‘Stranger Things’ Final Season Will Have Shorter Episodes Except for Series Finale, Duffer Brothers Say

The Duffer brothers are explaining why Stranger Things‘ season four episodes went so long and sharing why they don’t expect season five to follow suit.

In the latest episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast hosted by Josh Horowitz, the creative minds by the Netflix hit opened up for a spoiler-y conversation about the second part of the show’s latest season, including character deaths, an improvised kiss between two of the show’s main characters and what’s on the table for season five.

That includes what fans can expect out of the length of the final season’s episodes. Most of those ran for nearly 80 minutes while the last three were no shorter than an hour and a half. The duo says “we don’t expect” season five’s episodes to be as long, except for season five’s last episode and the streaming series’ finale.

“We’re more likely to do what we did here, which is to just have a two and a half hour episode,” Matt says.

Matt also goes on to explain why season four’s episodes were ultimately so long.

“The only reason we don’t expect to be as long is because typically — or this season, if you look at it, it’s almost a two-hour ramp up before our kids really get drawn into a supernatural mystery. You get to know them, you get to see them in their lives, they’re struggling with adapting to high school and so forth. Steve’s trying to find a date, all of that,” he says.

“None of that is obviously going to be occurring in the first two episodes,” Matt continues. “For the first time ever, we don’t wrap things up at the end of four.”

When it comes to the final season’s pacing and start point, Matt notes, that “it’s going to be moving fast” though they’re not sure if it’s “going to be moving 100 miles per hour.”

He goes on to explain: “Characters are already going to be in action, they’re already going to have a goal and a drive, and I think that’s going to carve out at least a couple hours and make this season feel really different.”

“I’m sure the wrap-up will be a lot longer,” Matt adds, before saying, while laughing, “It’s going to be Return of the King-ish with, like, eight endings.”