STRANGER THINGS Season 5 Runtimes Revealed for First Four Episodes and They're Shorter Than the Rumors Claimed
Fans of Stranger Things can finally stop guessing how long they’ll be hanging out in the Upside Down this season. Ross Duffer, co-creator of the hit Netflix series, just dropped the official runtimes for the first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5 on Instagram, and they’re not nearly as long as many expected.
The Season 5 premiere, titled “The Crawl,” clocks in at 1 hour and 8 minutes. Episode 2, which doesn’t yet have a revealed title, runs 54 minutes. Episode 3, “The Turnbow Trap,” is 1 hour and 6 minutes, while Episode 4, “Sorcerer,” comes in at 1 hour and 23 minutes.
That post puts an end to weeks of viral speculation claiming every episode would be at least 90 minutes long. It also contradicts a recent Puck News report from October 6 that claimed the new episodes “run from 90 minutes to two hours long.”
After mostly sticking to the one-hour mark in earlier seasons, Stranger Things Season 4 took things to cinematic lengths. Nearly every episode exceeded 70 minutes, and the final three episodes were feature-length, with the Season 4 finale hitting a massive two hours and 22 minutes.
Netflix is taking a unique approach to releasing the final season. Stranger Things Season 5 will drop in three separate batches. The first four episodes will premiere on November 26 during Thanksgiving weekend, with “Sorcerer” serving as a mid-season finale.
The next three episodes will arrive on Christmas, and the epic finale, “The Rightside Up,” will premiere on New Year’s Eve. Maybe the final episodes will be longer.
Alongside Ross Duffer and Matt Duffer, the final season will feature direction from executive producer Shawn Levy and filmmaker Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption).
The full cast is back one last time, including Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, and Maya Hawke.
While these episodes may be shorter than rumored, there’s no doubt the Duffer Brothers are saving plenty of big emotional moments, epic action, and nostalgic ‘80s energy for the end.