Stranger Things Season 5’s Release Schedule Is So Hard To Follow, I Have No Idea Why Netflix Doesn’t Just Bite The Bullet Here

Netflix capped off May 2025 with updates for its original series with the annual TUDUM event (which we covered via live blog). Beyond the news about Wednesday’s second season, the next Knives Out sequel and more, arguably the biggest highlight was the lo-o-o-ong-awaited release date(s) reveal for Stranger Things Season 5. I’m definitely celebrating the info in general, but am stunned that a wonkily staggered holiday schedule was utilized instead of a more traditional drop.

Let’s break down why this approach is both confusing and frustrating, especially going into the holiday season. But first...

When Stranger Things Season 5 Will Stream Its Various "Volumes"

A new Stranger Things video was unveiled at Tudum that pinpointed when fans will finally be able to catch up again with the Byers and myriad other Hawkins residents. But rather than aiming for a summer start or timing it to Halloween, as was fitting in years past, the streaming giant is going all out with an end-of-year holiday push, as seen below:

• Volume One: November 26
• Volume Two: December 25
• Series Finale: December 31

Assuming that the season actually does tap into Thanksgiving and Christmas-related theming and set decoration, the overall timing makes decent enough sense. But that's about it.

I Do Love When Netflix Moves Away From Its All-At-Once Release Model

I know that the binge-ready release plans are beloved by a wide swath of fans with Netflix subscriptions, so I also know that not everyone will agree with my take here. But I think outside of personal viewing preferences, I think many people can agree that shows which release episodes weekly maintain a certain amount of water-cooler talk both online and in the real world.

Theoretically, Stranger Things' fifth season could have been stretched out across two full months if each of its eight episodes would go out live weekly. And one can assume that the viewership would start off big and likely get bigger as the weeks go by and the hype peaks. So while I'm pumped that Netflix again bypassed the most binge-ready plan for something more stretched-out, I'm more confused than anything by what was chosen instead.

But This Holiday-Set Plan For Stranger Things Season 5 Just Feels Slapdash

Now, I get that Netflix isn't responsible for when Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Eve fall during any given year. So it's not like the company can just push the new year back another few weeks to give Stranger Things' final season more room to breathe. However, the company can make the choice to set the finale on a date that isn't the final day of the year when millions of people are out celebrating.

I do understand that gearing for holiday breaks makes it easier for school-bound viewers to watch without having to worry much, and that it may alllow for more family-oriented viewings during get-togethers. But I'm not so confident in the ideal nature of making fans wait a full month between new episodes, and only then going with a weekly wait. Especially if the individual eps are all feature-length installments.

It seems like the platform could achieve some of those same theoretical goals by releasing single eps weekly starting on November 19, just one week ahead of Thanksgiving. It'd still be able to wrap up on New Year's Eve without issue.

I'm Also Iffy About Evening P.M. Releases Rather Than The Usual Overnight Drops

Even if I was perfectly comfortable with the questionable placement of the staggered release dates, I'd still be taken aback by the specific change in timing for when the new eps will drop. While Netflix has long adhered to its Midnight PST releases — with East Coast fans needing to stay up until 3:00 a.m. to watch ASAP — the new Stranger Things eps will be going live at 5:00 p.m. PST, so that it will be more aligned with traditional primetime TV.

Now, if the Powers That Be would choose to go with this release model for the bulk of its new shows, I wouldnt' necessarily complain for long, as I do prefer to watch beloved shows after dusk as opposed to right after the crack of dawn. Plus, that move would line up with Netflix's live events and specials that are also set for normal evening hours.

But if Stranger Things' final season will merely be the scripted exception to the overnight release norm, without any plans to use that approach with any other future releasese, then I don't understand why the company is choosing now to flip the script.

For the most part, other streaming services such as Amazon, Disney+, Apple TV+ have been quite successful at balancing which shows get binge-friendly drops and which ones are more suitable for being staggered out weekly. (I cannot imagine a show like Severance releasing all episodes at once, for instance.) So it's wild to me that Netflix's execs can't seem to follow those same patterns with their original series, and would instead prefer a totally arbitrary decision like releasing 3 or 4 eps at a time a month apart.

Regardless of my gripes and questions and confusion, I'll absolutely still be watching the final season of Stranger Things when those first episodes drop on Wednesday, November 26.