Breaking Down the Past and Future of ‘Stranger Things’

Welcome to the 176th episode of TV’s Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter’s TV podcast.

Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the latest TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners, executives and other guests, and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as the case may be).

This week, we’re venturing to the Upside Down for a supersized episode that features a deep dive into what’s next for the creators of Stranger Things, Matt and Ross Duffer, and we’re joined by Rolling Stone chief TV critic Alan Sepinwall for a spoiler-filled look at season four.

Here’s how the episode plays out:

1. Headlines
Kate Winslet, Who’s the Boss, Beauty and the Beast, Baz Luhrmann and Jason Momoa lead the week in headlines.

2. Cancellation spree
It turns out the Friday before a holiday weekend is considered a News Dump day for a reason. This year, the Independence Day victims were The Time Traveler’s Wife, Why Women Kill, Tom Swift, Duncanville and Field of Dreams as we look at the why behind the cancellations.

3. The future of Stranger Things
The Duffer brothers have a slate of five projects in the works via the nine-figure overall deal they duo signed back in 2019. This segment looks at the Stranger Things spinoff, stage play and three other projects the siblings have in the works.

4. Stranger Things season four spoiler chat
Spoiler alert! Friend of the 5 Alan Sepinwall joins Dan and I this week for a deep dive into what worked in season four and what didn’t. Plus how the finale sets up the previously announced fifth and final season of the Netflix hit.

5. Critic’s Corner
As usual, we wrap with Dan’s look at what to watch (or skip) this weekend. This week, he weighs in on AMC+ series Moonhaven, ABC-turned-Hulu comedy Maggie, Apple’s Black Bird and Netflix’s Boo, Bitch.

Hear it all now on TV’s Top 5. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to never miss an episode. (Reviews welcome!) You can also email us with any topics or Mailbag questions you’d like addressed in future episodes at [email protected].