of pop culture to watch this weekend. I won’t be able to see Top Gun: Maverick until at least next weekend but I did watch Obi-Wan Kenobi (I like it so far) and Stranger Things.

SPOILERS for the first four episodes of Stranger Things.
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I’m enjoying the new season so far although it lacks the humor and joy of season three. This is a fictional world I like spending time in even when things get a bit dark. It’s obvious now why the episodes are so long as there are way too many plotlines going on at the same time. As in past seasons, whatever Dustin is doing is the best part of the show. Some of the new characters are fun. The stoner pizza delivery guy and the so-called “freak” Eddie are good additions although Eddie unfortunately gets sidelined early on due to the plot. I could do without the bullying scenes. The biggest problem so far is Hopper’s situation which is dragging on far too long. All the “adult” plots seem to have very little to do with what’s going on with the kids although I’m sure things will start to tie together soon.