Stranger Things season 4 episodes to be supersized

It has been almost three years since Stranger Things season 3 premiered on Netflix and we’re finally only a few weeks away from Stranger Things season 4. The upcoming season will be split into two parts with the first volume set for May 27, 2022 and the second volume coming five weeks later on July 1, 2022.

After that, there will be just one more season of Stranger Things as the fifth season as Netflix renewed the show for a fifth and final season in February. It was the creators’ choice to end the show with season 5.

Since we’re getting so close to the season 4 premiere, the cast and crew have started doing press. This past weekend, Stranger Things creators Ross and Matt Duffer (known as the Duffer brothers to most fans) were at the Deadline Contenders TV panel and gave us some long-awaited intel into the new season which we’re recapping below.

Every episode of Stranger Things season 4 is over an hour long

Perhaps the biggest reveal from the Deadline panel is the news that Stranger Things season 4 is almost double the length of any previous season. That’s part of why season 4 has taken so long to produce and release, that and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Matt said he doesn’t think that even one episode clocks in under an hour.

"“I don’t think we have an episode clocking in under an hour – even in Season 1 there were episodes that were like 35 minutes. You kind of forget that,” said Matt. “This season, they’re very long, so I think it’s almost double the length of any season. So that’s one reason it’s taken so long. It does have this sort of epic quality to it. It’s a different feel, for sure.”"

The Duffer brothers compare Stranger Things season 4 to Game of Thrones

Don’t worry, we’re not expecting a colossal letdown like the final season of Game of Thrones, but the Duffer brothers did compare it to the massive HBO show in terms of size and scope. They said this season feels a lot different than the previous seasons and is much more “epic” in terms of the story they’re telling.

"“We kind of jokingly call it our Game of Thrones season because it’s so spread out, so I think that’s what’s unique or most unique about the season.”"

If you recall, Joyce and the Byers family left Hawkins at the end of season 3 to get a fresh start in California. Then Hopper is stuck in Russia and the rest of the characters are still in Hawkins, so the fourth season will be spread across several locations.

That said, we know that the season will take place over spring break and that Mike will be visiting Eleven in California. As far as we know, the rest of the gang will be joining him, at least Dustin, Lucas and Max. It’s less clear what’s going to be happening with the older teens this season like Steve, Nancy, Robin and Jonathan.

More information shared by the Duffers at the panel:

"“Joyce and Byers family to have left at the end of Season 3,” said Matt, explaining the season’s expansive story landscape. “They are in California – we’ve always wanted to have that like ‘E.T’.-esque suburb aesthetic, which we finally got to do this year in the desert; and then we have Hopper in Russia; and then of course we have a group remaining in Hawkins. So we have these three storylines, are all connected and kind of interwoven together, but it’s just very different tones.”"

Stranger Things season 4 will dive into the mythology of the Upside Down

At long last, fans can expect some legitimate answers this season regarding the nature of all the supernatural happenings that have been plaguing Hawkins and these characters since the beginning of the series.

Here’s what Ross Duffer had to say about the show’s mythology:

"“Back when we did Season 1, Netflix just kept going ‘Can you explain all this mythology to us?’“ said Ross. “So we wrote this giant 20-page document, which talked about everything in terms of what was going on and what exactly the Upside Down was. And then each season we’re just sort of peeling back the layers of that onion, so to speak. But this season, we really wanted to really get into it and [revealing] some of those answers. But to do that properly, we needed time, so it just became bigger and bigger.”"

Stranger Things season 4 premieres the first volume on May 27.