Well, it's happened. The day is finally here. After a years-long wait, the first part of Stranger Things' fifth (and final) chapter is on Netflix. The last half of the show's fourth season came out three years ago, in July 2022, leaving a lot of unanswered questions. As such, fans have been eagerly anticipating the release of the horror-sci-fi series' swan song.
Netflix seemed more than ready for the massive wave of fan excitement that would inevitably hit the service. As pointed out by The Hollywood Reporter, Stranger Things co-creator Ross Duffer posted the following message on his Instagram Stories: "Netflix increased bandwidth by 30 percent to avoid a crash."
That, as it turned out, was not the solution. In reality, the number of people itching for more Stranger Things was larger and more powerful than any bandwidth increase set up by a multi-billion dollar company. The new season arrived on Netflix on Wednesday, November 26 at 5:00 p.m. PT. And it seems like a lot of users couldn't wait to watch it, because upon its arrival, the service crashed.
That became a big deal on social media, with multiple users posting their displeasure at not being able to watch the show:
Following the crash, Ross Duffer posted the news on an Instagram Story, telling fans: "Love you guys."
Hilariously, Netflix responded to the backlash by retweeting the following post from a fan: "STRANGER THINGS IS BACK EVERYONE STFU."
The company also shared a statement about the technical issues (via THR), stating they had been contained to users streaming on their televisions, and that the problem had only lasted five minutes: "Some members briefly experienced an issue streaming on TV devices, but service recovered for all accounts within five minutes."
And back it was... but only for a while. Folks, just a few hours later, the streaming giant crashed once again. Users also took to social media to share the news:
Netflix has struggled to find shows that are able to capture the cultural zeitgeist. The streamer releases series on a regular basis, but many of them are unable to catch lightning in a bottle in the same way Stranger Things did.
The impact of Stranger Things has been such, that the creatives behind it have gradually become powerful figures in Hollywood. In August, it was revealed the Duffer Brothers had signed a four-year deal with Paramount Skydance for "large-scale theatrical films," TV shows and streaming endeavors.
Meanwhile, director and executive producer Shawn Levy—despite having found success prior to his involvement with the show—has become a reliable blockbuster director. Levy has helmed crowd-pleasers like The Adam Project and Deadpool & Wolverine, and he's now directing the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter.
Stranger Things Season 5 Part 1 is now streaming on Netflix. Part 2, which will consist of three episodes, will come out on December 25, 2025. The last episode will then hit the platform on December 31, 2025.
Have you watched Stranger Things Season 5? How do you feel about the show crashing Netflix? Drop your thoughts in the comments!