Stranger Things Season 5 to hit theatres—these 40 shows came and went while we waited

Stranger Things — the show that made us all nostalgic for the ’80s, terrified of Demogorgons, and endeared to Millie Bobby-Brown's Eleven — first dropped in 2016. And now, nearly a decade later, it’s finally bowing out with Season 5. Yes, five seasons in ten years. Slow and steady wins the race, but also… we’ve aged a little, haven’t we?

Meanwhile, the TV landscape hasn’t exactly been standing still. While the kids of Hawkins were battling Mind Flayers, we were bingeing a cavalcade of shows that came, conquered, and — in many cases — vanished. Shows that started and ended while Stranger Things was chugging along. Some were sleek, some were messy, some were straight-up genius.

Take You, the charmingly psychopathic tale of Joe Goldberg — started in 2018, and by the time we hit the middle seasons, we were rooting for a stalker in a way that says a lot about us. Or Loki, God of Mischief himself, jumping into the MCU multiverse in 2021, bending time and reality while we waited for our Hawkins heroes to grow up. Then there was Dark, the German sci-fi labyrinth that launched in 2017 and neatly wrapped in 2020, proving that even the most mind-bending plots can find closure faster than a certain gang in Indiana.

Meanwhile, Barry, Ozark, Andor, and Arcane each carved their own corners of brilliance — some funny, some dark, some animated gold — all while Stranger Things leisurely spaced its own chapters over the years. Atlanta, Snowfall, Riverdale, This Is Us, Cobra Kai — the list goes on — each a testament to how fast TV moves now. You blink, and a show is over. Yet Hawkins’ crew is still sneaking demogorgons into your living room.

Even massive cultural phenomena like Squid Game, Yellowstone, and Succession have lived, breathed, and in some cases ended their arcs while we were still counting down to the next Stranger Things cliffhanger.

And don’t get us started on animated and niche gems: Big Mouth, Luke Cage, Derry Girls, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Arcane, What We Do in the Shadows, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina — shows that entertained, horrified, or made us laugh until we cried — all came and went as the kids of Hawkins slowly became teens and adults.

It’s kind of wild when you stack it all together. In a world where shows like The Good Place, 13 Reasons Why, Superman & Lois, The Good Doctor, and even Raised by Wolves have run their course in less than a decade, Stranger Things has stuck to its own rhythm. Five seasons, ten years, and a story arc that’s been as much about growing pains as it’s been about monsters.

So, as Season 5 looms on the horizon, we’re not just saying goodbye to Hawkins — we’re waving at an entire era of television that’s spun up, wrapped up, and sometimes burned out while the Upside Down waited patiently. It’s been a wild ride, and somehow, through all the MCU madness, crime sagas, teen dramas, and sci-fi epics, Stranger Things has remained that comforting, terrifying, and irresistibly nostalgic constant.

Ten years, five seasons, and a lot of shows in between. Hawkins might be finishing, but what a decade of TV it’s been.

Nevertheless, for the first time in TV history, the climactic finale of Stranger Things Season 5 will hit theatres and streaming simultaneously. As previously reported, Volume 1 arrives on Netflix on November 26, followed by Volume 2 on December 25, with the finale episode scheduled for New Year’s Eve.

Titled “The Rightside Up,” the finale will screen in over 350 select theatres, with showings running through January 1, 2026. Netflix is expected to release the full list of participating theatres soon.