It’s been a long while since we last saw our favorite kids in Hawkins, Indiana, but Netflix has finally released the premiere date for Season 4 of Stranger Things, though it’s throwing something of a curve ball into the return.
Instead of the entire season dropping at once, the way it has in the initial three seasons, Season 4 will be split into two halves, with episodes dropping on May 27 and July 1.
Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer, professionally known as the Duffer Brothers, posted a letter on the streaming service’s blog alerting fans to the news.
“With nine scripts, over 800 pages, almost two years of filming, thousands of visual effects shots, and a runtime nearly twice the length of any previous season, Stranger Things 4 was the most challenging season yet, but also the most rewarding one,” they wrote. “Everyone involved is incredibly proud of the results, and we can’t wait to share it with you.”
Rather than wait until everything was complete with the final episodes, they thought it was best to release the show in two volumes so fans can enjoy the shows sooner rather than later.
On-screen, about six months will have passed since we last saw the characters and the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, the group of friends are separated for the first time, and navigating the complexities of high school hasn’t made things any easier.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Stranger Things unless a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaced, and once again, you can expect a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.
A new teaser for Season 4 showed Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) adjusting to their new lives in California, where they moved at the end of the third season after the alleged death of Chief Hopper (David Harbour). But viewers know that Hopper is very much alive as a prisoner in Russia. How that impacts what’s ahead and the mystery surrounding it will hopefully play out before season’s end.
Watch the most recent trailer for Stranger Things Season 4 below.
