Key Takeaways

• Release Schedule: The final season of Stranger Things will premiere on three significant dates: November 26, December 25, and December 31.
• Weekly Release Idea: The Duffer Brothers initially proposed a weekly release format, similar to traditional TV shows, but Netflix opted for a different strategy.
• Episode Availability: Each batch of episodes will be available at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST on their respective release days.
• Holiday Tie-In: The episodes are strategically scheduled around major holidays, enhancing viewer engagement during festive times.

The Duffer Brothers proposed an eyebrow-raising release schedule for the final season of Stranger Things, but Netflix rejected the idea. After four seasons, the pop culture phenomenon is coming to an end with Stranger Things season 5, which will be released on three different days: November 26 (the day before Thanksgiving), December 25 (Christmas), and December 31 (New Year’s Eve).

However, if Matt and Ross Duffer had gotten their way, the final installment of Stranger Things would have had a weekly release like linear TV shows do, according to The Ankler. Unfortunately for the showrunners of the ’80s-era sci-fi series, Netflix executives went in a different direction.

Another idea under consideration was to release each episode on consecutive nights, which would have been an unprecedented schedule and turned heads in the entertainment industry, as noted by The Ankler.

Instead of choosing one of those models, Netflix went with a similar rollout as Stranger Things season 4, which was split up into two batches and released a month apart.

The first three seasons of Stranger Things employed the standard binge-release of dropping all episodes at once, which is what Netflix popularized in the world of streaming services.

Each batch of episodes of Stranger Things season 5 is being tied to a major holiday (either releasing on the day itself or the day before): Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.

The first four episodes will drop on Wednesday, November 26, with the next three episodes releasing on Thursday, December 25 and the series finale arriving on Wednesday, December 31. On each of those days, the episodes will be available at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST.

The Christmas Day episodes have another significance aside from being released on the jolliest day of the year. Netflix will be live-streaming two NFL games that day. First up is the Cowboys vs. Commanders at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST and then the Lions vs. Vikings at 4:30 p.m. EST/1:30 p.m. PST.

Once those two games end, Stranger Things season 5 will premiere on the same platform. Presumably, Netflix will promote the show during the double-header.

The Duffers’ idea of releasing one episode a week is not new to the television industry. Broadcast and cable TV have used this model since the beginning. When streaming services came onto the scene, Netflix popularized binge-watching, with other streamers following their lead.

Some streaming services still follow a weekly release for some shows. Netflix, though, hasn’t budged when it comes to leaning into models used by linear TV. The closest they’ve come is to release seasons in batches or volumes, either weekly or several weeks apart.

That last strategy has come under fire in recent months, particularly during Wednesday season 2, which was split into two parts. Now Stranger Things season 5 is back to following that model as well, with the main exception being that the series finale will have its own separate release date.

Since this is the final season, the spread-out schedule will allow fans to theorize about what will come next and prepare themselves for how the entire series will end.

Stranger Things cast members Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp and Sadie Sink are now household names, and their characters are beloved by fans all over the world.

No matter what release schedule Stranger Things season 5 landed on, this is truly the end of an era, and the anticipation is building for the grand finale.

Stranger Things season 5 premieres Wednesday, November 26 at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST on Netflix.

Here you can find the original article; the photos and images used in our article also come from this source. We are not their authors; they have been used solely for informational purposes with proper attribution to their original source.[/nospin]

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