Netflix have dropped news of Season 4’s release pattern plus confirmation of the future of Stranger Things.

Updated 13/04/22 – The official trailer for Season 4 has arrived!

Across a more than three minute tease, we catch up with all the show’s main players; from basketball to the Hellfire Club, our heroes are trying to move on with their lives…

“Every ending has a beginning”

However, the trailer teases that a war is coming, with Hawkins in the eye of the storm; in an epic battle, the gang must again fight the horrors of the Upside Down.

As well as its returning cast, season 4 will also star Charlie Heaton, Priah Ferguson, Brett Gelman, Cara Buono, Matthew Modine and Robert Englund.

Stranger Things returns to Netflix with Volume One of Season 4 on the 27th of May. Not long now…

Original article follows:

Stranger Things 4 – Release date(s) for the show’s penultimate season

It seems like an age ago, but ‘Stranger Things Day’ was only back in early November. Alongside a trailer and a video announcement of episode titles, it promised Stranger Things Season 4 for Summer 2022.

Now, thanks to a letter from showrunners the Duffer Brothers (Matt and Ross), we not only have firm start dates but an insight into the show’s future plans.

Here’s the letter:

So, that’s two dates, Season 4, Volume One debuts on the Friday, 27th of May, while Volume Two follows on the Friday, 1st of July, five weeks later

“The Beginning of the End”

However, there’s also a sting in the tale; Season 4 is dubbed ‘The Beginning of the End’.

As the letter explains, the Stranger Things story arc was planned to run for four or five years. Season 4 will be followed by a final fifth season. With a cast aging out (and into other roles), and their story told, it’s doubtless a sensible move. Netflix also have a pretty ruthless reputation for letting shows go too!

As a reminder, here’s the trailer for Stranger Things Season 4:

Split Season

Introducing a split season into a popular Netflix show is a fascinating move. According to the showrunners, it’s due to the season’s “unprecedented length” and that may well the driver for the move. Seasons 1 and 3 had nine episodes, Season 2 ran to eight – but as the letter notes, Season 4 enjoys “…a runtime of nearly twice the length of any previous season.”

However, we can’t help wonder if it also allows Netflix two bites of the promotional cherry; a nod towards their streaming rivals’ weekly episodic releases while still keeping the binge-watch appeal the streamer is known for.