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What’s Next For The Stranger Things Franchise After The Season 5 Finale?
So, that’s it. It’s officially the end of an era. Almost 10 years after it first hit our screens, Stranger Things has concluded with a divisive final season that split fans and critics.
The fifth season of Netflix’s 1980s-set sci-fi saw the original cast, including Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin and Winona Ryder, regroup for one final battle against Vecna and the malevolent forces of the Upside Down.
It might be the end of Stranger Things as we know it, but those sad to see the show come to an end might be relieved to hear it’s not a complete goodbye to Hawkins.
Here’s what we know about the future of the Stranger Things universe so far…
Will there be any more series of Stranger Things after the season 5 finale?
Sadly, one thing we know for certain is that we won’t be seeing any more from this cast of characters.
The Duffer brothers have confirmed that after season five, that’s our lot, and that they had always working towards four or five seasons of Stranger Things.
It’s not all bad news, though, as they’ve also confirmed a live-action Stranger Things spin-off is already going ahead.
“It’s early days but we’re excited about it,” Matt Duffer told the BBC. “It’s new characters and a new mystery, so it’s different, but it will be in the same world as Stranger Things.”
The Duffer brothers recently told Deadline that Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike in Stranger Things, had accidentally guessed the premise of the spin-off, while confirming it wouldn’t be set in the 1980s.
Finn previously spoke to Variety about that prediction, saying it would be “like David Lynch’s Twin Peaks” and “sort of an anthology” with “different tones” but a “similar” or “same universe”.
What’s this about an animated version of Stranger Things in 2026, too?
Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 is an animated spin-off that’s set to debut on an (as of yet) unconfirmed date in 2026.
Like the main show, this series was created by the Duffer brothers alongside showrunner Eric Robles, and will feature the original gang as well as fan favourites like Hopper, all voiced by new actors.
Set between the events of seasons two and three, Netflix promises the animated series will “capture the magic of Hawkins in a new way” with the original characters fighting new monsters that are terrorising their town.
You can still see Stranger Things on stage, too
Indeed, Stranger Things: The First Shadow is booking in the UK until 31 May 2026.
The theatre show is set in Hawkins, 1959 “before the world turned upside down” and is based on an original story by the Duffer Brothers.
It features well-known characters like Joyce, Jim Hopper and Dr Brenner played by stage actors.
All five seasons of Stranger Things are streaming now on Netflix.
