Stranger Things season 4 episode count, production schedule revealed

The episode total for Stranger Things 4 has officially been confirmed as has the estimated timeline for when production on Season 4 will begin.

The Duffer Brothers have apparently decided eight-episodes is the sweet spot for their award-winning series Stranger Things.

According to a new report from TVLine, the fourth season of Netflix’s breakout drama is expected to consist of eight episodes. The episode count lines up with the orders given for its first and third seasons which each consisted of eight episodes apiece —  the show’s sophomore run, meanwhile, consisted of nine episodes, making it the show’s largest to-date.

An eight-episode season should once again provide the Duffer Brothers with an ample amount of time to dive into the season’s central storylines. Additionally the shorter episode count will continue to allow the creative team to avoid unneeded filler content which waters down otherwise strong story arcs– something which has become a common problem for series which produce 13+ episode seasons.

While recent rumors have suggested production on the fourth season could begin as early as October 2019, TVLine is reporting production on season 4 will kick off sometime in January 2020. Production on Stranger Things 4 is rumored to span a period of six months, wrapping around August 2020.

With production expected to run through August, we can rule out a Summer 2020 premiere date for Stranger Things 4.

Although it’s uncertain when season 4 might arrive, an August wrap does seem to leave the door open for a potential Fall 2020 premiere date. While seasons 1 and 3 premiered in July, the show’s sophomore season premiered in October so perhaps season 4 will follow suit in debuting sometime in October 2020.

What are your thoughts on the report of Stranger Things 4 consisting of eight episodes?