‘Stranger Things’ Season 4: Release date, format, final season and more

Netflix announced Thursday that “Stranger Things” will end with Season 5, and that the show’s fourth season will debut this summer in two parts.

The news: Netflix said “Stranger Things” will release its fourth season in two parts.

• Volume 1 of Season 4 will debut May 27 — three years after Season 3 debuted.
• Volume 2 will debut on July 1.

What they’re saying: “Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for ‘Stranger Things,’” creators Matt and Ross Duffer wrote in a letter to fans. “At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four but — as you’ll see for yourselves — we are now hurtling toward our finale.”

• “It’s been a little while,” they wrote. “With nine scripts, over eight-hundred pages, almost two years of filming, thousands of visual effects shots and a runtime nearly twice the length of any previous season, ‘Stranger Things 4’ was the most challenging season yet, but also the most rewarding one. Everyone involved is incredibly proud of the results, and we can’t wait to share it with you. Given the unprecedented length, and to get it to you as soon as possible, Season 4 will be released in two volumes.”

The bigger picture: “Stranger Things” Season 4 was originally expected to be released in 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic delay the show’s production and changed the release date.