‘Stranger Things’ Breaks Netflix on Season 5 Debut
Netflix experienced a brief outage when the first episodes of “Stranger Things” season 5 premiered on Wednesday, November 26. Fans trying to watch the final season of the hit sci-fi horror series were temporarily locked out of the platform shortly after the episodes went live at 5 p.m. PT.
The problem was short-lived. A Netflix spokesperson said, “Some members briefly experienced an issue streaming on TV devices, but service recovered for all accounts within five minutes.”
Earlier in the day, Ross Duffer, co-creator of “Stranger Things,” said on Instagram Stories that Netflix had increased its bandwidth by 30 percent to prevent a crash, showing how seriously the platform prepared for the highly anticipated release.
Season 5, the final season of the series, will include eight episodes released in three parts. The first four episodes premiered on November 26, with the second batch scheduled for December 25, and the last episodes arriving on December 31. The season is produced by the Duffer Brothers alongside Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen.
At long last… we can begin. The trailer for the epic final season of STRANGER THINGS is here pic.twitter.com/w4WuzuCqRs
— sƃuᴉɥʇ ɹǝƃuɐɹʇs (@Stranger_Things) October 30, 2025
The returning cast includes Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, Brett Gelman, Cara Buono, and Jamie Campbell Bower. Joe Chrest and Amybeth McNulty have been promoted to main cast members, while newcomers Linda Hamilton, Jake Connelly, and Nell Fisher join the series.
The story picks up in the fall of 1987, after the events of season four. The group must face Vecna and other threats in Hawkins, even as the military arrives in town and begins targeting Eleven. As the anniversary of Will Byers’ disappearance approaches, the friends prepare for one last dangerous mission. Eleven is training to take down Vecna, and the rest of the group plans how to help her succeed in this final battle.
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!