Takeaways:
- Noah Schnapp reveals that the Stranger Things cast won’t watch the finale before it premieres.
- The final season promises higher stakes, emotional moments, and cinematic spectacle.
- Episodes will be released in two parts leading up to the grand finale on New Year’s Day 2026.
No Early Screening for the Stranger Things Cast
In true Stranger Things fashion, the final season is shrouded in secrecy — even from its own stars.
According to Noah Schnapp (who plays Will Byers), the cast won’t get an advance screening of the long-awaited series finale.
“They’re not gonna show any of us,” Schnapp told Entertainment Weekly. “I won’t see it until the world sees it — and I’m just as excited as you guys are.”
The Stranger Things series finale will premiere simultaneously in select theaters and on Netflix on New Year’s Day 2026, marking an emotional and historic end to the beloved sci-fi saga.
The Final Season: Split in Two Volumes
Netflix has confirmed that Volume I of the fifth and final season will drop on November 26, 2025, featuring the first four episodes.
Volume II, containing episodes 5–7, premieres on Christmas Day, leading directly into the explosive finale.
Schnapp teased that the upcoming episodes “keep getting more emotional and more spectacle, but still even more intimate.”
He added, “The stakes just keep getting higher and higher — you are not ready. I just watched episodes 5 and 6, and I was sobbing. It’s so good.”
What to Expect in Stranger Things Season 5
The story picks up in the fall of 1987, over a year after the events of season 4 and nearing the fourth anniversary of Will’s disappearance.
- Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is in hiding from the U.S. government but training to face Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) in a final showdown.
- Vecna has gone underground, forcing the Hawkins crew to search for him while avoiding the military that has taken over their town.
- The new season promises a blend of emotional storytelling, nostalgic 80s energy, and blockbuster-scale action.
Cast Reactions: “The Volume Gets Turned Up All the Way”
The ensemble cast — including Millie Bobby Brown, Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Maya Hawke, and Charlie Heaton — is just as excited as fans.
- Joe Keery calls the new episodes a “big swing.”
- Millie Bobby Brown says she wants “popcorn being thrown” when fans watch the finale, adding with excitement, “Chicken jockey!” — a nod to a viral Minecraft meme.
- Charlie Heaton notes, “I feel like the end of Volume I is like a finale in itself.”
- Maya Hawke promises that season 5 “turns the volume up all the way right from the beginning. The stakes are gonna feel high from start to finish.”
The End of an Era for Stranger Things
For nearly a decade, Stranger Things has captivated audiences with its mix of nostalgia, mystery, and supernatural adventure. As the show approaches its conclusion, the anticipation has never been higher.
While fans eagerly await their final trip to Hawkins, one thing is certain — even the cast will be watching the finale for the first time alongside the rest of the world.
