Stranger Things Season 5 Will Have To Break A Worrying Trend If The Netflix Show Wants To End On A High Note

While Stranger Things season 5 might be one of the most anticipated comebacks of 2025, the Netflix series will need to break a worrying streak if it hopes to end the series perfectly. When the show began in 2016, it would have been almost impossible for viewers to predict just how big Stranger Things season 5 would be by 2025. Although season 1’s cast included a few notable names, like Winona Ryder and Matthew Modine, Stranger Things mostly seemed like a low-key, slow-burn throwback to ‘80s sci-fi movies and Stephen King’s horror stories.

However, the show’s nostalgia clearly resonated, as Stranger Things soon became one of Netflix’s biggest hits ever. The streaming service doubled down, producing a bigger, more ambitious second season a year later in 2017. Stranger Things season 2 had its issues, but was largely viewed as a worthy follow-up. 2019’s season 3 was more divisive but, by the end of Strange Things season 4 in 2022, it was fair to say that the series had won back the crowd. However, that is not necessarily reflected in its reception.

Every Stranger Things Season Has A Lower Rotten Tomatoes Score Than The Last

Stranger Things Has Been On The Decline For Years According to Critics

While this might surprise some readers, the Rotten Tomatoes critical rating of Stranger Things has gotten progressively worse with each new season. Season 1 debuted in 2016 to a staggering 97%, and the next year’s season almost managed to maintain this sky-high rating with its 94% success. However, Stranger Things season 3’s problems meant that the show dropped to 89%, and 2022’s season 4 earned an even worse 86%. To be fair, these are all very high ratings, but the trajectory remains unmistakable.

As aggregated by Rotten Tomatoes, the critical reception of Stranger Things has been steadily declining since the show began, and it shows no sign of changing.

Even though the broad, zany Stranger Things season 3 is often highlighted as the show’s low point, the reviews don’t reflect this. As aggregated by Rotten Tomatoes, the critical reception of Stranger Things has been steadily declining since the show began, and it shows no sign of changing. This is particularly tricky since the show took three very different approaches with each new season and none reversed the trend. Stranger Things season 2 went back to basics, offering viewers a simple, straightforward story that was effectively a bigger version of season 1.

What Stranger Things Season 5 Needs To Do For The Show To End On A High Note

Stranger Things Needs To Commit To Its Big Finale Plans

Season 3 gave viewers something completely different, switching to a much more cartoony, over-the-top tone, massively upping the body count, and increasing the story’s scale. This was divisive, to say the least, and even Stranger Things season 3’s most fun scenes felt like they belonged in a fundamentally sillier series. As such, it was a welcome surprise when season 4’s Vecna story maintained the bigger scale, but went with a far darker tone that included the show’s scariest and saddest scenes to date.

Stranger Things Season 5 Is In Danger Of Repeating Max’s Season 4 Story With Another Main Character

Stranger Things season 5 may be tempted to repeat one of the show’s most iconic moments with a different character, but this is secretly a bad idea.

However, this didn’t improve the show’s standing with critics, and Stranger Things season 4 continued to struggle with matching the reviews of its predecessors. Since season 5’s episodes have already been described as “Mini movies” thanks to their sheer length, it is fair to say the final outing won’t reel in its ambition. However, Stranger Things also shouldn’t revert to the zaniness of season 3, either. As such, it is tough to see how Stranger Things season 5 will convince critics that its final outing is as impressive as its debut when the show finally arrives.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes