Overview
- Volume 1 (episodes 1–4) is now streaming, with Volume 2 due Dec. 25 and the single-episode finale on Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET.
- Viewer surges at launch reportedly triggered short-lived Netflix errors in some regions before service stabilized.
- Critics highlight movie-grade effects and ensemble chemistry, while flagging extended runtimes and a frantic narrative tempo.
- The new chapters extend the Hawkins lockdown storyline and end on a suspenseful cliffhanger that defers major payoffs to the next releases.
- The finale is slated for limited theatrical screenings in the U.S. and Canada, and the creators say no major characters die in Volume 1.