After four hugely successful seasons, Netflix’s hit horror show Stranger Things is gearing up to air its fifth and final season. While many fans anticipate the forthcoming season, they also dread its release, as it concludes the platform’s most-watched English series ever.
In an interview with Discussing Film, David Harbour, who stars as Hawkins Police Department chief, Jim Hopper, reiterated his love for the series and stated that it was time to conclude the show and move on to other things. In his words, "When I started the show, I never ever wanted it to end. That's why I love the show. I think it's a great show even if I wasn't in it. Now we're almost nine years from filming the first season, and I think it is time for it to end."
Despite Harbour’s belief that it is time to move on from Stranger Things, it is certain he will forever be grateful to the series for helping him on to greater things. For one, his portrayal of Jim Hopper increased his popularity in the movie industry, which helped him land roles in other projects, most notably that of the Red Guardian in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Set in the fictitious town of Hawkins, Indiana in the 1980s, the show follows the town’s residents and their experiences with a hostile alternate dimension, the Upside Down. The gateway to the dimension was created through the experiments of a nearby human experimentation laboratory. In an attempt to protect their loved ones, a group of teenagers and their parents/guardians set out to combat the dangers surrounding the alternate dimension.
Apart from Harbour who plays Hopper, Stranger Things features Winona Ryder, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Natalia Dyer, and Charlie Heaton. They play Joyce Byers, Mike Wheeler, Eleven/Jane Hopper/El, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, Max Mayfield, Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley, Nancy Wheeler, and Jonathan Byers respectively.
The science fiction horror television series was created by The Duffer Brothers who also serve as showrunners. It has been nominated for and won numerous awards, including the Critics’ Choice Awards and Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. The Duffer Brothers also executive produce alongside Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, Brian Wright, Cindy Holland, and many others.
It is not only the fans, cast, and crew members of Stranger Things that will be sad to see it go. During an interview with The Wrap last May, Ross Duffer, one half of the Duffer Brothers, revealed that even though Netflix executives were behind their idea for the show’s final season, some of them cried during the pitch because the series was coming to an end.
During an interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, the other brother, Matt, revealed that the fifth season will be shorter than the fourth season which ran for 13 hours over eight episodes.
By the way, reports emerged last December that Netflix is developing a Stranger Things anime spinoff that will be set in Tokyo. Also, Tommy Wirkola who directed Harbour in the Christmas film, Violent Night, recently confirmed that a sequel is in the works.
Stranger Things seasons one through four are currently streaming on Netflix.
