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Stranger Things Concludes With Open-Ended Finale as Netflix Maps Next Chapter

Creators say the ending is deliberately ambiguous as the franchise pivots to confirmed and developing spinoffs.

Overview

  • Netflix released the two-hour series finale on December 31, closing the five-season run nearly nine years after the show’s debut.
  • The Duffer brothers confirmed they left the outcome of the final moments up to viewers, emphasizing an intentionally interpretive ending.
  • The last episode includes an epilogue set well after the climactic events, designed to provide emotional closure without definitive answers.
  • An animated spinoff titled Stranger Things: Tales from '85 is officially slated for 2026, with original characters returning in voice form via new actors.
  • A separate live-action spinoff is in development that the creators describe as a different story in another decade and location with a new cast, with a subtle hint embedded in the finale.